2001 Toyota Camry Le Sedan 4-door 2.2l No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota plotting WRC-inspired Yaris hot hatch

The emergence of the new Honda Civic Type R goes to show that the Japanese can make hot hatches every bit as good as the Europeans. But though it's been a while since Toyota had a serious contender in the game, word has it that it's about to jump back in. The impetus for Toyota's (re-)entry into the hot hatch segment is its impending return to the World Rally Championship. The company announced just a couple of months ago its intention to run a Yaris-based (or at least -styled) rally machine in the WRC by 2017, and now the latest reports indicate a road-going version won't be too far behind. Though the competition-spec model is expected to pack a 1.6-liter turbo four built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH specifically to comply with FIA regulations, the street-legal Yaris hot hatch is tipped to carry the 2.0-liter turbo four from the Lexus NX 200t. Though the jury's still out, it'd likely stick with front-drive instead of a more complex all-wheel drive system, but with a six-speed manual and a limited slip differential, it has all the potential to be a real firecracker. Only a limited number will likely be offered, ostensibly to meet FIA homologation requirement – in the same vein as the Citroen DS3 Racing or the Volkswagen Polo WRC Street – and likely to carry a similarly premium price tag in the neighborhood of 34,000 euros. We'd be pleasantly surprised if any of them were to make it to North American showrooms, though.

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault-Nissan hits 250,000 EVs, will the next Toyota Prius be an SUV?

Will the next Toyota Prius be an SUV? Mazda and Toyota recently reached an agreement to share powertrain technologies, which will help Mazda comply with California's tightening ZEV restrictions with a plug-in vehicle. On the flip side, Toyota will have access Mazda's Skyactiv diesel powertrain, which a source tells Motoring will be used in an SUV based on the Toyota Prius (and, as Hybrid Cars suggests, on the Toyota C-HR concept). Interestingly, the collaboration will also give Mazda access to Toyota's fuel cell technology, which could mean more hydrogen powered cars on the road and the subsequent expansion of hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Could it also make way for a long-awaited hydrogen powered rotary-engine sports car from Mazda? Read more at Motoring. Samsung SDI unveiled two new lithium-ion stationary batteries at Intersolar Europe. In doing so, Samsung throws its hat in the ring with the likes of automakers Tesla and Mercedes-Benz, using knowledge from electric vehicle batteries in the arena of home solar energy storage. In addition to its 3.6-kWh battery, its new 5.5-kWh and 8.0-kWh batteries offer storage solutions at a larger, more practical scale for solar customers. Called the All-in-One, the battery system, borrowed from electric vehicles, is made up of a photovoltaic inverter, battery PCS and lithium-ion battery, and promises efficiency, compactness, fast installation and an affordable price. Read more from Samsung SDI. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 250,000th electric vehicle. The quarter-millionth EV was a white Renault Zoe sold to a French computer engineer from Bordeaux named Yves Nivelle. While he credits a government program offering a ˆ10,000 rebate for EV buyers trading in an older diesel vehicle for helping him make the decision to pull the trigger on the new Zoe, "I have to say, I was convinced the first time I drove the car. It's a real pleasure to drive and it feels good to do my part for the environment," says Nivelle. The Alliance had sold around 31,600 EVs from January to May this year, up 15 percent from the first five months of 2014. See the video above, and read more in the press release below. Renault-Nissan Alliance sells its 250,000th electric vehicle • Historic EV milestone reached in early June • Alliance sells half of all EVs globally • EV sales up nearly 15 percent through May vs.

Toyota asking NHTSA for waiver on 206K vehicles

Toyota has filed a petition with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asking for a waiver to avoid recalling about 206,271 2012-2014 Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Sienna, Tundra and Tacoma vehicles, some of its most popular models. The affected vehicles contain seat heaters that might not meet government flammability standards. Toyota says in the waiver that "the chance of fire or flame induced by a malfunctioning seat heater is essentially zero," according to The Detroit News. The automaker notes the part makes up less than one percent of the seat's weight.
Initial reports of the problem arose in late January when Toyota issued a stop-sale order for 2013 and 2014 model year versions of those vehicles. The automaker says that there have no been reports of fires or injuries in the affected cars, and the problem was discovered during testing by the South Korean government, according to The Detroit News.
We've reached out to Toyota for comment on this development and are awaiting a reply. We'll update this post if and when we hear back.