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Toyota NA CEO says his excitement for hydrogen sedan is rising

Toyota has an undeniable vested interest in seeing its hydrogen sedan succeed when it goes on sale in the US next year, so it's no surprise that the company's North American CEO, Jim Lentz, says that he's got more hope for the car now than ever before. And if we remember ways that others in the company, like Bob Carter, have loudly sung hydrogen's praises, we have to assume that positivity is running awful high in Torrance. In fact, Lentz said that the US side of the company is far more excited by the H2 car than colleagues in Japan. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's ECO:nomics conference in Santa Barbara, CA this week, Lentz said: After we've seen the product, understand its range, its driving dynamics, its refueling, we're a lot more bullish than Japan - probably about fivefold more bullish. It's just a question of how many can be produced now. Well, we've driven this car, and we still feel that Toyota is placing a big bet on the technology. One important issue is cost, but Lentz would not say exactly how much the car costs to make or what it will be priced at. He did say, though, that the production cost has dropped by 95 percent from the $1 million price tag the car wore ten years ago. That hints at a production cost of around $50,000. Lentz also said he thinks it will take at least a decade for hydrogen vehicles to hit sales of 500,000 per year in the US. Speaking to Bloomberg, he said: Their acceptance could get off to a quicker start than the hybrids did. I think you're going to see a lot more marketing of the concept of fuel cell much sooner than you did for hybrids, because basically the whole industry is behind it.

Production Toyota C-HR to debut in Geneva, has hybrid engine

Toyota now officially confirms earlier reports that the C-HR crossover concept (above) will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The CUV will also be available a European-made hybrid powertrain, but the company won't yet say whether that will be the only engine option. "We are entering the C-segment crossover market with a fantastic product and with a hybrid powertrain from the start," Johan van Zyl, Toyota Motor Europe president and CEO, said. At least for Europe, the company will build the production C-HR at its factory in Turkey. The automaker originally planned the C-HR for the US as a Scion model and even displayed the concept that way at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, the brand's demise means the crossover now gets to be a full Toyota product here. The five-door CUV rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture, but test vehicles keep the production version's styling hidden under heavy camouflage. The final vehicle reportedly looks like the concept, though. On this side of the pond, the C-HR will compete against compact crossovers like the Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. View 13 Photos Related Video: Toyota Motor Europe confirms European production for future crossover based on C-HR concept Future crossover to be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey alongside Corolla, Verso New generation hybrid engine to be manufactured at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, UK in Deeside, Wales Brussels, Belgium - Ahead of the presentation of the highly anticipated production version of the C-HR concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) shared today its production plans for the model in Europe. The vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Turkey (TMMT) in Sakarya, Turkey, in what marks the first time a hybrid-powered vehicle will be produced in the country. This will be TME's third plant to produce hybrid vehicles in the Europe region, after Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK in Burnaston, Derbyshire (Auris Hybrid and Auris Touring Sport Hybrid) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (Yaris Hybrid). TME also announced that the hybrid engine for the crossover is to be produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK's engine plant in Deeside, Wales. The production destination for the vehicles will be greater Europe and regions outside Europe. Individual export countries are being considered at this time.

2014 Toyota Tundra appears with revised styling, same mechanicals

Toyota has pulled the curtain back on its 2014 Tundra, showing a truck that has gotten its most significant refresh since its launch as a 2007 model. For better or worse, however, the changes that Toyota has made to the fullsize pickup are mostly cosmetic, with the underpinnings of the vehicle staying unchanged.
The most obvious revision for 2014 is to the bluff front fascia of the truck. There's a new, taller squared-off grille decorating the Tundra's nose, along with a revised, three-part front bumper design. The optional black grille-frame strikes us as an acquired taste, to say the least, but other models, like the Limited above, is all clad in chrome. Fenders and wheel wells are more square than in the out-going truck, too. Perhaps most significant is the revised bed design, which Toyota calls "all-new," with new sheet metal on the sides, a revised tailgate and a very subtle integrated spoiler.
Inside, Toyota has given buyers some new seats and a new-look instrument panel. A backup camera (always handy on big trucks) is now standard equipment on all grades, as is Bluetooth connectivity. Blind spot monitoring is a new, optional feature as well. In all, as with the exterior mods, the changes in-cabin are far more evolutionary than revolutionary.