2010 Toyota Prius Five, Black, Leather, Navigation, Hid, Camera, 21 K Miles on 2040-cars

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Toyota JPN Taxi Concept is a Japanese riff on an English classic

As far as beasts of burden go, New York City's new - and much maligned - Nissan NV200 "Taxi of Tomorrow" isn't a bad one. It's space efficient, reasonably economical, and its simple construction should mean it's pretty robust over the long haul, too. But it lacks panache and a sense of occasion - let alone a sense of humor - three things this this Toyota JPN Taxi Concept we found at the Tokyo Motor Show has in spades.
Unfortunately, that's about all the information we have on this cheeky London-taxi-inspired showcar. Toyota hasn't provided much in the way of details, other than to proclaim that the five-seat JPN was "created with Japanese hospitality in mind" and it "aims to enliven city streets." Japan's livery landscape has long been occupied by traditional three-box sedans - models like the Toyota Crown and Nissan Cedric. The JPN Taxi at just over 171 inches would appear to offer both a tighter footprint and added whimsy, both of which are in the automaker's favor; we hear it hopes this concept will one day become the country's own version of America's yellow Crown Vic cab.
Toyota isn't providing powertrain specifications, but we like the airy feeling of the interior (Japanese cabs typically don't have cumbersome partitions between cabbie and passengers), the minimalist driver area with three screens, and the widescreen overhead video system for passengers that bookends the panoramic moonroof. Check it out in our gallery of live shots and let us know what you think in Comments.

Ford F-150 could be affected by tornado-damaged supplier in S.C.

The disruption caused by a tornado that severely damaged a South Carolina auto-parts plant and killed a contract security guard last week could be felt by more automakers than just Ford and affect more than just its best-selling F-Series pickup, which is due for an update. And there’s still no estimate for when operations might resume at the plant. The Detroit Free Press reports that the BorgWarner plant in Seneca, near Greenville, makes transfer cases for F-150 and Super Duty pickups, the Ford Explorer and Expedition, Transit cargo vans, and Lincoln Navigator and Aviator SUVs. ItÂ’s also a supplier for the Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra trucks. Transfer cases shift power from the transmission to the front and rear axles in four-wheel-drive vehicles. BorgWarner says it still has no update for when it might partially or fully resume operations. The tornado that ripped through the area in the western part of the state on April 13 tore the roof, walls and signage off the factory and killed a 77-year-old contract worker when the security building he was sheltering in collapsed. Only four or five others were inside the plant, which has been idled because of the coronavirus outbreak, when the tornado struck. In an SEC filing on Friday, Ford said it has sent employees to the site to help BorgWarner and assess the damage to FordÂ’s tooling. “Initial assessments indicate that the Ford tooling was not materially damaged in this incident,” Ford said in the filing. “We do not have sufficient information to estimate when the facility will be back on-line or whether or the extent to which this incident will impact our plans to resume production of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles.” A Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman also told the Freep the company was working with BorgWarner on recovery plans. A Toyota spokesman told Autoblog that "we are collaborating with BorgWarner to help restore production for transfer cases for Tundra assembly. We are confident that theyÂ’ll fully recover over time." Like other automakers, Ford shut down production at its U.S. plants last month as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. But Ford hasnÂ’t yet said when it plans to reopen its factories. FCA is targeting May 4 to resume production. Models like the F-150 and Lincoln Navigator are major sources of profit for Ford, which estimated it lost $2 billion in the first quarter.

2015 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro

Despite the earnest efforts of Japanese automakers like Toyota and Nissan, the American pickup truck scene remains wholly dominated by the likes of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. This is not news. Part of the reason is because of the sheer number of variants offered by US automakers - everything from work-spec base trucks to house-leveling heavy duty models can be had, with a seemingly endless combination of engines, cab sizes, bed lengths and trim levels. It's a hugely profitable business, and though the Japanese automakers still offer competitive fullsize trucks, in terms of sheer volume, they simply don't compete.
But American pickups aren't just about work; there's a huge play aspect involved, too. Look at the desert-storming Ford F-150 SVT Raptor or the Ram Power Wagon - these butch trucks are built with superb off-road prowess in mind, and Detroit's Japanese rivals have once again largely been silent in this segment. Until now.
Introduced at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show, Toyota now offers the TRD Pro series of models that, in addition to the crazy-orange Tundra seen here, includes the smaller Tacoma pickup and 4Runner SUV. And this isn't just some pretty appearance package, either - there's honest-to-goodness capability baked into all of the TRD Pro models. Intriguing, for sure, so I recently spent a weekend with the big boy Tundra to see what's what.