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2014 Toyota Corolla to bow before LA

We've sort of been wondering when Toyota would finally debut the next-generation Corolla sedan, especially since the current car is getting very, very long in the tooth. We got a glimpse of the new compact's design at this year's Detroit Auto Show in the form of the Furia concept seen above, but we figured we'd see the production car by now.
According to Edmunds, Toyota will be unveiling the new Corolla sometime soon, and it won't wait until the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Officials from the Japanese automaker did not state a specific location or date for the new car's unveiling, but said that the 2014 Corolla is expected to be on sale before the LA expo later this year and that it will be revealed "somewhere in the US."
Toyota did not divulge any details about the new Corolla, and we're willing to bet that the aggressive lines of the Furia concept will be dulled down quite a bit for the production model. Still, news that the new car is coming sooner rather than later is indeed a good thing.

Toyota to enter modern turbo four-cylinder era with Lexus crossover

Toyota has sat quietly on the sidelines as many of its competitors have armed themselves in recent years with lower-displacement turbocharged four-cylinder engines in an effort to gain better fuel efficiency numbers and flatter power curves. It's a strategy largely shared by fellow countryman Honda, who turned away from offering forced-induction four-cylinder models in North America after its first-generation Acura RDX failed to find buyers. Toyota itself has no lack of experience with turbo fours, having built some humdingers for cars like the MR2 and Celica All-Trac back in the 80s and 90s. It's also offered factory-warranted turbos through its TRD performance parts division more recently.
Now, Automotive News is reporting that the world's largest automaker is finally poised to rejoin the turbo-four production-car fray in North America, but it won't be a sports car that delivers the first force-fed punch, it will be a new small crossover model for Lexus. We first showed you spy shots of the NX last week in mule form, and Automotive News says the small softroader will carry a 2.0-liter turbo four in its engine bay when it rolls on to world markets in 2014 or early 2015. That model, the NX 200t, will be joined by the NX 300h, a hybrid variant. It isn't immediately clear when US buyers will see the turbo model, however, it's possible that the hybrid could bow first - the story quotes an anonymous company source suggesting that Americans might not see the engine offering until sometime in 2015.
AN further posits that the new 2.0-liter will likely supplant the company's 2.5-liter V6 in the IS sedan and the same-displacement four-cylinder in the Toyota RAV4, but does not indicate where the new engine will be built.

Toyota, Mercedes, BMW top automakers included in List of Best Global Brands

Interbrand, a consultancy firm, has published its 13th annual list of the best global brands. Besides seeing some shakeups at the top - Apple and Google unseated Coca-Cola (a company that has dominated the survey since its birth), the 100-item list features 14 automakers, most of which enjoyed double-digit gains in brand value.
Toyota managed to retain its spot as the study's top automaker. It finished the survey in 10th position overall (the same as last year), despite a 17-percent improvement in its brand value, from $29.33 billion to $35.34 billion. Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Honda all made the top 20, at 11th, 12th and 20th place, respectively. Hopping a ways down the list, we come across Volkswagen in 34th place, up from 39th in last year's study, with a brand value of $11.12 billion, a 20-percent improvement over 2012. Ford and Hyundai round out the automakers in the top 50, at 42 and 43.
Porsche made the largest year-over-year gain of any automaker, with its brand value increasing 26 percent to $6.47 billion. Chevrolet meanwhile, cracks the list for the very first time at 89th place. As Interbrand notes, Chevy's inclusion is notable because of the sheer number of vehicles it moves for General Motors and its recent push in developing markets. The final interesting note on this survey is the position of an automaker that takes its name and logo more seriously than perhaps any other - Ferrari. The Italian exotic manufacturer finished 98th out of 100, with just $4.01 billion in brand value, a six-percent improvement over 2012.