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Subaru, Toyota refute reports of BRZ, 86 demise

After news broke of an anticipated Japanese report telling that the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins were not long for this world, both carmakers have denied the cars' successors have been canceled. Carscoops reports that both Toyota and Subaru have stated they are developing next-generation cars. As a Subaru USA spokesman told Carscoops: "We do not endorse this report coming from Japan's Best Car. ... We are moving ahead with a next-generation Subaru BRZ, but have no further details at this time." The website also reported a similar statement from Toyota. With the models getting long in the tooth and no test mules having been spied, doubts are not unwarranted — remember just how long Toyota teased the fifth generation Supra before its 2019 debut. More information is not yet available, or whether the two brands will still collaborate to bring the new-generation coupes to the market, but for Toyobaru fans this might be grounds to breathe a sigh of relief. That would also mean, that if the hinted MR-2 revival is based on solid ground, there will be a full "Three Brothers" Toyota sports car portfolio for sale in the next decade. With the Supra offered also as a four-cylinder in Japan, it will be interesting to see if Toyota will retain the 86's current, slight power advantage over the Supra's 197-horsepower variant or respect the status of the bigger brother. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

New autonomous testing ground in Michigan will help battle bad weather

If one of the big weaknesses of autonomous vehicles is their ability to navigate in the snow, consider this a trial by fire. The American Center for Mobility says it has opened its $110 million driverless car testing facility on the site of a former General Motors assembly plant in Michigan, with Toyota and auto supplier Visteon the first to begin testing this week. The ACM proving ground is a 500-acre site at historic Willow Run in Ypsilanti Township, near Ann Arbor. It's one of 10 sites designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as pilot proving ground sites to test AV technologies. It features a variety of simulated environments to test driverless cars, including a 2.5-mile highway loop, two double overpasses, intersections, roundabouts and a 700-foot curved tunnel. It also opens just as the region experiences a series of snowstorms and the first frigid temperatures of the season. That ability to test autonomous vehicles in a wide variety of weather conditions is important, as autonomous vehicle sensors have struggled to handle cold, wet and snowy conditions. Google parent Alphabet in October said its Waymo division was expanding its winter testing operations to Michigan, making it the sixth state where it's testing its driverless car systems. In a Medium blog post, Waymo CEO John Krafcik wrote that "This type of testing will give us the opportunity to assess the way our sensors perform in wet, cold conditions. And it will also build on the advanced driving skills we've developed over the last eight years by teaching our cars how to handle things like skidding on icy, unplowed roads." Waymo also opened a development center in suburban Detroit in 2016, working with Fiat Chrysler to integrate its autonomous technology into Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivans. Visteon began testing and validating its DriveCore autonomous driving platform to evaluate algorithms, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology and other systems. Toyota used the facility Wednesday to begin orientation and driver training. ACM has so far secured $110 million to construct the first two phases from founders Ford, Hyundai America Technical Center, Toyota and Visteon, and says it expects to announce more investment soon.

Toyota makes $100M investment to boost Indiana Highlander production

Toyota has announced that it will be making a $100 million investment in its Princeton, IN factory in a bid to increase production of its popular Highlander CUV. The move will create 300 new jobs by 2016 and increase the total number of crossovers the plant can produce by 30,000.
Toyota currently builds the Highlander, alongside the fullsize Sequoia, at Toyota Indiana's West Plant. The additional capacity, though, will be sent to the East Plant, which is currently responsible for production of the recently refreshed Sienna minivan.
"The Highlander has been a great product for our plant," Toyota Indiana President Norm Bafunno said in a statement. "Establishing Highlander as the 'bridge vehicle,' as we call it, between the East and West plants increases our ability to meet customer needs for our outstanding products. This exciting news is a true testament to the capability of our hard-working and dedicated team members."