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Toyota confirms i-Road electric trike for production

The wacky, three-wheeled Toyota i-Road we saw in Geneva earlier this year will be heading to production. But before you run down to your local Toyota dealer looking for one of these all-electric "personal mobility" vehicles, chances are, you'll never actually see one unless you visit Japan.
Announced at the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) expo last week, Toyota said that the i-Road would be used as a part of the Ha:Mo car-sharing system in Japan. Weighing in at around 661 pounds, with a 28-mile-per-hour top speed and a two-passenger seating arrangement, the i-Road seems more like a fully enclosed scooter than a car, but it does offer a 30-mile driving range and has a nifty articulating front suspension that leans into corners. As for Ha:Mo, Toyota says that the number of cars in the program will increase from 10 prior to October 1 to 100 by the middle of this month, and the number of stations will almost double from 13 up to 21. Toyota has more details about the car and Ha:Mo in the press release posted below.

Toyota recalls 52k units of 2011-2012 Avalon for potential short circuit

Toyota is issuing a recall for roughly 52,000 examples of its 2011 and 2012 Avalon sedans in the US because a possible short circuit in the wiring for audio system's subwoofer may cause a fire. According to Toyota, it's possible for the subwoofer's wires to move out of position if contacted by cargo in the trunk. If one of the wires then contacts the metal frame of the speaker, it could trigger a short circuit. "If this occurs, the subwoofer could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire," according to the automaker. "There were two reports of thermal events – no outright fires," said Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight to Autoblog. Toyota reports there are no reports of injuries, fatalities or crashes from this problem. Dealers will repair this problem at no cost, but until then, they will immediately disconnect the rear subwoofer as a precaution for owners. The recall notices will be sent out in mid-February, according to Knight. TOYOTA RECALLS CERTAIN 2011-2012 MODEL YEAR AVALON VEHICLES TORRANCE, Calif., January 28, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced plans to conduct a safety recall of approximately 52,000 Model Year 2011-2012 Avalon sedans. In the involved vehicles, cargo could contact one of the audio system subwoofer wires located inside the trunk, and move the wire out of its normal position. If one of these wires contacts the metal frame of the subwoofer, it may result in an intermittent short circuit. If this occurs, the subwoofer could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire. Toyota is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities caused by this condition. Owners of the involved vehicles will receive a notification by first class mail. Toyota dealers will provide a repair for the audio system. Until the remedy is available, as a precaution, Toyota dealers will disconnect the rear subwoofer. Detailed information is available at www.toyota.com/recall and by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331. ###

Toyota nearing $1B settlement of unintended acceleration criminal probe

According to those all-too-nebulous "people familiar with the matter," Toyota is close to a settlement with the US federal government to end a criminal probe over its long-running unintended acceleration fiasco. Though Toyota has never admitted guilt, the deal could reportedly crest a billion dollars and would likely include a criminal deferred prosecution agreement, and while we're not legal experts, The Wall Street Journal explains that such a deal would "[force Toyota] to accept responsibility while avoiding the potentially crippling consequences of federal criminal convictions."
The report from WSJ also suggests that Toyota is facing charges that it "made false or incomplete disclosures" to various government agencies regarding possible defects to its cars. Such charges may include mail and wire fraud violations. Toyota has already paid out fines totaling $66.2 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because it failed to report safety defects in a timely manner.
This deal with the federal government is not related to the billion-dollar class-action settlement reached with Toyota owners over falling vehicle values, and it's also different from the roughly 400 lawsuits still in courts alleging personal injury of wrongful death due to cases of unintended acceleration. In other words, don't expect to hear the end of such courtroom verdicts and settlements anytime soon...