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2013 Toyota RAV4 earns 'poor' rating in IIHS small overlap crash test [w/video]

When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested a batch of SUVs in its small overlap frontal crash test earlier this year, it held off on putting the Toyota RAV4 in the blender because the new, 2013 model was due to arrive shortly after the test. The new crossover might be better than it was before, but it could still only manage a rating of "Poor" in the test that has been a bugbear for a number of manufacturers.
Among other issues, the IIHS noted that the steering column moved seven inches to the right causing the crash test dummy to practically miss the airbag, the dummy's left foot was trapped in deformed sheetmetal and the dummy's head hit the instrument panel.
The 2013 RAV4 earned the Top Safety Pick rating by scoring well in the Institute's four other tests. A good score in this particular test would have earned it the Top Safety Pick+ rating that is so far only claimed by the 2014 Subaru Forester and 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in the SUV category. There's a press release below with more details and a video of the test.

Toyota goofs again in latest Mirai fuel cell ad

In the "gotcha" culture engendered by social media and viral campaigns, it looks like Toyota got, well, got. The Japanese automaker is starting a campaign for its Mirai fuel-cell vehicle, and included a line about the fact that the car "breathes in air." Of course, all light-duty vehicles do that, as Jalopnik's Opposite Lock happily pointed out. Jalopnik added that even electric vehicles have an air intake for their heat exchangers. Oops. It looks like Toyota doesn't think this message is wrong, since the image is still up on the company's Google+ page. The Mirai can still lay claim to something that may impress the layman in that it emits only water vapor from its tailpipe. It's a pitch Toyota started making to Americans last November when the company said it would start Mirai sales this year in California. Toyota's charging an MSRP of $57,500 for those looking to buy the car outright or a three-year lease rate of $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing) for those to want to lease the car. Toyota also said in January that it would ramp up Mirai production to about 2,000 vehicles in 2016 from about 700 this year, as it expands distribution into Europe and the US. In the US, refueling the hydrogen will be free. Just like the chemistry lesson from Opposite Lock. Related Videos:

Could high demand, low supply doom Toyota Mirai?

Toyota recently gave the world a behind-the-scenes look at the small-scale production of the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedan. A team of just 13 people assembles three of them per day, and the Japanese automaker is using this rigorous build process to prioritize quality for each one. Although, there's some concern about whether the Mirai could become a victim of its own, growing success. The company reportedly already has 2,000 orders for the Mirai just in Japan, and an anonymous Toyota executive tells Automotive News that the waiting list is now "two years or something" to receive one. Keep in mind, this figure is before customers elsewhere in the world have any requests in, and the US launch is planned for California this fall with sales in Europe starting this summer. The automaker is keeping North American demand somewhat in check by only planning to move 200 vehicles or fewer on the West Coast in 2015. So, unless Toyota can pick up the production pace, the waiting list seems likely only to grow longer. Automotive News speculates that the company might be in danger of Mirai customers losing interest if they are forced to build anticipation for too long. That especially could be the case with a new Prius likely to be unveiled by the end of the year that could lure folks away It seems that Toyota is trying to react to the higher-than-expected demand for its hydrogen-powered model, though. In December, the automaker invested $168 million to add two more assembly lines for the Mirai's fuel cell stack and hydrogen tank. Related Video: