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Toyota wants 30 percent of China sales to be hybrids

Two years ago, China set tough fuel economy standards for passenger cars, taking another step toward addressing its smog and pollution problems; average fuel consumption was mandated as 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers (about 34 miles per gallon) by this year and five liters per 100 km (47 mpg) by 2020. Toyota wants more of its fleet to help its numbers there, and is working to make 30 percent of its sales by 2020, according to a report in Japan's Nikkei. The Japanese carmaker sells 21 passenger cars and vans in China but only two of them are hybrids, the Prius and the Camry Hybrid (in the US Toyota sells 20 passenger vehicles in but seven of them are hybrids). It unveiled two more hybrids at the Shanghai Motor Show that will be built in China, the Corolla Hybrid (pictured) as part of its joint venture with FAW Group, and the Levin HEV as part of its joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC). There is also an electric vehicle on the way as part of the GAC partnership, to be sold under the China-only Lingzhi brand. It will still be a gigantic hurdle to make that 30-percent target even after doubling the hybrid line-up. Toyota sold 1.03 million vehicles in China in 2014, but has sold only 90,000 hybrids in total during the ten years the Prius has been on the market and five years of the Camry Hybrid. News Source: Nikkei, Nikkei Green Auto Shanghai Toyota Electric Hybrid

Toyota brings TRD Griffon GT86 to Goodwood [w/video]

In the midst of the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, there's a particularly special Toyota running up the hill. This special entry is a GT86 (the cousin to our Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ) that's been poked, prodded, and tweaked by the minds at Toyota Racing Development. The result of TRD's fettling is a nearly race-ready car.
Starting with the body, the hood, doors, trunk lid, and wings are all made of carbon fiber. The lightweight treatment doesn't end there, though. The bumpers, fenders, and diffuser all feature carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, while the windows are now made of polycarbonate plastic.
Under the hood sits the same 2.0-liter boxer engine found in the standard GT86, but its six-speed manual gearbox features a shorter final drive ratio for improved acceleration. The coilover suspension has been firmed up, and a TRD mechanical limited-slip differential replaces the Torsen unit. The TRD Griffon rides on TWS 18-inch wheels and Yokohama Advan tires. To bring proceedings to a stop, TRD has fitted its own mono-block caliper kit, complete with more robust racing pads.

Polestar 3 and 5 updates, and a compact Toyota pickup? | Autoblog Podcast #733

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. First, they discuss the news, including the possibility of a compact Toyota pickup, new details about the Polestar 3 and Polestar 5, whether Tesla needs a PR department and fresh info about the 2023 Honda HR-V. They also review the GMC Sierra, Kia EV6, Hyundai Kona Electric and Buick Enclave Avenir. Next, Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski reports from the ground at the first drive of the Ford Bronco Raptor, and Multimedia Producer Erik Maier joins in to talk about Autoblog's Father's Day gift guide and other deals. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #733 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Toyota looking hard at compact pickup market Polestar 3 shows itself and looks good Polestar 5 electric sedan outed in EU patent images (and now we have spy shots) Does Tesla need a PR department? (via Automotive News) 2023 Honda HR-V pricing and specs revealed Cars we're driving: 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate 2022 Kia EV6 2022 Hyundai Kona Electric 2022 Buick Enclave Avenir Dispatch: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor Father's Day gift ideas straight from the Autoblog staff Five excellent Father's Day deals for dads Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: