Reports emerged this week claiming the Japanese government helped fund the development of the first generation Toyota Prius more than ten years ago. Toyota has since denied all claims, which were originated from a recent interview with Chrysler exec Jim Press who was working for Toyota at the time the Prius was first developed.
During an […]
Toyota’s grip around Subaru is set to get tighter with news coming out of Japan claiming the auto giant is planning to increase its 8.7% stake in Subaru to around 17%. The final decision will depend on whether or not the move gets approval from Japan’s Fair Trade Commission.
The transaction involves Toyota buying another 64.25 […]
Toyota today announced the establishment of a new North American research facility located in Ann Arbour, Michigan, which will spearhead research on advanced areas including powertrain technologies, energy systems, and partnerships with government and academia. The carmaker plans to spend $100 million during the next four years, no doubt to speed up development of technologies […]
In what may lead to a new trend among carmakers, the cash-rich ones at least, Toyota has opened a new shopping mall aimed at selling and promoting its cars. The new site is located in Yokohama, Japan, and features the usual assortment of restaurants and specialty stores you would find in any shopping mall. One […]
After a bright start six years ago Scion’s sales have tanked and unless action is taken things are set to get worse. The Toyota budget brand sold just 130,000 cars last year, down 25% on the previous year, and officials are predicting volumes to remain unchanged this year. Most of the blame has […]
The oddly-chosen teaser for the Scion Hako concept should have been a hint that the vehicle itself would be, well, unique. And that is about the most gracious way to describe the oddly boxy yet curvaceous creature that is the Hako concept. Inspired by the Scion xB, it takes that car’s design premise […]
Toyota is widely recognized for its reliability and quality but the past 12 months have seen a number of major product recalls that have tarnished the carmaker’s reputation. At the same time Toyota has risen to become the world’s biggest carmaker, producing a record 9,497,754 vehicles last year and eclipsing GM for the first time […]
On the eve of the 2008 championship season, the biggest Toyota boss has asked the Japanese carmaker’s F1 team to deliver its first race win. Despite having a front-running annual budget since the Cologne based outfit debuted in 2002, Toyota has in more than 100 grands prix so far failed to collect more than a […]
Toyota is looking to take advantage of the green image its Prius petrol-electric hybrid vehicle enjoys by building upon the ‘Prius’ name and launching a new family of eco-friendly vehicles under it. Earlier reports claimed Toyota could launch a second dedicated hybrid brand but now its R&D executive vice president has revealed that Prius could […]
A number of Europe’s major carmakers used this week’s Geneva Motor Show to unveil new concepts combining the frugalness of a compact diesel engine with the fuel-saving capability of a hybrid electric drivetrain. Some of the concepts, such as Volkswagen’s new TDI Hybrid, return fuel-economy of close to 70mpg (3.35L/100km). Despite the staggering results, hybrid […]
By now most of us are well aware of the benefits that lithium-ion batteries are purported to bring to hybrids: lighter weight, longer range and better power. We’ve also heard the downsides of lithium-ion batteries: unexpected fires and explosions, heat, and high costs. Toyota, already slow to join the lithium-ion camp, has decided that the […]
With the press days for this week’s Geneva Motor Show approaching its end, attention now turns towards the upcoming New York Show falling at the end of this month. Toyota’s youth-oriented brand Scion has now released a teaser of one of its new concept cars planned for the show but details are being kept scarce.
All […]
Toyota was one of the first carmakers to announce plans to eventually launch hybrid versions of its entire lineup when in May last year powertrain chief Masatami Takimoto said hybrids will be the standard drivetrain and account for “100 percent” of Toyota’s cars. Those earlier comments have now been backed up by company president Katsuaki […]
Toyota has released official details for its iQ minicar, which is on display this week at the Geneva Motor Show in full production trim. First shown as the Concept Car iQ at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the new iQ minicar will go into production towards the end of the year and will […]
Toyota has become used to being successful in almost everything it does, so it must have come as a shock when the carmaker’s youth brand, Scion, suffered from falling sales for 16 straight months. Even though dealers have had two updated models to sell during the period, monthly sales have fallen each month, and the […]