Showing posts with label Toyota. Show all posts

Toyota Tundra Pick-Up Tows Endeavour Space Shuttle to the California Science Center

Its official designation was the OV-105, but the world came to know it as the Endeavour Space Shuttle. It was built from spare parts to replace the Challenger, which tragically disintegrated a mere 73 minutes after launch from the Kennedy Space Center on January 28, 1986.

Along with the Discovery and Atlantis, which took part in the STS (Space Transportation system) missions, and the Enterprise that was used for initial testing, the Endeavour is (after a second tragedy struck in 2003 when Columbia exploded on re-entry) what remains of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, which was terminated last year after three decades and 135 missions.

If you were to begin viewing this video from the 20-second mark and on, you would be excused to think that the driver and his passenger simply parked their beaten up Lada Riva Estate (VAZ-2107) in the middle of the road and left to go on to their work or wherever else they were heading to.

Watch the clip from the start, though, and you will be surprised to learn that a couple of seconds earlier, they had just smashed into the black Toyota Land Cruiser you see sitting behind the Lada!

After the 10 million-vehicle recall in 2009 and 2010 over the infamous unintended acceleration problems, Toyota has once again been hit by a massive recall that concerns a lofty 7.43 million vehicles.

This time, the issue on hand is a faulty power window switch in 14 different models, which may malfunction and offer a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation. The use of a commercial lubricant, instead of the special fluorine grease used by the factory, may result in the melting of the switch and the emission of smoke.

Tumbling sales can be attributed to many factors. Japanese carmakers, though, just can’t seem to get a break as since last year, they have seen their production hurt by an earthquake and a tsunami, a nuclear reactor malfunction and now, a political crisis.

As we have already reported, the dispute between the two countries over the ownership of a group of East China Sea islands has resulted in escalating protests, boycotts and even violence against anything Japanese, from restaurants to automobiles in China.

Following these events, Toyota and Nissan announced that last month they recorded their biggest sales drop in China since 2008. In September, Toyota, Nissan and Honda sales fell by 49, 35 and 41 percent respectively, to 44,100, 76,066 and 33,931 units.

Big may be beautiful, but when reality bites, small can prove to be a choice that makes more sense. High fuel prices, along with the fact that subcompact and compact cars are better than ever have resulted in the small car segment being on track to achieve its best-ever market share since 1993 when it held 20.5 percent of the market.

Last month, sales of small cars exploded by 50 percent compared to the same month in 2011 according to Autodata Corp. As a result, the segment accounted for 20.2 percent of September deliveries, the most since July and August 2009, and 19.3 percent of the market year to date.

The one-off Lexus LFA Spyder isn’t the only open-top car Jay Leno drove during his visit to Japan. The Tonight Show host also got behind the wheel of a 1966 Toyota 2000GT.

Launched at the 1965 Tokyo Motor Show, it is considered to be the first Japanese supercar. It was fitted with a Toyota Crown sourced two-liter straight-six engine producing 150HP linked to a five-speed manual or a three-speed auto gearbox.

In case you read that wrong, it's 'Gundam style' as in the Japanese animated television series about giant robots, and not 'Gangnam Style' as in the music video by South Korean rapper PSY.

The new 2013 Toyota Auris was selected for a cosmetic tune dedicated to the anime cartoon, with the Japanese automaker's in-house tuning arm Modellista taking responsibility for the transformation.

If you take a moment to check out Ford U.S.A.'s recent press releases on the new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, you will notice that the Blue Oval always finds some room to insert a reference or two…or three to Toyota's rivaling Prius V minivan, be that for its fuel economy numbers, pricing or features.

In Ford's latest release, the word "Prius" appears…15 times, but that's to be expected since the automaker is bumping the challenge to the next level by launching a new campaign to "establish C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid as better, more fuel-efficient hybrid alternatives to Toyota Prius V".

The sports coupe jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru that entered production as the Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S and Toyota GT86 was one of the most awaited cars of the year, since it rekindled the fun to drive and relatively modestly priced niche.

Despite being a long time in the making, being teased by a series of concepts, the final product received positive reviews. The three models are nearly identical, featuring a 2.0-liter flat-four engine with both direct and indirect injection driving the rear-wheels via a six-speed manual or auto gearbox and a Torsen limited-slip differential.

The problem is that Subaru and Scion customers who rushed in to buy the first batch of cars are now complaining about rough idle and stalling issues.

September auto sales were up 13 percent compared to the same month in 2011, according to sales tracker Autodata. This is the best result in the last four years and exceeds even the most optimist analysts’ expectations.

It also raises the automotive industry sales’ Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) projection to 14.9 million. SAAR is determined by dividing the unadjusted annual rate for the month by its seasonality factor, resulting in an adjusted annual rate for the month.

September was the fourth consecutive month, and the seventh month this year, that the SAAR has exceeded 14 million.

When it comes to British motoring journalist and presenter of the Top Gear TV show Jeremy Clarkson, there’s no middle ground: you either love him or hate him; or, most likely, you love to hate him.

Whatever you may think of the man, you have to admit that his controversial comments have been one of the main ingredients that have made Top Gear the world’s most successful car show.

It’s true that JC doesn’t give a dime (though he could afford to…) about political correctness or BBC’s guidelines. In fact, he does have quite a record of “regrettable lapses of editorial judgment”, as the BBC Trust puts it.

This odd-looking single-passenger electric vehicle (EV) is the Toyota Smart INSECT concept and it made its world premiere today at the CEATEC Japan 2012 advanced technologies exhibition, which runs from October 2 to October 6, in Chiba City, Japan.

The Smart INSECT is a conceptual development of the "COMS" EV produced by the brand's subsidiary Toyota Auto Body Co., and it was designed to display next-generation communications-linked services. The name is an acronym for "Information Network Social Electric City Transporter".

Industrial espionage in the United States is on the rise in most sectors. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) opened 1,212 intellectual property rights cases in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011 – an increase of 66 percent compared to 2009.

The automotive industry is no exception: General Motors, Ford and Toyota have been the targets of such actions, with former employees stealing and sharing information with foreign rivals.

Assistant U.S. attorney Cathleen Corken described a case in which a Ford employee stole thousands of secrets in order to secure a job with another company, according to a report from Automotive News.

You may be surprised to learn that in Europe, station wagons are quite popular and currently represent about a fourth of the mainstream C-segment (compact models) sales mix.

Toyota was absent from the category with the first generation of the Auris, but is now ready to enter the market with an estate version of its brand-new Auris hatchback.

Making its world premiere at the 2012 Paris motor show, the new Auris Touring Sports will be the first in the segment to be available with a full hybrid powertrain.

The second generation of the Auris will make its first public appearance on Thursday at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, but Toyota has already announced pricing and trim specifications for the UK market model.

The British-built five-door hatchback will launch in Britain this December in a four-grade line-up with on-the-road prices ranging from £14,495 for the base petrol model to £21,745 for the Hybrid.

While electric vehicles may not yet have substantial range to be as versatile as hybrids or internal-combustion engine models, if the their use is confined in daily commute in cities, theoretically then, their range is more than enough to satisfy most drivers’ needs.

The iQ city car (sold under the Scion nameplate in North America) is designed specifically designed to be used in an urban environment. Prototypes were displayed at both the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in the form of the FT-EV III concept and this year’s Geneva Auto Show. Now Toyota has officially revealed a plug-in all-electric variant – but it will not enter full production.

Daihatsu has been quiet the busy bee at this week's Indonesia International Motor Show having brought along three concepts, including the D-R, D-X and UFC concepts, and the new Ayla, which will launch in the local market.

One man’s loss is another man’s gain. That’s the way it has always been and that’s the way it is today, especially in the corporate world.

Case in point: China’s anti-Japan protests, which seem to turn uglier each passing day. Toyota, Nissan and Honda have been forced to shut down their plants after attacks on some of their operations and dealerships.

Nevertheless, Chinese consumers still buy cars. If they shy away from Japanese vehicles, then they will probably turn to other brands from nations with which they have no quarrel.

About month ago, Toyota unveiled its brand-new 2013 MY Auris ahead of its Paris Auto Show world premiere on September 27.

Now, Japan’s biggest carmaker has shed more light on the latest iteration of what it claims to be the most popular C-segment model series (including the Corolla nameplate) in the world, having sold 39 million units in more than 140 countries since the introduction of the Corolla in 1966.

Toyota says that the second generation of the Auris was specifically designed for Europe, which will be its biggest market. It will be manufactured alongside the Avensis in Toyota’s UK plant in Burnaston, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Already on offer in some countries, Toyota will now perform the pan-European premiere of its new range of TRD Performance Line accessories for the GT86 (sold as the Scion FR-S in North America) at the Paris Motor Show that runs for the public from September 29 to October 14.

TRD, which stands for Toyota Racing Development, has been developing tuning parts for Toyota vehicles in Japan for more than half a century, and now, its products are available throughout Europe for the first time in its history.

siesta passionevera

Toyota Tundra Pick-Up Tows Endeavour Space Shuttle to the California Science Center

Ukrainian Driver and Passenger See Nothing, Hear Nothing, Know Nothing after Crash…

Toyota Issues Massive Global Recall For 7.4 Million Vehicles Over Faulty Power Window Glitch

Japanese Automakers May Slash China Production in Half as Sales Plunge Amid Islands Row

Small Cars Sales on the Rise in the U.S., Could Account for 20 Percent of the Market this Year

You Only Drive Twice: Jay Leno Sits Behind the Wheel of 007’s 1966 Toyota 2000GT Convertible

Gundam Style 2013 Toyota Auris Hatchback Looks Kinda Cool

Ford Takes Another Swipe at the Prius V with La Linea-Inspired Commercials for C-MAX

BRZ and FR-S Owners Complain About Rough Idle and Stalling Engines, Some Don't Like Remedy

U.S. Car Sales Increase by 13 Percent in September, Market is on its Way to Reach 15 Million Units

ESC Off: Jeremy Clarkson’s “Lapses of Editorial Judgment” Still Yield him More than US$16 Million

Toyota Smart INSECT Concept Recognizes Owner, Connects to Home, Still Won't Make Coffee [w/Video]

U.S. Auto Industry Threatened by Rising Rate of Industrial Espionage

New Toyota Auris Touring Sports Targets Europe's Popular Compact Wagon Market

Toyota Prices New 2013 Auris Hatchback from £14,495 in the UK

All-Electric iQ Revealed, but Only 100 will be Produced as Toyota Prefers to Focus on PHEVs

Daihatsu and Toyota Launch Ayla and Agya Twins at Indonesia Motor Show

The Manchurian Candidate: Anti-Japan Protests Good News for German Automaker in China

Toyota Goes Into Depth with the All-New Auris and Auris Hybrid Compact Hatchbacks

Toyota to Reveal New TRD Performance Line Accessories for GT86 in Paris

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