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Toyota close to unveiling 4th-generation Prius hybrid

The timing isn't perfect, but Toyota is getting close to rolling out the next generation of its Prius gas-electric hybrid car. Low gas prices have depressed sales of hybrids, with Prius sales falling 14 percent in the first five months of this year. The US government expects gasoline to average $2.44 a gallon this year, compared with $3.36 a gallon in 2014. North American CEO Jim Lentz said Thursday that the new Prius will get better gas mileage than the old one and is better looking. He cautioned that reports of a 15-percent improvement in fuel economy are probably too high. The current Prius gets an estimated 50 mpg in combined city and highway driving. He also said the new version has a lower center of gravity for better handling. Lentz said Toyota, the market leader in hybrid sales, will continue to develop new hybrids even though sales of alternative-fuel cars as a segment are down about 15 percent for the year. "With lower fuel prices, it's having an impact on the entire segment," he said. "But long term, it's still the player. We've seen these rises and falls in fuel prices in the past. " Lentz wouldn't say exactly when the fourth-generation car will debut. The Prius was last revamped six years ago in 2009. Lentz made his remarks Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a $126 million expansion of its technical center on two campuses near Ann Arbor, MI. The moves will bring about 335 jobs to the area from other Toyota locations. The AP contributed to this report.

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.

Automakers score 8 out of top 20 most-watched ads on YouTube [w/videos]

Who would have ever thought there'd be a day where people are able to skip television commercials only to go to websites to watch them later? Such is the joy of a DVR and YouTube. AdWeek tabulated the 20 most-watched ads on YouTube, and found that nine were car-related including eight coming from automakers.
Volkswagen continued its Star Wars theme with two ads in the top 20, including the highest-ranking car commercial The Bark Side spot at number three with almost 18 million views, which doesn't even have a single car in it. Some of our favorites are from Chrysler with Clint Eastwood in It's Halftime in America and House Arrest with Charlie Sheen for the Fiat 500 Abarth. Chevrolet, Honda, Audi and Toyota were the other automakers in the top 20, but we'd be remiss if we didn't at least mention one of the coolest ads on the list, the Hot Wheels corkscrew jump.
Of all the car videos, only the Fiat ad wasn't played during a Super Bowl. Check out all eight videos - in order - after the jump. Nike took the top spot with its My Time is Now ad that has been seen online more than 20 million times with Pepsi's Uncle Drew posted up in the runner-up; some of the other videos include four Old Spice commercials and an ad in which Snoop Dogg is pedaling Hot Pockets.