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This 1,000-horsepower, rear-drive Toyota Corolla iM could be yours

We were amazed last year when we learned that Papadakis Racing built Fredric Aasbo a rear-drive, 1,000-horsepower 2017 Toyota Corolla iM for drifting. Now we're amazed that the car could end up in the hands of an average person, because the car is currently going for auction on Bring A Trailer. Just as a quick recap for those that might have missed hearing about the car last year, the little Toyota hatch features a turbocharged and nitrous-injected 2.7-liter 2AR-series Toyota four-cylinder. Variants of that engine are found in older Toyota RAV4s and Camrys. According to Bring A Trailer, the engine hits 1,000 horsepower and 850 pound-feet of torque when running on E85. Power goes through a four-speed dog box manual transmission to the rear wheels. Now there is the question of what you would do with such a mad machine. One possibility is to run it again in the Formula Drift series the car was built for. Bring A Trailer reports that it should be legal for the 2019 season, and with extra parts and wheels, you would be in a good spot to get started. The seller does note that all the graphics and sponsor decals would have to be removed if it's entered again. Even if you didn't run it in a professional drift series, it would probably be a fun car to use in more grassroots drift events or even just as a track car of some sort. There's also one more potential option that would be totally absurd. You see, it appears Papdakis Racing started with a factory-built, street legal Corolla iM that could have easily gone on to see a life of ferrying a young couple or family around in efficient, affordable style. As such, it should have a VIN that could be used to register and insure the car without too much trouble. It even still has functional lights. As long as you're in a state that doesn't have modification or emissions restrictions, it could be possible to make this a street car. Now we're not positive on this, so do your due diligence before plunking down cash for it, but it does seem possible, and it would be crazy and awesome. Related Video:

Toyota delays Mexico plant as it plans U.S. plant with Mazda

TOKYO — Toyota will push back the start of operations at its scheduled new plant in Mexico, to the first half of 2020 from the initial plan of 2019, the company said on Thursday. Japan's top automaker had initially planned to start building the Corolla sedan at the $1 billion Guanajuato plant but said last week it would switch production to a new U.S. factory to be built with Mazda. Toyota said the delay was necessary to adjust its supply chain in Mexico to produce the Tacoma pickup instead of the Corolla compact car. That factory could also build sport utility vehicles, a Toyota spokesman in Mexico said last week. "With the production model change to the Tacoma pickup, the start of production will consequently be in the first half of 2020," a Toyota spokeswoman said. "However, we will make our utmost effort to advance the timing in order to minimize the impact to suppliers and the local community." Until the scheduled start of the joint venture plant with Mazda in 2021, Toyota will supply the Corollas that were initially slated to be built in Mexico from its factories in Mississippi and Japan, the company said.Related: Mazda-Toyota partnership has us dreaming of a rotary hybrid Reporting by Makiko YamazakiRelated Video:

Toyota teases 2016 RAV4 Hybrid for New York Auto Show

Toyota is being extremely enigmatic with its tease for the newly announced RAV4 Hybrid. The Japanese automaker merely has a photo of the model's rear end with a visible hybrid badge on it. The only additional into tells us to look forward to the CUV's debut in just a few days at the New York Auto Show on April 2. Thankfully, Toyota's teaser shot does give away a few more details about this new version of the RAV4. The LED taillights on display aren't the regular ones that wrap around the back of the popular crossover. In the current design, the white portion is placed near the middle of the hatch, and there's amber at the corner. Here, the indicator is clear and two strips of lights run towards the center. The automaker has made its plan clear to sell even more crossovers in the near future, and the RAV4 has already been a strong mover for Toyota. The company shifted 267,698 of them in 2014, a year-over-year jump of 22.7 percent. Through February 2015, it has sold 41,767 examples of the CUV, a 25.3-percent improvement over the same period last year. Still, the decision to launch a hybrid version of the RAV4 now is a bit surprising. The US market for the green segment was soft last year, and it hasn't really turned around yet. Although, rumors of Toyota launching a greener variant of its popular CUV have been around for years. At that time, the company said it would monitor market demand, and maybe the people have spoken. Related Video: A new hybrid joins the Toyota family. 2016 RAV4 Hybrid. See it April 2, 12:30 p.m. EDT at the New York International Auto Show. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid: Teasers News Source: Toyota Design/Style Green New York Auto Show Toyota Crossover Hybrid 2015 ny auto show toyota rav4 hybrid