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Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ successor canceled?

Rumors indicate that the Toyota 86 is done for. Japanese Nostalgic Car is quoting Japanese sources as saying Toyota and Subaru have parted ways regarding the 86 and that the current car's replacement is off the table. According to JNC, the Japanese magazine Best Car is readying a report that the 86/BRZ successor has been canceled. JNC also considers the fact that in Japan, there will be a four-cylinder, 197-horsepower version of the new Supra, ready to continue where the 86 will leave the market. Back in 2016 the automaker seemingly confirmed that a replacement for the rear-drive car was under development, but plans can change and with a cheaper Supra version for sale in markets outside the U.S., we have to wonder if the 86 replacement has been shelved. The 86, while balanced, has only received mild enhancements and not a lot of extra power during its near-decade long time on the market, and it isn't such a strong seller that it would necessarily merit the effort of Toyota developing a successor on its own, particularly without the help of a partner like Subaru or BMW. At the same time, Autocar quotes Toyota boss Akio Toyoda on the Supra: "At the end of the day, is there anything better than a tight rear-wheel-drive sports car? I hope this won't be the last Toyota sports car you see from us in the future." While that is far from a solid statement of Toyota's future intent, it paves the way to offerings below the Supra, and shows how much the company boss cares about driver involvement. There is a distinct possibility that the company will re-introduce the MR2 as an electrified, rear-drive sports car – which could still be a joint venture with Subaru, as Japanese Nostalgic Car theorizes. Whatever's in the pipeline – and we hope there is something in the pipeline – it seems Toyota's heart is in the right place: driving the rear wheels. Related Video:

Toyota follows Tesla, makes hydrogen patents open source

Back in June, Tesla said All Our Patents Are Belong to You as it released its electric vehicle patents to the world. CEO Elon Musk said at the time that patents, "serve merely to stifle progress, entrench the positions of giant corporations and enrich those in the legal profession." Despite some disagreement on which gasoline alternative (electricity or hydrogen) will power the automotive future, it looks like the folks over at Toyota like the idea of making advanced technology easier for others to get their hands on. Last summer, Tesla said that it would, "not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." In an announcement today at CES, Toyota said it would let "automakers who will produce and sell fuel cell vehicles, as well as ... fuel cell parts suppliers and energy companies who establish and operate fueling stations" get free access to 5,680 fuel cell related patents around the world. That means if you're interested in building your own Mirai H2 car, you can now get some of the instructions. There's a catch, though, in that Toyota's H2 vehicle patents will only be free, "through the initial market introduction period, anticipated to last until 2020." Patents about making and selling hydrogen will be free "for an unlimited duration." Toyota's Senior VP of Automotive Operations, Bob Carter, said that, "At Toyota, we believe that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen. ... By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically." Toyota generates a lot of patents each year – 1,491 in 2012 in the US alone, for example – but it did not see fit to make them all open to competitors. While we don't know for sure how many automakers have decided to use Tesla's patents since they were made public, but it appears that interest in the technology is muted. We'll have to wait and see how the industry reacts to the influx of H2 information. We hope this will be one of the topics Musk addresses in his Reddit AMA later today. Toyota Opens the Door and Invites the Industry to the Hydrogen Future More than 5,600 fuel cell and related patents available for royalty free use Patents include industry leading fuel cell technology used in new Toyota Mirai January 05, 2015 2015 CES - TMS SVP Bob Carter's speech LAS VEGAS, (Jan.

Toyota breaks ground on new Texas HQ

Automakers are on the move in America: Cadillac is shifting from Detroit to New York, Mercedes is moving its US headquarters from New Jersey to Atlanta, and Toyota is relocating its North American operations from locations around the country to a new facility outside of Dallas in northern Texas. That process started yesterday when the Japanese automaker broke ground at the new facility. Toyota used a 2015 Tundra TRD Pro Series pickup to officially break ground at the intersection of Headquarters Drive and Palomino Crossing in Plano, TX, with the city's mayor joining Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz and a crowd of 100 dignitaries. Toyota announced the relocation back in April, and in the months since has purchased the property, hired a developer, architect and project manager, and filed preliminary plans with city hall. The site is set to be ready late in 2016 or early 2017, moving operations from California, Kentucky and New York. Other facilities like the one in Ann Arbor, MI, will not be affected by the relocation. Related Video: TOYOTA PLOWS FORWARD IN PLANO, BREAKS GROUND ON NEW HEADQUARTERS PLANO, TEXAS, JAN. 20, 2015 – A V-8 engine growls, and the earth moves. With the roar of a 2015 TRD Pro Series Tundra, Toyota today formally broke ground on its new North American headquarters at the intersection of Headquarters Drive and Palomino Crossing in Plano, Texas. The Tundra took center stage, bulldozing the first soil on the site of Toyota's new campus in a manner that can only be described as not your traditional groundbreaking ceremony. "The support and encouragement we've received from the community, civic leaders, business partners and nearby corporations has been nothing short of tremendous," said Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor North America chief executive officer. "Our goal is to build an environmentally-sustainable campus that our new neighbors will welcome and our team members and associates will be proud to call home." Toyota also unveiled an installation during the ceremony: the word "TOYOTA" in large letters, standing 10 feet tall and 64 feet wide. Inside each letter are native Texan Yaupon Holly trees, which represent "wish" trees, a Japanese cultural tradition. Students from the Plano ISD Academy High School and community participants contributed to the event by adding handwritten notes to the trees representing their wishes, dreams, hopes and inspirations.