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Toyota announces production increase for Mirai fuel cell vehicle

Toyota is building them. People are coming. So Toyota's going to build some more. Cue the strings. The Japanese automaker apparently got more than it bargained for after starting sales of its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle last month. On Thursday, Toyota announced plans to ramp up production starting next year. Toyota will build 700 Mirai units this year, and will then bump that to 2,000 vehicles next year and 3,000 in 2017. The previous production plan had the same numbers, except for what would happen in 2017. The increase is coming because Toyota's already received pre-orders for 1,500 Mirai vehicles. With US and European sales slated to start later this year, Toyota didn't want to leave itself short-stocked. Toyota confirmed what was already being surmised last month by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which said that Toyota was ready to spend almost $170 million boosting production capacity of the Mirai. Most of this year's sales will be in Japan, with the US and Europe gradually accounting for a larger chunk starting next year. In November, the automaker disclosed details of the Mirai's initial US sales, saying that the model will be available in California this year for either a base price of $57,500 or a lease price of $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing). And if that sounds steep, remember that the hydrogen refueling, wherever it can be found, is free for as long as three years. Check out Toyota's press release on the bumps in production below. Toyota to Increase 'Mirai' Production Toyota City, Japan, January 22, 2015-Toyota Motor Corporation today announced that it will increase production of the "Mirai" fuel cell sedan, which launched in Japan on December 15, 2014. The new plan calls for production to increase from the 2015 level of 700 units to approximately 2,000 units in 2016 and approximately 3,000 units in 2017. Considering the approximately 1,500 orders received in the first month of sales in Japan, and the upcoming launches in Europe and the United States later this year, it was decided that the supply structure should be adjusted to reflect the level of demand for the vehicle. Sales plans for Japan, the U.S. and Europe following the production increases will be formulated taking into consideration each region's level of hydrogen infrastructure development, energy policies, car-purchasing subsidies, consumer demand, environmental regulations, and other factors.

White House clears way for NHTSA to mandate vehicle black boxes

At present, over 90 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States today are equipped with event data recorders, more commonly known as black boxes. If the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gets its way, that already high figure will swell to a full 100 percent in short order.
Such automotive black boxes have been in existence since the 1990s, and all current Ford, General Motors, Mazda and Toyota vehicles are so equipped. NHTSA has been attempting to make these data recorders mandatory for automakers, and according to The Detroit News, the White House Office of Management Budget has just finished reviewing the proposal, clearing the way. Now NHTSA is expected to draft new legislation to make the boxes a requirement.
One problem with current black boxes is that there's no set of standards for automakers to follow when creating what bits of data are recorded, and for how long or in what format it is stored. In other words, one automaker's box is probably not compatible with its competitors.

Toyota launches updated Yaris in Europe, Vitz in Japan [w/videos]

Toyota first launched the Yaris in 1999, though that model was sold in the North America as the Echo. The second generation arrived in 2005, replaced by the third in 2011. Sometime next year, Toyota is expected to roll out a new Yaris for North America, to be built in Mexico on the same platform as the next Mazda2. But before that comes to pass, Toyota has introduced a mild facelift for the Yaris in markets other than ours.
With styling cues borrowed from the new Aygo and the Yaris Hybrid-R concept, the new Yaris (for Europe) and Vitz (for Japan) are distinguished by updated styling front and rear. Though the European model bears a more aggressive look than the JDM version, both feature the new X motif that seems to be the new look for the whole family - particularly for small hatchbacks.
The back end has also been revised to incorporate new LED taillights and a (faux) diffuser in the bumper. The cabin, meanwhile, has been redesigned to feel roomier and quieter with upgraded equipment. The suspension has also been refined, and in Europe at least, Toyota will continue to offer the Yaris with a choice of 1.0- or 1.3-liter gasoline engines, 1.4-liter diesel or hybrid powertrains.