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Japanese carmaker Toyota is planning to add to their line up a Coupe variant of the Toyota Prius hybrid. They are building on the success foundations laid by the 2010 hybrid vehicle which is now closed to being sold out because of the very high demand all over the globe.
The first of the additional styling that we might see on the Prius is the 2-door coupe that will target to topple the 2011 hybrid Honda CR-Z sports coupe.
The future member of the Prius line is expected to sport the same 4-cylinder 1.8L engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive set up of the current release of the Prius. The package though might come with better aerodynamics than the 5-door version which already boasts of a 0.25 drag coefficient– among the best for production cars today. The Prius coupe will also be a lot lighter than the family variant.
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The spotlight is on Toyota as they withdraw their participation from Formula-1 racing. They now again catch all attention as the Japanese car maker decides to send off the almost near-stock 4Runner 2010 model to join the Stock mini class through the off road racing of Baja 1000.
The announcement may be a clear display of faith on the capabilities of the 2010 4Runner. The Baja 100 is a 672 mile of racing far from being a joke. It is no grounds for any amateur even with the fiercest guts. The race is considered by all experts as very suicidal as drivers zoom over broken paths night and day.
The 22-time winner of the Baja 1000, Ivan Stewart is confident though that the 5th Generation 4Runner can handle the stress. He has no doubts that the 4Runner can make it and has enough under its hood and body to survive the grueling ordeal of Baja. Hopefully, any defects on the ride will not show midway through the race or it will be a disaster.
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The news about the product of the Toyota-Subaru collaboration has been creating some buzz for quite a while now. Finally, the theories have been confirmed and the questions answered as Toyota unveils the FT86 concept which takes shape as the soul under a modified chassis of a Subaru Impreza.
The FT86 is still on the drawing boards but it will take the spotlight in a concept form at the Tokyo Auto show later this month. The lines of the FT86 will be very similar to the Lexus IS-F and will take shape as a 2+2 sports car.
Toyota has decided to use a four cylinder 2.0L engine from Subaru. The configuration of the powerplant will be for a rear drive vehicle instead of the usual Subaru all wheel drive configuration. The engine will be coupled with a six-speed transmission on manual.
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Japanese car maker Toyota reveals its commitment to release in 2012 plug in hybrids for mass consumption. The first batch of lithium-ion battery powered vehicles will
be out by next year and will be ready for government and commercial fleets in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Mass production of the fuel efficient and environment-friendly vehicles will be by 2012.
A Japanese newspaper reports that Toyota will be producing between 20000 and 30000 units of plug-in hybrids come 2012. This will be two years after GM kicks off the production of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.
A plug-in hybrid that was derived from the platform of the current Prius hybrid is expected to go to dealerships in Japan this month. This car will have a tag price starting at $47,800. The car will be able to travel for about 18.6 miles running on electric power alone. It depends on a pack of lithium ion batteries made by Panasonic EV Energy.
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Automakers are in a scramble to fix their budget and comply with stricter emission and fuel mileage
regulations that will be in effect across the nation. The state of California is also setting tougher requirements. Japanese car maker Toyota is also studying a tough goal of 3% of its total 2012 sales that should come from zero emission units.
The company estimates that they will need about $1 billion to follow all the new industry rules from the federal government and California.
California requires manufacturers that sell more than 60000 vehicles in a year to have 3% of the units as zero emissions. This puts automakers like Toyota, Ford, and Honda in a no choice position because of the state legislation.
Chrysler and General Motors will also have to follow the new rules but do not require as much budget considering that the other car makers share the bigger chunk of the market.
The needed $1 billion of funding can be broken down into production of components needed for building the electric vehicles, equipment, and service centers. They also have to consider things like training of the manpower, marketing, and coverage for the vehicle’s guarantees and warranties.
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Toyota racing spreads its racing history from 1957 till date. The Toyota racing team is owned by Japan based Toyota motors. The racing division is based in Germany and started its journey in racing in the year of 1957.
Toyota motors entered in the racing motor sports in the Australia motor sport trial in 1957. The company later made its roots in a Formula 1 team in 1972. In 1972, Anderson’s motor sport team, in the Formula 1 race, used Toyota Celica. The team was later named as Toyota Team Europe, which later was bought by Toyota in 1993.
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No matter how the Toyota A-BAT concept caught the spotlight during the 2008 Detroit Motor Show, the hybrid pickup will be remaining a concept vehicle for 
now according to Toyota insiders.
It was a good bet for a production vehicle but Toyota executives point out that they have a lot of priorities at the moment and building the A-BAT is not on top of their list.
The A-BAT was close to reality when the Japanese car manufacturer asked for bids from potential suppliers for the hybrid version and four cylinder variant of the truck. The light never went green though for the bulky futuristic vehicle.
The decision of the company may have been influenced by the dismal performance of their two pickups which have suffered from the drop in housing and construction. Toyota only sold 18349 units of the Tundra which is a 55% drop in 1Q sales. The Tacoma was also a laggard performer in the market with first quarter sales dropping as much as 37% or translating to only 24937 units sold.
Toyota executives assure the public that they are committed to meet the demand for the Tundra although the sales are greatly dependent on the construction industry.
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The time for the extravagant stretch limos arriving at the red carpet for the Academy Awards might be history. Hollywood stars arrive in green cars at their red carpet welcome for the Oscar’s.
The 2010 Toyota Prius and the Oscar’s might really be a good mix. With the whole world watching and hundreds of flashbulbs flickering, the event was a great publicity and promotion of the silver screen elites’ advocacy to be green.
All eyes are on them when actors and actresses come to the biggest award’s night of the year. A gas gulper limo can definitely have a negative effect on their image now that fans and the press look at how the stars are ecologically conscious.
The 2010 Toyota Prius got the attention of the world amid the stars of the night serving as shuttle of the Hollywood elites. The Prius may actually be considered as a tribrid as it can also maximize the sun’s powers as solar panels are mounted on its roof.
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Last Wednesday, Toyota unveiled a revolutionized 2010 Tundra at the Chicago auto show. Among the enhancements are the latest 4.6 liter engine configuration, the new platinum covering and its enriched exterior.
Among the distinguishing characteristics of the 2010 Toyota Tundra from other trucks include the chrome set of 20-inch wheels, Platinum badges and a grille with a billet-style.
On the inside of this Platinum Tundra, you will find exclusive leather seats, navigations, puddle lamps, door trim and wood trimmed shift knobs.
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The Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation reigns as king of sales in the global auto industry sector stripping General Motors of Detroit, USA its crown that it held for 77 years.
Sales records show that Toyota sold 8.972 million cars and trucks in 2008 globally ahead by as much as 616000 units of GM’s final count of 8.356 million vehicles.
The transfer of glory lacks luster though as every car manufacturer is hoping for recovery and better picture in their sector.
The global financial crisis played a major role in the race. The global sales of the auto industry drop by 3.5 million vehicles. Toyota suffered a 4% drop in sales while GM (gmautoblog.com) had an 11% decline.
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Japanese carmaker Toyota is planning to add to their line up a Coupe variant of the Toyota Prius hybrid. They are building on the success foundations laid by the 2010 hybrid vehicle which is now closed to being sold out because of the very high demand all over the globe.
