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How Toyota's Le Mans racer may make its next Prius even better

The supercapacitor technology in the Toyota TS040 "offers great possibility for production car use." – Amanda Rice, Toyota Pop-culture junkies familiar with 1980s touchstone movies will hear the word "capacitor" and think Back to the Future. But the concept of supercapacitors being used in upcoming production models is being pushed by Toyota, not DeLorean. And because of that push, the future might look a little brighter for the Prius. The Japanese automaker will likely apply electric-motor technology used in Toyota's 24 Hours of Le Mans entry – the TS040 – in future versions of the world's best-selling hybrid, Australian publication Drive.com.au says, citing an interview with Toyota Motor Sports' Yoshiaki Kinoshita. Specifically, the racecar uses supercapacitors because they're effective at storing energy created when the vehicle is under braking, only to quickly redistribute it on demand for rapid acceleration. Kinoshita said Toyota may apply this technology to the Prius within the next five years. While declining to comment on specifics, Toyota spokeswoman Amanda Rice tells AutoblogGreen that the Le Mans vehicle "represents an advanced vehicle laboratory for hybrid vehicle and component development. The supercapacitor technology used in this vehicle with its fast charge and discharge capability offers great possibility for production car use." In her email, Rice added that the next-generation Prius will have smaller electric motors with greater power density and thermal efficiency, so let's add that to what we know or think we know about the fourth-generation model. Toyota entered two vehicles in this year's Le Mans race, and one of them had secured the pole-position and was leading much of the race before calling it quits 15 hours in because of electrical issues. Audi ended up winning the race, marking its 13th victory in the history of the French endurance contest.

Toyota has two all-new 8-passenger SUVs in the works, and one's a Lexus

Toyota announced yesterday that its Princeton, Indiana, manufacturing plant is getting a big $803 million infusion of cash. The reason? Toyota casually dropped that it will soon build “two all-new, three-row SUVs” there. TheyÂ’ll be “designed with the active Gen Y American Family in mind,” which is another way of saying that Toyota is targeting Millennials. In case you missed it, Millennials are in their late 20s and 30s now! That means they have growing families and need more space to put them. Both new SUVs will seat up to eight passengers. The other big reveal is that both will be electrified. WeÂ’re going to assume that means theyÂ’ll be regular hybrids in ToyotaÂ’s case, though thereÂ’s every possibility for a PHEV “Prime” version, too. Both will have semi-automated driving systems, advanced enough that they will “allow for hands-free driving in certain conditions.” Plus, there will be a remote parking system that allows “the driver to park and unpark outside the vehicle using a smartphone.” The last nugget of tech Toyota is sharing with us is that both will use a new “digital key” that turns your smartphone into a quasi key and allows you to share it digitally with others. Another bit of information concerning these two is that one will be a Toyota, and the other will be a Lexus. What these two models will be named is not yet clear. Seeing “three-row SUV,” our minds instantly go to Sequoia. That model is as old as it gets these days, and is deeply in need of a redesign — the current generation launched all the way back in 2008. However, Toyota does not explicitly say that this news pertains to the next-gen Sequoia. In fact, previous reports of the Sequoia shifting its production location to San Antonio lead us to believe that this news has absolutely nothing to do with a potential next generation of the SUV. Coincidentally, the Sequoia is currently built at the Princeton, Indiana, plant thatÂ’s getting this investment — that official switchover to Texas is reported to happen sometime in 2022.  ToyotaÂ’s language in this press release, plus the knowledge that Sequoia is leaving Indiana, all indicates that these two three-row SUVs might not be rough-and-tumble body-on-frame off-roaders. TheyÂ’re likely going to be plenty capable (hitting that “active lifestyle” market), but the focus toward families suggests that comfort could be paramount.

Toyota restructuring US operations, possibly moving to Texas

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Toyota is poised to announce Monday that it is restructuring its US operations, which may include plans to relocate some of its operations to Texas. Toyota Motor Sales has been located in California since 1957, and is responsible for North American sales, marketing, and distribution for Toyota, Lexus and Scion. According to Toyota literature, its Torrance operations presently employs 6,156 workers and represents a $2.3-billion investment.
Workers in Toyota's Torrance offices were abuzz about the possible relocation to Texas. One young offspring of a Toyota employee even posted to Twitter that her parents warned about the upcoming move, and she said she's refusing to go.
Rumors at one point had Toyota settling in Richardson, TX, just outside Plano. But Autoblog talked to Richardson Mayor Laura Maczka, who said she would be thrilled if that were true, but has not heard anything on the subject. Autoblog also emailed with Bill Sutherland, a city councilman in Torrance, CA, who said, "To date the only info I have is what I have read in the paper expecting a press release Monday."