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Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

Toyota wants improved crash scores with midcycle facelifts

The performances of some Toyotas in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) regimen of crash tests leave something to be desired. Consider the small overlap frontal crash test: only six Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles have undergone the new test, yet all but one of them received a poor rating. Osama Nagata, CEO of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., says midcycle vehicle updates are in the works to address the safety issues brought to light by the IIHS test, Automotive News reports. He confirmed that the RAV4 is getting safety updates following its crash test performance last month, but he didn't name any other models.
All three Toyotas that were tested - 2013 RAV4, 2012-2013 Prius V, 2012-2013 Camry - received poor ratings. The 2007-2012 Lexus ES 350 and 2006-2013 IS 250/350 also received poor ratings. The only other Toyota Motor Corp. vehicle to score better than poor is the 2014 Scion TC. It received an acceptable rating in the small overlap frontal crash test and is the only recent vehicle in Toyota's line-up to get the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ rating.
The small overlap front crash test measures the safety of a car when its front left corner is strikes an object during an accident, bypassing traditional crumple zones, which deform in a way to protect passengers. In 2009, automakers were alerted to the forthcoming addition of the test, which was first implemented last year, IIHS spokesman Russ Rader says. They responded with differing intensity, he says, pointing out that Subaru and Honda started incorporating design changes early on so their cars would perform well in the tests.

2015 Scion FR-S gets suspension, appearance enhancements

A couple of weeks ago, we told you about some suspension and appearance changes for the European-market Toyota GT86 - a car that's better known as the Scion FR-S (and Subaru BRZ) here in the United States. At the time, our US contacts at Scion told us we'd have final confirmation "soon" as to whether or not these upgrades would make their way to our FR-S, and now, we have those official details.
For 2015, the FR-S features a more rigid front suspension setup, and the rear shock absorbers have been retuned, all of which has been done to reduce body roll and improve feedback. Other upgrades include a new shark-fin antenna and larger exhaust pipes that are now flush with the rear bodywork. Inside, buyers will be treated to an updated interior panel with a carbon fiber look, the addition of automatic on/off headlights, and a new key design. All of this comes at very little additional cost, with the manual transmission-equipped 2015 FR-S starting at $24,900 (not including $755 for destination) - an increase of $400.
Elsewhere in the Scion range, the tC coupe has been updated slightly for 2015. The not-as-sporty coupe now features steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters on automatic transmission-equipped models, and a couple of new colors are offered: Cosmic Gray and Blizzard Pearl. The 2015 tC starts at $19,210 - the same as the 2014 model.