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Jonas wreaks havoc on auto industry

Many folks along the East Coast are still stuck at home from Winter Storm Jonas' brutal snowfall over the weekend, but the blizzard had some nasty temporary effects on the auto industry, too. Winter weather emergencies kept people from leaving the house, and that spelled trouble for factories and dealers. The terrible conditions in Washington, DC, even prevented the the Washington Auto Show from opening. General Motors, Toyota, and BMW had to close factories due to the weather. BMW cited concerns for its workers driving to the plant for canceling some Friday and Saturday shifts in Spartanburg, SC, according to Automotive News. Toyota closed its Georgetown, KY, factory on Friday, and GM shut down the second shift at its Bowling Green, KY, site for that day, too. Showrooms in the blizzard's path saw a massive drop in sales over the weekend because the customers weren't coming. Some affected dealers are now trying to make the best of a bad situation by offering potential buyers even deeper discounts to get them through the door, according to Automotive News. The piles of snow also mean hours of work for employees to clean off all the cars on the lot. The good news is that none of these issues should pose longterm problems. Weather reports don't show much snow for the East Coast in the coming days, which should allow the industry quickly to return to normal.

Toyota Mirai offers promising tech, unfortunate looks

Is there some rule that all cutting-edge, ultra-efficient or emissions-free vehicles need to look, uh, weird? No? Then would anyone care to explain the Toyota Mirai, a vehicle that for all it's hugely, wildly promising technology, will forever be pigeonholed based on its odd styling? Looks aside, the Mirai represents a big gamble for Toyota, which isn't only selling a hydrogen-powered car – a risky venture in itself – but teaming up with Air Liquide to build 12 hydrogen filling stations across the northeast. And once that's done, it plans on leasing the $57,000 sedans for just $499 month, a figure that includes free hydrogen (there is a reason for that, though). Like we said, this is a big gamble. Of course, we still can't get over its looks, which you can more closely analyze in our live gallery, available above. Have a glance. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED, AND IT'S CALLED MIRAI President Akio Toyoda announces name of fuel cell sedan in web video CEO Jim Lentz announces expansion of Toyota fuel cell infrastructure investment to five-state Northeastern corridor NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., (Nov. 16, 2014) – Akio Toyoda has seen the future, and it's called "Mirai." That's the name of Toyota's new fuel cell vehicle, which the company's president announced in a video released the night before the car's official launch. Mirai, which means "future" in Japanese, represents a turning point for the automotive industry. The groundbreaking vehicle can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes and emits only water vapor. Expanded Support for New Hydrogen Stations Of course, the car of the future won't become a reality without the hydrogen stations to support it. That's why Toyota North America chief executive officer (CEO) Jim Lentz announced a new commitment to drive the development of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure in five northeastern U.S. states. To support Mirai's introduction to the region in 2016, Toyota is collaborating with Air Liquide to develop and supply a phased network of 12 state-of-the-art hydrogen stations targeted for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The states and locations have been strategically selected in the greater New York and Boston areas to provide the backbone of a hydrogen highway for the Northeast corridor.

Scion's would-be savior C-HR spied before its Toyota rebadging

Scion is dead, but one of its future products, the C-HR concept, is still in development for launch as a Toyota. Toyota does a thorough job of hiding the C-HR's rakish shape on these test cars, but we can spot the concept's design cues. For example, the pointed nose and narrow headlights are present, and the giant box on the roof can't hide the downward arch for the coupe-like rear. The back doors on these examples look larger than before, which suggests a switch to a traditional five-door body rather than the hidden rear openings on the concept. The change would offer easier access to the backseat and make the C-HR a better competitor in the segment against vehicles like the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, and Jeep Renegade. The C-HR debuted as a boldly styled three-door crossover at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Toyota later restyled the CUV with a more angular shape and extra doors. We most recently saw the compact crossover with Scion branding at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. Rumors suggest the production model's debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, and it could arrive at dealers in the latter half of 2016. The powertrain lineup likely consists of a four-cylinder engine with a CVT and possibly a hybrid version, too. You'll also get to see the C-HR on the track because Toyota will race the crossover in the 2016 Nurburgring 24 Hours. Related Video: