Toyota FJ40, page #47

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2017 Scion FR-S getting slight power bump?

A common refrain when discussing the Scion FR-S and its sibling the Subaru BRZ is that they are capable vehicles but are in need of more power. The latest rumors suggest that some more muscle might finally be on the way for the coupe's refresh. Don't expect something like the STI Performance Concept with a 300-horsepower, turbocharged flat-four, though – the gains in the real world are likely to be significantly more modest. According to Toyota insiders speaking with Motoring in Australia, the local Toyota GT86 (our FR-S) is due for a styling and powertrain refresh for the next model year. The 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine isn't expected to get a drastic power increase, but it's not being completely neglected. A new intake manifold and friction reductions reportedly allow for five percent more grunt. If accurate, and if the changes also come here, that would take output of the US version to 210 hp and 159 pound-feet of torque. The adjustments could improve fuel economy by seven percent, as well. Handling is already a forte for the FR-S and BRZ, and things could get even better with this refresh. Motoring claims that dampers from Sachs might become standard equipment, along with a reinforced subframe. The close relationship with the BRZ reportedly rules out any dramatic changes to the styling for this update. However, the coupe is still likely to wear a new hood with vents in it, reshaped headlights, and a revised fascia with a larger lower grille. At the rear, expect a rear diffuser and exhaust pipes at the corners. While minor compared to all of these rumored updates, Scion recently gave the FR-S a few tweaks in the US for the 2016 model year (pictured above). In addition to some new colors and interior trim, it now comes standard with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and rearview camera.

Toyota and Mazda set to expand partnership

Toyota and Mazda are already teaming up for the Scion iA and Mazda2, but that partnership might just be the beginning. Reuters reports the two Japanese companies could expand their work together, with Toyota chipping in its experience with both fuel cells and plug-in-hybrid tech, and Mazda contributing its know-how in regards to its Skyactiv line of engines. The report cites a pair of unnamed sources that are "not authorized to discuss the matter publicly." The move, on the surface, is certainly appealing for both parties. Mazda has very little experience with hybrids (remember the Ford-rebadged Tribute Hybrid?), let alone something as advanced as a fuel-cell vehicle. Teaming with Toyota, arguably the world's greatest hybrid manufacturer, would give it a serious leg up. For the Japanese giant, meanwhile, a partnership with Mazda could expand the economy of scale for the Mirai FCV's tech, while Skyactiv engines would do well in replacing the base engines in cars like the Corolla, Camry, and RAV4. What are your thoughts? Would an expanded partnership between Toyota and Mazda make sense? Can you think of any drawbacks? Have your say in Comments. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai View 15 Photos News Source: Reuters Green Mazda Toyota Electric Hybrid skyactiv toyota mirai

Daily Driver: 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium, reviewed by Sebastian Blanco. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT [00:00:00] Hello everyone. Welcome to another Autoblog Daily Driver. This is Sebastian Blanco coming to you from behind the wheel of a 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium. This is the silver metallic and light gray version. Comes in at $38,455. It has an Entune Premium audio setup here. It's a Toyota. It's a hybrid, which probably makes you think of a Prius. The Avalon [00:00:30] and the XLE and the Premium, what we're really dealing with here is a world's plushiest, comfiest bigger Prius. It's a very different kind of car, with the body style, but you've got a lot of similarities if you've spent any time in a Prius. The fuel economy of this Hybrid on the official scale is 40 miles per gallon combined, 40 in the city and 39 on the highway. I've driven it over 400 miles this week and my average was 34.3 miles per gallon. [00:01:00] Much lower than the numbers would suggest and there's really no excuse for that. I was driving with the cruise control on, mostly on the highway, the weather is fine. This should have been an easy 39, but maybe that's the fault of the cruise control. The sport mode in this car for me has been kind of a joke. When I was interacting with the car in a more discernible manner, I couldn't tell much difference. This isn't the kind of car that you want when you're dealing with sport mode. [00:01:30] You know what you're getting with this car. It's a little more luxurious, not quite Lexus level, but definitely the higher end for a Toyota. It's nice if you like these sort of cars. This is definitely worth a look, but it's not going to be on my shopping list anytime soon. Perhaps it is on yours. For Autoblog and AutoblogGreen, this is Sebastian Blanco for another Daily Driver.

Toyota enters Rally America with modified RAV4

Rally cars are typically based on production hatchbacks, but Toyota is hitting the Rally America series this year with the RAV4 you see here. Entering the 2WD-Open Class (yes, it's front-wheel drive), this specially prepared RAV4 rally machine is being revealed at the Monster Energy Supercross Championship finale this weekend in Las Vegas. It retains the stock powertrain, including a 2.5-liter inline-four with the same 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque as the small crossover you can pick up at your local Toyota dealership. Only it's been unburdened of more than 500 pounds of excess weight and fitted with a roll cage, BFGoodrich all-terrain tires and an upgraded TEIN suspension at both ends. The resulting machine will be driven by Ryan Millen, son of the legendary Rod Millen and brother the Rhys. This isn't the first time Ryan is driving off-road for Toyota either, having won the Baja 1000 last year in a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Toyota Flexes RAV4 Muscle with New Rally America Series Entry Renowned Off-Road Driver Ryan Millen to Drive RAV4 Rally Car in 2015 Rally America 2WD-Open Class TORRANCE, Calif. (May 6, 2015) – Toyota unveiled its RAV4 rally car at the Monster Energy Supercross Championship finale this weekend at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. Ryan Millen, who won the 2014 Baja 1000 in a Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, will drive the RAV4 rally vehicle at various rally races including some of the 2015 Rally America 2WD-Open Class season. The muscled-up RAV4 was unveiled live between races to all in attendance and was on display in the pits throughout the event. A RAV4 competing within a professional racing series is rare. It is even rarer to see the unibody-construction, Small-Sport Utility Vehicle (SSUV) go head-to-head with Rally America's modified street cars. Toyota's entry into Rally America is a modified 2015 Toyota RAV4 LE. The vehicle sports a stock transmission and a stock 2.5-liter, four-cylinder, double-overhead cam engine that pushes 176-horsepower and 172-pounds of torque. Millen and his crew removed more than 500 pounds of stock weight, while adding a roll cage, BFGoodrich all-terrain DOT 215/75R15 tires, and upgrading to a front and rear TEIN suspension. "I've driven just about everything Toyota has to offer," said Millen. "And I've been very impressed with the RAV4's tight, compact body and smooth handling.

Bollywood star gets 5-year sentence for hit and run, after 13-year trial

It took nearly 13 years for popular Bollywood actor Salman Khan (pictured right in above photo) to be sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly hitting five people with his SUV, one of whom was killed. On May 6, the movie star was found guilty of culpable homicide, rash and negligent driving, and being intoxicated at the time, according to Time. The tragic incident that began the legal odyssey occurred in September 2002 when the Toyota Land Cruiser that Khan was in struck five people on a sidewalk in Mumbai. The actor denied both being drunk and being behind the wheel at the time. However, witnesses disputed those assertions. Khan fought the allegations tooth and nail from the very beginning. According to Time, he even challenged the charge of culpable homicide all the way to the Supreme Court of India, but the case was sent back to lower courts in 2013. In the years since the crash, several witnesses recanted their original statements, but it wasn't enough to sway the verdict. Khan reportedly started crying when he heard his sentence.

2016 Toyota Mirai launching in US this October

The small-volume 2016 Toyota Mirai is coming to California in October. That's the news from today's announcement of the eight Toyota dealerships in and around Los Angeles and San Francisco that will be the first to sell the hydrogen car in the US. Previously, all that Toyota said was that the first 200 units would be available in the fall of 2015. Toyota expects to sell a total of 3,000 Mirai hydrogen cars by the end of 2017. The eight dealerships are: San Francisco Toyota, Roseville Toyota, Stevens Creek Toyota, Toyota of Sunnyvale, Longo Toyota, Toyota Santa Monica, Toyota of Orange, and Tustin Toyota. If you're interested in buying a Mirai, you can sign up for more info here. The Mirai starts at $57,500. Toyota is still talking about state and federal incentives that can bring the car to under $45,000, but the federal tax incentive for hydrogen vehicles expired in December. Toyota is asking the government to bring the incentive back. The Mirai will also be available to lease for $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing). Both options come with free hydrogen fuel for "up to three years." Related Video: TOYOTA MIRAI: COMING THIS FALL TO SHOWROOMS NEAR...? Eight California Toyota Dealers Announced Mirai Order Requests Begin Summer 2015 Torrance, Calif. (May 6, 2015) – Want a Mirai? All those in favor, say aye! California trailblazers waiting to get behind the wheel of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the Mirai, now have a destination for pick up and pre-order. In October 2015, Mirai will roll into select Toyota dealerships in the Golden State. Northern California drivers will meet Mirai at San Francisco Toyota, Roseville Toyota, Stevens Creek Toyota or Toyota of Sunnyvale. Farther south, Longo Toyota, Toyota Santa Monica, Toyota of Orange and Tustin Toyota will welcome Mirai customers. These initial dealers were selected based on advanced technology vehicle sales experience and proximity to hydrogen infrastructure. But why wait until October? Beginning this summer, California customers can request a Mirai, by visiting www.toyota.com/mirai. Production of the Mirai is limited and vehicles will be placed with select, eligible customers. Therefore, drivers are encouraged to make their requests early to save a potential parking spot in transportation history. Customers can visit www.toyota.com/mirai today to sign up for more information and notification of exact order request launch timing in the coming months.

Toyota won't face recall for Corolla unintended acceleration

Toyota will not face a recall or further investigation into an alleged unintended acceleration problem in the 2006-2010 Corolla. Following months of analysis, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was unable to find a mechanical defect to cause the issue. If there had been a safety campaign to fix the vehicles, it could have affected 1.69 million cars, according to NHTSA. The incident that prompted the investigation occurred in June 2014 when a driver was pulling into a parking spot. The 2010 Corolla allegedly lurched forward under braking and hit an unoccupied Jeep, according to The Detroit News. No one was injured. The owners had the vehicle examined by a Toyota dealer, and it found no problems. They then filed a petition with NHTSA to open a deeper investigation. NHTSA took the family's Corolla and tested it for over 2,000 miles, according to The News. The agency couldn't replicate the problem and found the brakes were capable of keeping the vehicle from moving at full throttle. In their petition, the owners also submitted 143 other unique complaints of this issue in the Corolla, but the Feds found that most of these incidents were due to driver error where the gas or both pedals were accidentally pressed. After taking all of this into account, "NHTSA has concluded that further investigation of the issues raised by the petition is not warranted," the agency wrote in its report. You can read the entire, 23-page explanation for yourself in PDF format, here. INVESTIGATION Subject : Low-speed surging Date Investigation Opened: SEP 19, 2014 Date Investigation Closed: APR 29, 2015 NHTSA Action Number: DP14003 Component(s): VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL All Products Associated with this Investigation Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) TOYOTA COROLLA 2006-2010 Details Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation SUMMARY: The Agency received a petition on September 11, 2014 requesting an investigation into, "low-speed surging in the 2006-2010 Toyota Corolla [vehicles] with ETCS-i, in which the brakes fail to stop the vehicle in time to prevent a crash." NHTSA conducted a technical review of the material cited and provided by the petitioner, material Toyota submitted in response to a NHTSA formal request, interviews with complainants and manufacturer representatives, as well as the results of testing of the complaint vehicle.

Toyota ending Prius Plug-In production in June

The fourth-generation Toyota Prius and it's potential 58 miles per gallon fuel economy isn't due until later this year at the earliest, and some folks suspect it will be well into next year. But at least you'll still be able to buy one until it arrives; the same can't be said for the plug-in Prius - "Pip" to its friends - that will cease production this June. Nathan Kokes, a marketing representative in Toyota's Advanced Technology division, made the announcement on the forum Prius Chat without giving any reason for the decision. Inside EVs says there about 1,100 Prius PHVs in stock at dealers, which would last for just under three months at the average sales rate this year. Assuming no changes in production to boost stocks, that would give you until the end of summer to fulfill your first-generation Prius PHV dreams, then there'd be a drought for an unknown length of time. For the conspiracy theorists looking to the sales numbers or the Mirai launch for cause, Kokes did join the chat thread once after the announcement to say that "will have plenty of Prius Plug-in Hybrids to sell long after [June]," and, "production plans and product cadence are in no way timed to any external incentive (i.e., CA HOV sticker), competitive product or the upcoming Mirai launch." With Toyota having delayed the standard car to get it just right, there's no telling how long the plug-in version will take since it aims to satisfy high-order customer demands like wireless charging and more electric range, and perhaps the rather long list of "minor" changes that include things like more paint options, HVAC operation, the placement of the charge port, and more driver convenience features. Related Video: News Source: Prius Chat via Inside EVs Green Plants/Manufacturing Toyota Car Buying Hatchback Hybrid toyota prius plug-in

Toyota offering $4.2 billion in stock to fund Mirai, new hybrids

Toyota president Akio Toyoda told a group of investors that the hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai is the car for the next century. To help pay for it, Toyota is courting investors who aren't only after short-term capital gains but want to help the company long term. It will offer up to 500 billion yen ($4.2 billion US) worth of special shares in Japan that cost 20-percent more than common stock and that can't be sold for five years. The upshot is that the shares will pay a higher dividend, still have voting rights, and they can be converted to common stock or sold back to Toyota at the issue price. The investors won't lose money. Called "Model AA" shares in honor of the company's first passenger car, the sale would help Toyota hold onto capital while it works on the next - expensive - developments. The sale would be broken up into tranches, with 50 million potentially on offer this year after the annual shareholder's meeting. Successive sales would take place no more than once a year. The initial dividend is set at 0.5 percent and capped at 2.5 percent, which even at its lowest rate would beat that of a standard deposit account in a Japanese bank. At the moment, sales are only planned for Japan. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai: LA 2014 View 19 Photos News Source: Bloomberg Earnings/Financials Green Toyota Hydrogen Cars Sedan toyota mirai stocks investing

China sticking to its guns on EVs for the future

Automakers are obviously free to develop whatever next-gen, zero-emissions tech that they want. However, if a company wants to get on the good side of the Chinese government, that strategy better include some plug-in vehicles. The authorities there are lending major support to plug-ins at the moment, and its forcing the auto industry to play along. According to Bloomberg, Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and BMW are all launching dedicated EV brands with their joint venture partners, and as many as 40 electric models could hit the Chinese market this year alone. However, analysts don't think the vehicles are going to sell well. Instead, the launches are essentially a way for companies to play nice with the government and help get the approval to build factories in the country. Take Toyota as an example. The company is pushing the future of hydrogen hard with promotional films for the Mirai and engineers talking down fast-charging EVs. Still, the Japanese automaker is getting ready to launch two EV brands in China with its joint venture partners, according to Bloomberg. China's push for alternative fuels has been happening for a while, but it really kicked into high gear last year. The government has set a goal to improve fleet-wide economy by 40 percent by the end of the decade in order to spend less importing oil and for the population's health. The plan has shown some success so far with hybrid and EV sales growing early in 2015. Related Video: News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Kin Cheung / AP Photo Government/Legal Green BMW Hyundai Toyota Volkswagen Green Culture Technology Electric tax incentives chinese government