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Toyota Camry re-earns CR 'Recommended' rating following crash tests

All is right again in the Toyota kingdom. The Japanese manufacturer's bread-and-butter sedan, the Camry, has been put back on Consumer Reports' "Recommended" vehicle list, following improved performance in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash testing.
You'll recall that the 2012 and 2013 Camry were infamously booted from the list due to "Poor" ratings in IIHS' notoriously tough small-overlap crash testing. Toyota vowed - just last week actually - to fix the ratings. As the Toyota brand's head, Bill Fay, said last week, "It's still a five-star car. It still does very well in all the IIHS tests. It did not in [the small overlap frontal crash test], and we're busy making the necessary adjustments so that we can address that."
Now, though, those redesigned cars have been tested, earning an "Acceptable" rating in the overlap testing. According to Consumer Reports, Camrys built from November 2013 on feature new internal structures that improve the car's crash test scores enough to make it a "Recommended" buy. IIHS has also elevated the car back to a position in its Top Safety Pick category, although it falls short of the new gold standard, the Top Safety Pick + rating.

Toyota reveals new customizable Camatte57s kid-friendly concepts

Toyota plans to follow up last year's kid-friendly Camatte concept with two new versions: the Camatte57s and Camatte57s Sport (right). Like the original Camatte, the two new concepts will make their debut at the International Tokyo Toy Show, which is happening this weekend.
Not much has changed with these two new Camatte models. Like their predecessor, they both feature detachable body panels (the count is up to 57), a 1+2 seating array and reconfigurable pedals that allow children to operate the gas and brakes while Mom or Dad steers. What is new is an open-top roadster design that even eschews doors in favor of easier ingress/egress. They look like something a tourist would rent to get around a Hawaiian island, though we dig the distinct personalities of each model's design.
Both cars are all-electric, though Toyota hasn't provided any other specifications, like what makes the Sport model sporty besides its more aggressive body panels and silver, black and red color scheme. That's just as well, as neither concept, like the original Camatte before them, is street legal.

Toyota demos its TRD Pro Series line [w/video]

With a rich history of creating off-road worthy trucks and SUVs and a somewhat bland impression of its brand overall, Toyota has wisely created a line of TRD Pro Series vehicles to spice up its showrooms and newly engage customers. Debuting at this year's Chicago Auto Show before rolling into dealers this fall, the TRD-tuned vehicles include the 4Runner, Tacoma and Tundra, all with added rough-road gear and amped-up looks.
The TRD Pro Series trucks might end up, in many cases, as lifestyle accessories for outdoorsy types, but that doesn't mean they're all show. TRD springs and Bilstein dampers are set up for off-road performance, while skid plates will protect the softish underbellies of these would-be rock-crawlers. The trio all get lifted over stock height, as well, with two-inch gains for the Tundra and Tacoma (lovingly referred to as "Taco Supreme" in the Toyota press release), and an inch-and-a-half rise for the 4Runner.
We detailed all of the changes to the Pro Series vehicles in our original announcement post, and you'll also find more granularity of information in the Toyota press release below. Before you dive in, however, be sure to take in our set of live, action-packed images from the Chicago Show floor.