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Toyota bringing sextet of retro-liveried GT86s to Goodwood [w/poll]

Automakers and the teams that race their products switch liveries all the time. From time to time you might see them revive a classic color scheme from their history, like Lotus has with the JPS black and gold, or Nissan did most recently with one of the GT-R LM Nismo prototypes it's bringing to Le Mans this year. But Toyota is going a step further. At the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month, the Japanese automaker isn't just showcasing one new car with a throwback livery – it's bringing six. They're all based on the GT86 (which we know as the Scion FR-S), and each pays tribute to an iconic racing car from Toyota's history. The yellow and green one pays tribute to the Yatabe Speed Trial 2000GT from 1966. There's another decked out in white and blue in tribute to the 2000GT that Carroll Shelby showcased in the US back in '68. The red one with the black hood pays homage to Ove Andersson's rally-spec '72 Celica. Another one in red with yellow stripes harks back to the IMSA-spec Celica from the mid-80s. There's the Castrol livery from the Group A rally-spec Celica GT-Four, and finally a tigerskin-effect livery derived from the Esso Ultron scheme from Japan's own touring car championship. In addition to the special vinyl wraps and decals, each of the sports cars features throwback wheels, a stainless steel exhaust and a lowered suspension. But of course it's the livery that makes them special, and you'll want to check them all out in the extensive high-resolution image gallery above and cast your vote in the poll below. GT86 PAYS TRIBUTE TO ITS HERITAGE WITH CLASSIC TOYOTA LIVERIES Visual celebration of decades of sporting design and engineering excellence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - Fleet of six GT86 coupes finished in one-off classic liveries celebrating great Toyota race and rally cars of the past - Classic look captured in vinyl wraps and decals plus lowered springs, stainless steel exhaust and retro-styled wheels - Cars available for public drives in the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Moving Motor Show on 25 June, then on static display supporting the GT86 Drift Experience at Goodwood's race circuit Many of the qualities that make the GT86 an exceptional modern sports car are rooted in generations of classic performance Toyotas, from its great handling to its timeless, low-slung styling.

Land Rover, Toyota big winners in ALG top resale value awards

"Residual value is important for automakers and consumers because it's a complete indicator of the vehicle's future value." - Larry Dominique
Toyota and Land Rover took home the top brand honors in ALG's 2015 Residual Value Awards, which will be presented this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Toyota JV will sell Leahead EVs in China next year

You may have read that Toyota is about to establish a new electric vehicle sub-brand in China called Leahead that will focus on "cheap electric cars aimed at young and hip car buyers in China." This isn't 100 percent true, but the Japanese automaker is revving its electric motors for EVs in China, in a fashion. It makes sense for automakers to push for more EVs in China, given government support for the technology and the proven success of Tesla there. Low-speed EVs are popular, as well. Indirectly, Toyota is going to sell electric vehicles to Chinese customers next year. We've heard reports before that Toyota is interested in going electric in China, with a different Toyota JV and thus a different brand but now we have an official word on Toyota's future EV moves in China, direct from Jana Hartline, the environmental communications manager for Toyota Motor Sales, USA. Hartline told AutoblogGreen that Toyota just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of GAC Toyota Motor Co., Ltd (GTMC), its joint-venture manufacturing company in China. And it is GTMC, not Toyota directly, that is the company behind Leahead (called Ling Zhi in Chinese). Leahead will begin selling EVs under the Ling Zhi brand starting in 2015. So, yes, indirectly, Toyota is going to sell electric vehicles to Chinese customers next year. There are rumors that the new EVs will be electric versions of the Corolla EX and/or the Yaris L, but we've got nothing confirmed on that front. We will be waiting for more new at the Shanghai Motor Show next April.