2013 Toyota 4runner on 2040-cars

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Toyota and Mazda set to expand partnership

Toyota and Mazda are already teaming up for the Scion iA and Mazda2, but that partnership might just be the beginning. Reuters reports the two Japanese companies could expand their work together, with Toyota chipping in its experience with both fuel cells and plug-in-hybrid tech, and Mazda contributing its know-how in regards to its Skyactiv line of engines. The report cites a pair of unnamed sources that are "not authorized to discuss the matter publicly." The move, on the surface, is certainly appealing for both parties. Mazda has very little experience with hybrids (remember the Ford-rebadged Tribute Hybrid?), let alone something as advanced as a fuel-cell vehicle. Teaming with Toyota, arguably the world's greatest hybrid manufacturer, would give it a serious leg up. For the Japanese giant, meanwhile, a partnership with Mazda could expand the economy of scale for the Mirai FCV's tech, while Skyactiv engines would do well in replacing the base engines in cars like the Corolla, Camry, and RAV4. What are your thoughts? Would an expanded partnership between Toyota and Mazda make sense? Can you think of any drawbacks? Have your say in Comments. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai View 15 Photos News Source: Reuters Green Mazda Toyota Electric Hybrid skyactiv toyota mirai

Toyota GT86 CS-R3 rally car presages for-sale customer racecar

Rallying may enjoy a very strong association with all-wheel drive, but it wasn't so long ago that the World Rally Championship was populated by cars that slipped and slid across gravel and tarmac using rear-wheel drive. One of those was the Toyota Celica. While the little Celica eventually joined the gravel-spewing masses with an all-wheel-drive rally car, Toyota is returning to its rear-drive rally roots with a modified version of the critically acclaimed GT86.
Called the CS-R3, the new model boasts all the necessary changes to turn the diminutive twin of the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ into a car capable of tackling the tough, twisting paths that are so routinely conquered by the world's rally cars. That means, of course, the CS-R3 has gotten a power bump.
Expected output sits between 240 and 250 horsepower, thanks to a new racing exhaust and manifold, as well as other changes. The ECU has been replaced with an item a bit more suited to racing, while the compression ratio has also been adjusted to boost the output.

Japanese spark plug giant NGK pleads guilty to price fixing, to pay $52M fine

The ongoing investigation by the Department of Justice into price fixing in the automotive industry has nabbed one more company breaking the law. Japanese parts giant NGK Spark Plug Company agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of pricing fixing and bid rigging in the in the US District Court in Detroit. Its punishment is a $52.1 million criminal fine and to continue to cooperate with the DOJ's sleuthing into the problem.
According to the DOJ, NGK conspired to fix prices on spark plugs, standard oxygen sensors, and air fuel ratio sensors on vehicles from major automakers in the US, including the former DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Toyota, in a scheme that ran from at least January 2000 to July 2011. The charge claimed that the company and its co-conspirators held meetings where they agreed on bids and price quotes that were submitted to the automakers.
With the latest plea, the DOJ has caught 28 companies and 26 executives for price-fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry, and they have collected $2.4 billion in criminal fines. In 2013, the feds brought nine Japanese suppliers down at once, to collect $740 million. Scroll down to read the DOJ's complete announcement of the case.