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10% of Toyota China dealers may drop due to losses

News about the auto industry in China is usually positive thanks to booming sales and an ever-increasing number of factories across the country. But in some cases, it appears that the dealers with the job of actually selling all of those vehicles are having trouble finding buyers. The result is cars piling up on lots and showrooms resisting against automakers. Japanese automakers already face a tough road to success in China, but the FAW-Toyota joint venture is especially struggling this year. According to Bloomberg, as many as 10 percent of the dealers might have to close or stop selling the brand because they just can't make money selling the vehicles on their lots. Also, 95 percent of the showrooms are reportedly losing money. The issue facing FAW-Toyota sellers is mostly a case of supply and demand. Automakers in China mandate the number and types of vehicles that dealers sell. However, the inventory from all makes is at its highest level since August 2013, according to Bloomberg. The situation leaves dealers with packed lots, and cars often require discounts to move. Making matters harder is that showrooms have annual sales targets, which are linked to bonuses. This money can account for over half of the sellers' annual profits, according to Bloomberg. The FAW-Toyota dealers are pushing back by asking Toyota for 2.2 billion yuan ($355 million) to pay for costs associated with the extra inventory. It also lowered sales targets by six percent earlier this year and has requested no increase in the numbers for 2015. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Nelson Ching / Bloomberg via Getty Images Earnings/Financials Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers

The 11 best scenes from the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed

Over the last three days, the Goodwood Estate has played home to the eponymous Festival of Speed. Thrown by the biggest gearhead in the British aristocracy – Charles Gordon-Lennox, the Earl of March and Kinrara – the Festival of Speed is essentially a tremendous, gasoline-fuelled party, complete with a very large lawn sculpture, that features the world's hottest, weirdest, fastest, and loudest race, production, and historic models. While there are quite literally dozens and dozens of videos from the event – not to mention the full-day replays (of which only day one is available, at present) – we've sifted through them to pluck away the very best. There's stuff from the official Goodwood YouTube channel, as well as several videos from automakers and other third-party channels, and it's all available below. 2015 Ford Mustang GT350R Looks Barely Controllable If you thought the highest-performance Ford Mustang would somehow get more tractable or civilized once it moved to an independent rear suspension, this video shows you have nothing to worry about. Watch as an unnamed driver wrestles the new Shelby GT350R and its flat-plane, 5.2-liter V8 up the hillclimb circuit. Even with the new suspension and sticky tires, this Mustang wants to go any direction but straight, especially following its launch. 2016 Ford Focus RS, Is Very Loud, Blue Ken Block makes his first appearance on our list. Before he steps into his Hoonicorn Mustang, though, the Gymkhana expert tackled the hill in the all-new Focus RS. The vicious bellow of the 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder is the star of this commentary-free video, although the gorgeous Nitrous Blue paint job is a nice accompaniment, as well. 1965 Ford Mustang Hoonicorn Runs Hill, Nearly Kills Lord March Mr. Block's two runs behind the wheel of the Hoonicorn were, unsurprisingly, very eventful. While one attempt goes off without a hitch, seeing the American rally driver slip and slide his way to the top of the hill while taking a short break for a donut, the other is slightly more dramatic. Block, along with Lord March in the passenger seat, carries a bit too aggressive an angle into a turn and nearly puts the NASCAR-powered Mustang into the hay bales. Check out the first video above, and the second one below. Kimi Raikkonen Makes Us Miss F1's V8 Era The latest Formula One cars have been maligned for the lackluster noise produced by the new 1.6-liter, turbocharged V6.

Toyota blends Jeep and McLaren F1 in playful concept

Auto shows aren't the only place where Toyota showcases its concepts. It also cooks up something new every year for the Tokyo Toy Show. This year it's the Camatte Hajime, and it's the sixth iteration in a line of youthful concepts following the Camatte Sora, Daichi, 57s, and 57s Sports we've seen in recent years. It blends the best elements from a Jeep Wrangler and a McLaren F1. Okay, so it's more like a Jeep, but it does have the McLaren's signature central driving position and two passenger seats offset just behind. It's also a fair bit smaller than anything Jeep makes, and packs an electric motor of unspecified capacity. Fortunately it'll be switched off while on display at the Tokyo Big Sight during the toy show, so kids can get in and stomp on the pedals all they want. (Stomp in a polite and respectable Japanese fashion, anyway.) Families can have their picture taken inside the open cockpit, then customize the vehicle on tablets to create their own unique memento, while checking out other versions including an ambulance, police car, fire truck and hod dog truck. Childhood Vehicle Playsets Meet the Information Age at the Tokyo Toy Show Tokyo, Japan, June 17, 2015-Ever wonder how you would look racing to rescue a cat from a tree in a purple fire truck? Or cruising around town in a hot pink hot-dog truck? Now you can see for yourself through Camatte Vision, an all-new interactive experience from Toyota for families, debuting at this year's International Tokyo Toy Show. Camatte Vision is the latest way to experience Toyota's Camatte line of exploratory concepts seeking to break the traditional boundaries of the way children play and tinker with vehicles. The aim is to let kids and their parents share the child-like wonder and excitement of cars and trucks. Blazing fast hot rods, life-saving ambulances, hearty construction crane trucks, and many more are available in a rainbow of colors. Through an innovative augmented reality tablet app, see how you and your family would look in a virtually limitless combination of vehicle types and colors. Of course, the fun doesn't end in the virtual world: the latest physical manifestation of the Camatte family, the Hajime, will be on display for families to explore hands-on. Toyota's booth at the International Tokyo Toy Show How Camatte Vision works - Hop into the Camatte Hajime and take a photo of you and your family.