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2015 Toyota Sienna goes overboard to promote a SpongeBob movie

Good marketing is a huge portion of making a film successful, and Toyota and Nickelodeon are going overboard to promote the upcoming SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water with this custom 2015 Sienna inspired by the cartoon character at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The exterior is decorated to look just like SpongeBob, but his maniacally smiling face on the hood and windshield might be pure, uncut nightmare fuel for a segment of the child population. The ring on the roof actually blows bubbles too, and the look gets finished off with matching blue and yellow wheels. If you get past SpongeBob's crazed expression and take a peek inside, you find even more cartoon cues. Each of the seats is upholstered to evoke the shows stars, and all of the trim has nautical inspiration as filtered through the series' animation style. The floor is a sandy beige, blue wood trim runs over the dashboard and sides and the roof has airbrushed clouds. Of course, it's hard not to miss a ship's wheel that replaces the usual steering wheel. While it's certainly bizarre, kids might dig the bright colors, while their parents check out the Sienna. The van's also going on a cross-country promotional tour to advertise the movie ahead of its February 6 release. Scroll down for all of the info about this cartoon car. Nickelodeon and Toyota Partner to Create 2015 Toyota Sienna Inspired by the SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Three-Dimensional SpongeBob Concept Car to Take Families on an All-Wheel Drive Adventure Promotional Tour Leading Up to Feature Film's Feb. 6, 2015 Premiere November 18, 2014 NEW YORK – Nov. 18, 2014 – Nickelodeon and Toyota have partnered to transform everyone's porous pal into a new 3-D concept car based on Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' upcoming film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. The SpongeBob Movie 2015 Toyota Sienna features a custom three-dimensional SpongeBob SquarePants exterior, complete with the character's Superhero Incredibubble mask that blows real bubbles at the top of the car. The interior features seating inspired by each of SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom pals, along with a wood-grain dashboard, a custom Captain's steering wheel, a blue-sky head liner and a sand-inspired floor. The one-of-a-kind vehicle will be unveiled on Nov. 18 at the LA Auto Show and will then roll out on a cross-country promotional tour leading up to The SpongeBob Movie's Feb. 6, 2015 premiere.

Toyota's fuel pump recall now covers nearly 6 million vehicles globally

Toyota expanded a worldwide fuel pump recall to a total of 5.84 million vehicles for a defect that could cause the part to fail. In the United States, the total number of vehicles involved in this safety recall is now approximately 3.34 million vehicles. On January 13, 2020, Toyota announced a safety recall for 695,541 Lexus and Toyota models. In March of 2020, the Japanese automaker added an additional 1.1 million vehicles to the previous recall. Now, the largest Japanese automaker adds another 1.52 million U.S. vehicles to the recall that was first announced in January and covers numerous models built between July 2017 through September. Here is a full list of vehicles that are now included in the expanded recall: 2013-2015 Model Year Lexus LS 460; 2013-2015 Model Year Lexus GS 350; 2014 Model Year Toyota FJ Cruiser, Lexus IS-F; 2014-2015 Model Year Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GX 460, IS 350, LX 570; 2015 Model Year Lexus NX 200t, RC 350; 2017 Model Year Lexus IS 200t, RC 200t GS 200t; 2017-2019 Model Year Toyota Highlander; Lexus GS 350; 2017-2020 Model Year Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX 350 2018-2019 Model Year Toyota 4Runner, Land Cruiser; Lexus GS 300, GX 460, IS 300, IS 350, LS 500h, LX 570, NX 300, RC 300, RC 350; 2018-2020 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra; Lexus ES 350, LC 500, LC 500h, LS 500, RX 350L 2019 Model Year Toyota Corolla Hatchback and Lexus UX 200 2019-2020 Model Year Toyota RAV4 Toyota said the vehicles that have a fuel pump that may stop operating and could result in a vehicle stall, and the vehicle may be unable to be restarted. Dealers will replace the fuel pump with an improved version. Toyota's customer support is available to owners with affected vehicles by calling the Toyota Brand Experience Center at 1 800 331-4331. Related Video: Recalls Lexus Toyota Truck Coupe Crossover SUV Sedan

Toyota bids farewell to FJ Cruiser with Ultimate Edition at SEMA

Happy trails, to you... As we reported back in August, the FJ Cruiser is headed to the great automotive graveyard in the sky, and Toyota is offering a fitting eulogy in the form of the 2014 Trail Teams Ultimate Edition, which was just unveiled here at the 2013 SEMA Show.
Unlike many special edition models, the Ultimate FJ Cruiser earns its name with a host of parts from Toyota Racing Development, starting with TRD Bilstein race shocks that Toyota says improve damping, articulation and high-speed stability. The front shocks measure 66 millimeters and feature TRD race coil springs, with geometry that improves the approach angle; the 50mm rear units are equipped with remote reservoirs to diminish damping fade.
A new one-quarter-inch thick aluminum TRD front skid plate offers protection for the underbody bits, and the outfit is completed with a BF Goodrich A/T KO tires on 16-inch bead lock wheels, rock rails and a roof rack. Check out the high-res image gallery above and the press release below for all the rest of the details.