2011 Toyota Rav4 on 2040-cars

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Toyota, Lexus to build more CUVs to meet surging demand

What was the biggest takeaway from the auto industry's 2014? Besides the fact that recalls are now a sad and mostly unremarkable part of a vehicle's life, it's that you can't be a competitive, mainstream brand in the US without a really strong line of crossovers, SUVs or pickups. We saw evidence of this as recently as Monday, when Hyundai unveiled its HCD-15 Santa Cruz Concept, and now we're seeing it again with Toyota. The company already has a comprehensive lineup of both mainstream and luxury CUVs and SUVs, although surging demand – sales were up 16 percent last year, Bloomberg reports – has led the company to increase its production tempo at the plants responsible for the RAV4 and Lexus RX. "The freeze is still in place until the end of March of 2016," Toyota's Jim Lentz told Bloomberg during this week's Detroit Auto Show, referencing the production bump at the Japanese and Canadian factories responsible for the models. "That hasn't changed. All indications are that it will lift, but right now it has not lifted." The increased sales are even spurring the brand to consider additional CUVs, including a compact that would slot in below the RAV4, Lentz told the business publication. Such a move would give Toyota a player in an increasingly competitive and important segment. In 2014 alone, mainstream brands, including Honda, Mazda, Chevrolet and Jeep, have announced brand new products destined for the compact CUV market. "We're going to have to look at how the market under RAV4 develops," Lentz told Bloomberg. "There's no question that it's going to. That's going to be the next growth spurt." Related Video:

Toyota Supra ready for its retrospective video closeup

Our friends at XCAR have taken the time to train their lenses on the iconic Toyota Supra. With Toyota finally back into the performance car game, it seems only logical to remember one of the brand's most legendary sports cars. While we're all busy ladling praise onto the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins, it's important to remember that Toyota used to produce all manner of fun-to-drive machinery. The Supra once sat at the top of that list, its most recent iteration giving buyers the option of a ludicrous forced-induction inline six, gorgeous styling and plenty of presence.
Of course, the legend didn't stop once the Supra fell off American order sheets in 1998. Always an aftermarket darling, the Supra has gone on to become a tuner favorite in nearly every corner of grassroots motorsport. From drag racing to road racing and everywhere in between, the Supra is remains a force to be reckoned with nearly 15 years after it last prowled the US auto market. You can catch the tribute from XCAR below.

Canada names former Toyota exec as new car czar

The governments of the Canada and the province of Ontario have jointly named a new car czar to advise them on how to attract more business from the automotive industry. Automotive News reports that the new role will fall to Ray Tanguay (pictured above at center), an Ontario native who used to head Toyota's Canadian operations and currently chairs the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council. In announcing the appointment, the Canadian federal minister of industry and the Ontario provincial economic minister highlighted the roles played by their governments in bailing out General Motors and Chrysler during the financial crisis, and their country's place in the North American automotive industry. The announcement was made against the backdrop of a shifting industry, however, which has been growing in the southern United States and in Mexico, but has been shrinking by contrast in Canada. With the Canadian dollar and labor costs both rising, automakers have been closing and downsizing their plants in the country. AN points out that the only new plant built in Canada in the past two decades was the Toyota facility in Woodstock, Ontario – which Tanguay spearheaded. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Rogelio V. Solis/AP Government/Legal Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing Toyota car czar