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255-hp Toyota GR86 and other big news leaks in dealer presentation

Last month, Motor1 said it received information on Toyota and Lexus product plans for the next few years from an inside source who attended a dealer presentation. To protect the source, Motor1 didn't publish any slides or proof from that presentation. A snippet of what happened behind closed doors has found its way online, Allcarnews posting one of the slides yesterday, as well as its own recap of the Japanese automaker's plans that mirrors the Motor1 report. If all of this is true, not only is there a ton of product in the works, but Toyota and Lexus lineups will get more interesting while answering the requests of several enthusiast groups. We'll start with the 86, then go by model year after that. The next-gen coupe developed with Subaru should sit on Toyota's TNGA platform and get a rebrand to wear the GR86 name, for Toyota's Gazoo Racing division. The real hallelulah happens under the hood, where a turbocharged four-cylinder is expected to produce 255 hp, a 50-hp jump over the present model. Look for an upgraded interior, too. The debut is slated for summer 2021, possibly July.    This year: The fall season should introduce a new crossover and a new Sienna with hybrid powertrains only. The current minivan has been on sale since 2010, getting a minor refresh in front in 2018. The crossover will be a five-seat midsizer that brings back the Venza name, this model already rumored here and abroad. It, too, will only get hybrid powertrains. Both planned as 2021-model-year products, it's possible their motivations will be based on the 2.5-liter four-cylinder in both the RAV4 and Highlander hybrids. And a refreshed Camry might come later this year as a 2021MY sedan.  2021: Next year will be a busy one. ... On the Toyota side, and as TFL has reported, the all-new Tundra that's first to sit on the TNGA-F truck platform will show in December 2021 as a 2022MY pickup. Rumor has the top model powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 hybrid with around 455 hp and 500 pound-feet of torque, perhaps distinguished by the i-Force Max name that Toyota recently applied to trademark. A few months before that, Toyota will roll out a Corolla-based crossover maybe called the Corolla Cross, and potentially built in the U.S. at the Alabama facility being constructed with Mazda. And remember, a Toyota exec teased a small hot hatch for this market as well, "an answer" to the GR Yaris sold in Europe, which Car and Driver figures will be based on the Corolla.

Lexus ES gets a tech-focused mid-cycle update for the 2022 model year

Lexus traveled to the 2021 edition of the Shanghai Auto Show to unveil the updated ES. Scheduled to launch as a 2022 model, the sedan ushers in a long list of handling, comfort, and technology improvements. Most of the major changes are found in the cabin, where the ES finally receives a touchscreen-based infotainment system. Entry-level models ship with an 8.0-inch screen, while upmarket versions receive a 12.3-inch display. Both are positioned 4.3 inches closer to the front passengers; it was easier to move the screen than to give buyers longer arms. The touchpad-like remote interface located on the center console, next to the gear selector, remains. Lexus also updated the technology motorists can't see but regularly rely on. The Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 suite of electronic driving aids comes standard across the line-up, and improvements to the camera and the millimeter-wave radar increase the pre-collision system's response range. Intersection Turning Assist, which can detect if the driver is about to turn in front of an oncoming car or a pedestrian, joins the roster of safety systems. Also new are Emergency Steering Assist, Curve Speed Reduction, and a function that automatically increases the car's speed if the driver is about to pass a slower car. Lexus points out it made its Lane Tracing Assist feature smoother, too. Although the ES has traditionally leaned towards the comfort side of the luxury sedan scale, Lexus made small but meaningful tweaks to improve handling with the help of Toyota president Akio Toyoda, an enthusiast who regularly races a Supra. Engineers fitted a new rear suspension brace to increase torsional rigidity and stability, while the non-hybrid model's brake master cylinder and brake booster were redesigned to provide a more linear feel. Every ES gets a bigger brake pedal, and hybrids benefit from improved pedal feel, according to the company. Subtle exterior revisions, such as a redesigned grille and new-look headlights, set the 2022 ES apart from the outgoing 2021 model. New paint colors and additional wheel designs round out the list of major exterior updates. Lexus added a hybrid F Sport model to the portfolio. Called ES 300h F Sport, it gains a mesh grille with a dark frame, a spoiler on the trunk lid, 19-inch wheels, and an array of sporty-looking interior accents. Motorists who want a bit of go with their show can order the optional Dynamic Handling Package (DHP) available only on the V6-powered ES 350 F Sport.

Jaguar solution to keyless start could save lives

UPDATED: An earlier version of this story indicated the Jaguar keyless start function was meant as a safety feature, when in fact, it is meant as a convenience one and will not work as described if automatic stop/start is not engaged. Today, The New York Times published an article about more than two dozen deaths related to drivers accidentally leaving their cars running, closing their garages and later succumbing to carbon monoxide that flooded their homes. The reason has been identified as "keyless start" features, or proximity entry and push-button start, where owners don't need to physically handle a key or fob to gain entry into the vehicle or start it. It is the latest, and deadliest, issue raised with this system after those related to security and simple inconvenience (for instance, leaving the car at a valet or car wash with the fob in your pocket). From my personal perspective, The New York Times had a rather harsh "evil carmakers" tone throughout the article. This is not a matter of a known faulty component, as with the GM ignition switch recall. This has as much to do with user error where people leave their car without pressing the "off" button and without noticing the engine is still running. About half of the cars in question are produced by Toyota and Lexus, brands that have offered keyless start longer than most. They are also brands with high rates of elderly owners, who seemingly made up a majority of reported deaths and injuries. One fire department in Florida even started a campaign alerting those in the area of the dangers of leaving your car running when it noticed a correlation between an increase in cars equipped with keyless start and calls related to carbon monoxide poisoning. I see several contributing issues at play, most of which go well beyond this particular issue. First is insufficient training of owners by dealers and/or owners not paying close enough attention during this training. Cars are complicated, but you should at least know how basic functions work. Second, woefully inadequate driver training in this country. Third, and with apologies to the AARP, insufficient testing of elderly drivers and/or insufficiently low standards for elderly drivers. If you don't know you have to shut the car off or cannot hear that an engine is running, perhaps you shouldn't be driving. Fourth, re-examining keyless start systems.