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How Toyota's neighbor delayed 23,000 of its deliveries

Don't you just hate when your neighbors' mess becomes your problem? Toyota certainly has good reason to be upset, after an dirty mishap at a steel mill delayed thousands of vehicle exports from its nearby port in Nagoya, Japan, (pictured above) by as much as a month.
The messy situation occurred on June 22 when the mill near the port lost power and had to burn off an excess buildup of coke oven gas - which isn't exactly a situation friendly to living beings or the environment. According to Automotive News, it caused a massive amount of smoke to emit from the plant that fell as soot and tar on about 23,000 vehicles that were waiting to be shipped out. Getting the models properly cleaned off has been quite a task. A team of 5,000 workers were at the port until this week getting them gleaming again.
Potential Toyota buyers in North America have no need to fret about getting a sullied car, though. A Toyota spokesperson told Automotive News that none of the vehicles were bound for this continent. The automaker is reportedly considering asking the mill's owners for reimbursement for the cost of the weeks of cleanup. Paying for the mistake is, after all, the neighborly thing to do.

Paul Walker's Supra sells for $185k

The Fast and the Furious certainly didn't create the import car hobby, but the 2001 film played a role in popularizing it among a mass audience. Among the biggest automotive stars to come from the movie was the customized orange Toyota Supra driven by Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Connor. One of the stunt cars that portrayed that now-famous vehicle recently crossed the auction block at Mecum Auctions' sale in Indianapolis and sold for $185,000. This stunt car was showcased throughout the film, including in the final drag race against Dom's Dodge Charger, according to Mecum's listing. However, don't expect to be successful at living a quarter-mile at a time with this Supra, because under the hood there's a 220-horsepower, 3.0-liter inline six and five-speed manual. It certainly looks the part, with a full body kit, big wing at the back, wild graphics, and orange paint. Two Holley Performance nitrous oxide bottles are in the rear, but they aren't hooked up. For safety, there's a roll cage inside. The auction was estimated to fall between $150,000 and $200,000, which was right on the money. Following Walker's tragic death in 2013, cars related to him and the Fast and Furious franchise seem to be showing up for sale more often. His Nissan Skyline GT-R from Fast & Furious jumped in price afterward, and Barrett-Jackson auctioned his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution from 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2014. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota ready to design more heart-racing Prius

Long praised for its fuel economy and reliability, the Toyota Prius has been no stranger to less-than-flattering remarks about its styling and sense of excitement. In fact, the model is a regular movie punchline. For evidence, see Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys or, more recently, Ice Cube in Ride Along. Apparently, Toyota President Akido Toyoda is getting the message and is pushing for what's been translated as a more "heart-racing" design for both the Prius and the Camry, the Canadian website Driving says. The Camry and Prius accounted for about a third of Toyota's US sales last year. With the Camry as the best-selling US model for each of the last dozen years, Toyota US head designer Kevin Hunter noted at the Detroit Auto Show last week that the Japanese automaker is looking for a "more emotional" design for the boxy sedan. The Prius redesign may have more constraints, as aerodynamics have to be factored in to ensure top-line fuel economy for the world's best-selling hybrid. Toyota used the Detroit show to show off the FT-1, a concept that many consider a preview of the new Supra. How this "Future Toyota 1" will affect the Prius and Camry redesigns, whenever they appear, remains in question but we like where things are headed.