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Meet the Most Elegant Automobile, and it's for sale

Alright, so maybe "most elegant" is a bit of a stretch, but we feel safe in calling the 1992 Toyota Paseo in the video below an "automobile." High praise, we know. Still, it's clear someone loves the awkward little coupe enough to produce a hilarious video to sell the thing. Henry Floyd worked up a quick parody of the over-the-top luxury car ads we all know and loathe, and while the finished product is a little skimpy on details like price or location, it certainly doesn't hold back on the exposition.
Hell, if we didn't already have a parade of horrible ideas floating around our collective driveways, we might even be convinced to give this little heap a new home. You can check out the ad for yourself below, just don't be surprised if you find yourself with a burning desire to own a Paseo.

Toyota's Mirai fuel cell car gets its own special showroom

If the car's unique, the showroom better be as well. That's the approach Toyota is taking with the Mirai, its first production hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle. In fact, the model is getting its own special showroom starting this Friday. The Japanese automaker is opening the showroom in Tokyo. The facility takes up two floors totaling about 1,800 square feet and, from the pictures, it looks to have a very Zen-like quality. Toyota will be displaying one Mirai vehicle and will have another vehicle available for public test drives available every Friday. Toyota started selling the Mirai in Japan late last year and has announced plans to debut the car in the US – starting in California – this fall at a base price of $57,500, or a lease option of $499 a month for 36 months ($3,649 is due at signing). Earlier this year, Toyota said it was going to bump production to 2,000 vehicles next year (and 3,000 in 2017) from 700 units this year. With such a ramp-up in store, Toyota will spend about $170 million increasing production capacity of the fuel-cell vehicle. That total probably doesn't take into account the stylish new Tokyo showroom. Related Videos: New Toyota Mirai Showroom in Downtown Tokyo Offers a Glimpse of the Future Tokyo, Japan, April 13, 2015-On Friday, Toyota will open a showroom to highlight the groundbreaking Mirai fuel cell vehicle, which went on sale last December. Located within a hydrogen station operated by Iwatani Corporation in Tokyo's Minato Ward, the space will serve as a hub for sharing information on fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen, with the aim of promoting a hydrogen-based society. In addition to having one Mirai on display and another for test drives, the showroom will use videos and other media to raise awareness about the features of the vehicle, the benefits of hydrogen and more. Overview of the Toyota Mirai Showroom Location 4-6-15 Shiba-Koen, Minato-ku, Tokyo Opening April 17, 2015 Floor area 1st floor84 m2; 2nd floor81 m2 Hours 9:00-17:00 Closed Tuesday (The Iwatani hydrogen station is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) Display vehicles 1 Test ride vehicles 1 (available to public on Fridays only) Website http://toyota.jp/mirai/showroom/ (Japanese only)

Ford Fusion production scaled back just 3 months after it was accelerated

Three months after kicking off production of the Ford Fusion at its Flat Rock, MI factory, Ford Motor Company is taking steps to trim output in the face of heavily discounted competition from Toyota and a growing supply of vehicles.
The addition of Fusion production in Flat Rock - which also builds the Mustang - was meant to be what pushed the handsome mid-sizer past its arch-nemesis, the Toyota Camry. An extra facility building Fusions was also meant to curb the growing demand for Ford's highly profitable sedan.
But with word that Flat Rock would take "approximately" one extra week off for the holidays combined with an 88-day supply of Fusions - reportedly due in no small part to what Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas called "aggressive discounting of the Camry" - some analysts are now beginning to wonder if Ford may have overextended itself by adding a second Fusion facility to the mix.