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Toyota FT-1 Concept presents a future we want to live in [w/videos]

Toyota has brought its A game to the 2014 Detroit Auto Show, showing off the striking FT-1 Concept. Short for "Future Toyota," the FT-1 is, we're imagining, the supposed Supra Concept we reported on early in December.
Penned by the Calty Design Research team, the FT-1 draws inspirations from the FT-HS and the Lexus LF-LC concepts from 2007 and 2012, respectively. We certainly see a bit of Lexus LF-A in the design, while there's more than a hint of Formula One in the FT-1's pointed nose.
"Our team was heavily influenced by Toyota's sports car past, especially Celica and Supra, and we sought to capture some of that history. It is an aggressive, track-focused sports car concept with a presence that has been amplified for shock and awe," said Alex Shen, Calty's Studio Chief Designer.

Daily Driver: 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium, reviewed by Sebastian Blanco. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT [00:00:00] Hello everyone. Welcome to another Autoblog Daily Driver. This is Sebastian Blanco coming to you from behind the wheel of a 2015 Toyota Avalon Hybrid XLE Premium. This is the silver metallic and light gray version. Comes in at $38,455. It has an Entune Premium audio setup here. It's a Toyota. It's a hybrid, which probably makes you think of a Prius. The Avalon [00:00:30] and the XLE and the Premium, what we're really dealing with here is a world's plushiest, comfiest bigger Prius. It's a very different kind of car, with the body style, but you've got a lot of similarities if you've spent any time in a Prius. The fuel economy of this Hybrid on the official scale is 40 miles per gallon combined, 40 in the city and 39 on the highway. I've driven it over 400 miles this week and my average was 34.3 miles per gallon. [00:01:00] Much lower than the numbers would suggest and there's really no excuse for that. I was driving with the cruise control on, mostly on the highway, the weather is fine. This should have been an easy 39, but maybe that's the fault of the cruise control. The sport mode in this car for me has been kind of a joke. When I was interacting with the car in a more discernible manner, I couldn't tell much difference. This isn't the kind of car that you want when you're dealing with sport mode. [00:01:30] You know what you're getting with this car. It's a little more luxurious, not quite Lexus level, but definitely the higher end for a Toyota. It's nice if you like these sort of cars. This is definitely worth a look, but it's not going to be on my shopping list anytime soon. Perhaps it is on yours. For Autoblog and AutoblogGreen, this is Sebastian Blanco for another Daily Driver.

Toyota unveils two new small displacement engines

Toyota introduced a pair of brand-new engines in Japan today, that it says will eventually spawn 14 different variants by 2015. Where these two engines stand out in today's world, is that neither mill boasts direct injection, and both are naturally aspirated.
The larger of the two is a 1.3-liter, while the smaller engine, a 1.0-liter, was developed in collaboration with Daihatsu. What makes these two unique is that they both use the Atkinson cycle. Now, we aren't going to bore you by explaining just what this is - there's Google for that. Suffice it to say, Atkinson engines are highly efficient, but that efficiency comes by sacrificing power. That's why they're so popular in hybrids, which can offset the power losses.
This focus on fuel efficiency extends throughout the new engines, which also benefit from tweaks like a cooled exhaust gas recirculation system and a trick intake port, while the 1.3 employs Toyota's iE variant of variable valve timing. Both engines can be fitted with stop-start tech. According to Toyota, when fitted with stop-start the 1.3 should provide around a 15-percent bump while the 1.0-liter will increase economy around 30 percent, when they arrive on the road.