2014 Toyota Corolla L on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota profits up 23% on high US sales, despite mounting legal costs

Toyota earned $9.3 billion in net income in the financial year that ends next month. The number beats earlier forecasts and marks a five-year high for the automaker, with both operating income and revenue up by 9.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Toyota saw quarterly profit enjoy a year-on-year jump of 23.4 percent, with the manufacturer earning more than $1 billion between October and December 2012. The good news comes in spite of the fact that the Japanese automaker actually endured an operating loss in North America, due in part to legal fees.
Toyota is set to pay more than $1 billion to owners who claim their vehicles decreased in value as a result of the company's recent spate of recalls. Even so, all three of the automaker's brands enjoyed a 13.5 percent sales increase in the US in the last quarter, beating the industry average. Toyota faltered in Europe, however, where it earned $99 million in operating profit last year, compared to $111 million in 2011. You can take a closer look at the company's full press release below for more information.

Ed Begely, Jr's RAV4 EV taken off eBay, moved to Craigslist

You may recall earlier this month that noted environmentalist and celebrated actor Ed Begley, Jr. was auctioning his own 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV on eBay. Bidding got up to $13,655 without meeting the reserve, and the auction ended on June 12 without a sale. Now, though, the well-loved electric Toyota has found its way to Craigslist with a new, set price of $17,500. The car sold for $42,000 in 2002, and has been maintained by the same dealership where Mr. Begley purchased it. The odometer shows 119,000 miles, but its battery was replaced in 2011, and shouldn't need to be replaced for another seven or eight years. Begley appears to have taken great care of his RAV4 EV, and it shows just your average cosmetic wear and tear on its white and charcoal interior. It gets about 85 miles on a full charge, and comes with the white decal that lets solo drivers use the HOV lane in California. As with the eBay deal, had that gone through, the buyer will get a chance to meet Ed Begley, Jr., and can even have him autograph the inside of the RAV4 EV's hood. Many of you may be curious as to what Begley's next daily driver will be. According to the actor's own Twitter account, he'll continue using electrons to get around, this time in a leased Nissan Leaf. As an actor, Ed Begley Jr. is known for many roles, including an Emmy-nominated role on St. Elsewhere. He also appeared on Arrested Development, Six Feet Under, Veronica Mars and in the films Pineapple Express and This Is Spinal Tap. In his decades as an environmentalist, he has appeared in his own web series On Begley Street, created his own line of environmentally friendly cleaning products, is in an ongoing competition with Bill Nye to have the lowest carbon footprint, has authored books and has been active in numerous environmental organizations.

Toyota recalling small number of 2014 FJ Cruisers for possible steering failure

Toyota is issuing a fairly tiny recall to fix a potentially serious problem in the FJ Cruiser. The company is recalling about 120 examples of the rugged SUV from the 2014 model year because the steering can fail. According to Toyota, the intermediate shaft that connects the steering wheel and steering gear box might not be welded correctly and can separate. If this happens, drivers lose steering control, which is obviously a major safety concern. However, the automaker is not aware of any crashes, injuries or fatalities from the problem. On the small number of affected models, Toyota will replace the intermediate shaft with a new one. TOYOTA RECALLS CERTAIN 2014 MODEL YEAR FJ CRUISER VEHICLES TORRANCE, Calif., February 5, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced it will conduct a safety recall of approximately 120 Model Year 2014 FJ Cruiser vehicles. The steering system contains an intermediate shaft, which connects the steering wheel to the steering gear box. In the involved vehicles the intermediate shaft could have received an inadequate weld. Under some circumstances, the weld could separate, resulting in the loss of steering control and increasing the risk of a crash. 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 replace the intermediate shaft. Detailed information is available at www.toyota.com/recall and by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331.