2007 Base 4.0l Auto Purple on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Could high demand, low supply doom Toyota Mirai?

Toyota recently gave the world a behind-the-scenes look at the small-scale production of the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedan. A team of just 13 people assembles three of them per day, and the Japanese automaker is using this rigorous build process to prioritize quality for each one. Although, there's some concern about whether the Mirai could become a victim of its own, growing success. The company reportedly already has 2,000 orders for the Mirai just in Japan, and an anonymous Toyota executive tells Automotive News that the waiting list is now "two years or something" to receive one. Keep in mind, this figure is before customers elsewhere in the world have any requests in, and the US launch is planned for California this fall with sales in Europe starting this summer. The automaker is keeping North American demand somewhat in check by only planning to move 200 vehicles or fewer on the West Coast in 2015. So, unless Toyota can pick up the production pace, the waiting list seems likely only to grow longer. Automotive News speculates that the company might be in danger of Mirai customers losing interest if they are forced to build anticipation for too long. That especially could be the case with a new Prius likely to be unveiled by the end of the year that could lure folks away It seems that Toyota is trying to react to the higher-than-expected demand for its hydrogen-powered model, though. In December, the automaker invested $168 million to add two more assembly lines for the Mirai's fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank. Related Video:

Toyota bringing sextet of retro-liveried GT86s to Goodwood [w/poll]

Automakers and the teams that race their products switch liveries all the time. From time to time you might see them revive a classic color scheme from their history, like Lotus has with the JPS black and gold, or Nissan did most recently with one of the GT-R LM Nismo prototypes it's bringing to Le Mans this year. But Toyota is going a step further. At the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month, the Japanese automaker isn't just showcasing one new car with a throwback livery – it's bringing six. They're all based on the GT86 (which we know as the Scion FR-S), and each pays tribute to an iconic racing car from Toyota's history. The yellow and green one pays tribute to the Yatabe Speed Trial 2000GT from 1966. There's another decked out in white and blue in tribute to the 2000GT that Carroll Shelby showcased in the US back in '68. The red one with the black hood pays homage to Ove Andersson's rally-spec '72 Celica. Another one in red with yellow stripes harks back to the IMSA-spec Celica from the mid-80s. There's the Castrol livery from the Group A rally-spec Celica GT-Four, and finally a tigerskin-effect livery derived from the Esso Ultron scheme from Japan's own touring car championship. In addition to the special vinyl wraps and decals, each of the sports cars features throwback wheels, a stainless steel exhaust and a lowered suspension. But of course it's the livery that makes them special, and you'll want to check them all out in the extensive high-resolution image gallery above and cast your vote in the poll below. GT86 PAYS TRIBUTE TO ITS HERITAGE WITH CLASSIC TOYOTA LIVERIES Visual celebration of decades of sporting design and engineering excellence at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - Fleet of six GT86 coupes finished in one-off classic liveries celebrating great Toyota race and rally cars of the past - Classic look captured in vinyl wraps and decals plus lowered springs, stainless steel exhaust and retro-styled wheels - Cars available for public drives in the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Moving Motor Show on 25 June, then on static display supporting the GT86 Drift Experience at Goodwood's race circuit Many of the qualities that make the GT86 an exceptional modern sports car are rooted in generations of classic performance Toyotas, from its great handling to its timeless, low-slung styling.

Toyota nearing $1B settlement of unintended acceleration criminal probe

According to those all-too-nebulous "people familiar with the matter," Toyota is close to a settlement with the US federal government to end a criminal probe over its long-running unintended acceleration fiasco. Though Toyota has never admitted guilt, the deal could reportedly crest a billion dollars and would likely include a criminal deferred prosecution agreement, and while we're not legal experts, The Wall Street Journal explains that such a deal would "[force Toyota] to accept responsibility while avoiding the potentially crippling consequences of federal criminal convictions."
The report from WSJ also suggests that Toyota is facing charges that it "made false or incomplete disclosures" to various government agencies regarding possible defects to its cars. Such charges may include mail and wire fraud violations. Toyota has already paid out fines totaling $66.2 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration because it failed to report safety defects in a timely manner.
This deal with the federal government is not related to the billion-dollar class-action settlement reached with Toyota owners over falling vehicle values, and it's also different from the roughly 400 lawsuits still in courts alleging personal injury of wrongful death due to cases of unintended acceleration. In other words, don't expect to hear the end of such courtroom verdicts and settlements anytime soon...