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Toyota, Ford and Honda again top Consumer Reports Car-Brand Perception Survey

Consumer Reports has released its annual Car-Brand Perception Survey, and the list looks awfully familiar. The top six brands are identical to last year's results, with Toyota, Ford and Honda continuing to occupy the podium. All told, Toyota walked away with 133 points, putting it 15 ahead of second-place Ford. Honda jumped 26 points this year, narrowing Ford's lead to just four points in total.
Consumer Reports polls buyers from across the country on how they see multiple brands in seven categories, including quality, safety, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation and environmentally friendly/green. Researchers then combine the findings to come up with the total brand score.
While value and performance remain important to buyers, CR found quality and safety are still on top when it comes to significance. Scion and Mitsubishi found themselves at the bottom of the pack with the worst score of all, tied at just six points. Ram, Fiat and Mini filled out the lowest five with scores of seven, eight and 10 points, respectively. You can read the full press release below for more information, or head over to the Consumer Reports site.

Toyota, Lexus expanding Takata airbag recall, re-notifying customers

Toyota is re-notifying owners and expanding its Takata airbag inflator recall for some regions. The renewed campaign covers 247,000 examples of the Toyota Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, Tundra and Lexus SC430 that are located in southern Florida, along the Gulf Coast, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. All of the models come from the 2001-2004 model years and have potentially faulty Takata-made inflators on the front passenger side. According to the company, testing shows the problem warrants "immediate action," and its press release says, "this action intensifies Toyota's efforts to reach customers and remedy previously recalled vehicles, and a small number of newly included vehicles."
According to Toyota, it submitted some recalled inflators to Takata for testing, and it found a high probability of rupturing in high humidity areas. The automaker said it had no reports yet of injuries or fatalities related to the problem.
This is Toyota's third inflator recall this year. In June, it called in for repair the same vehicles from the 2003-2005 model years in high-humidity areas, and it conducted a separate campaign nationwide for the parts in additional models. In April 2013, it also announced a fix campaign for 1.73-million vehicles worldwide for the same issue.

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.