2011 Toyota Sienna Le Mini Passenger Van 5-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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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.

Average transaction prices climb to a record $36,270 in January

The automotive sector made a hash of the numbers last month, a mess of pluses and minuses clogging the transaction-price charts according to Kelley Blue Book. The overall industry rose one percent, even though buyers bought fewer cars and light vehicles in January 2018 vs 2017 using the selling-day adjusted rate. Due to January transaction prices rising to $36,270, a record for January, the value of new vehicles sold climbed more than $1 billion compared to January 2017. KBB's transaction prices don't include customer incentives, which changes the complexion slightly; average incentive spending rose to just over ten percent. The average transaction price in December 2017 was $36,756, so January dropped a bit - nothing unexpected, with the month annually blamed for "January doldrums." More revealing is the fact that the average transaction price in January 2017 was $34,910. This year's plumped-up figure came courtesy of the continued shift to crossovers, SUVs, and light trucks, which shouldn't surprise anyone who's read an automotive blog in the past 20 years. That category comprised nearly 70 percent of new vehicle sales for the month. Some manufacturers profited more than others, though. Fiat Chrysler managed 12.8 percent fewer sales in January compared year-on-year, but the company's vehicles sold for $1,300 more. The Ford brand suffered a 6.3-percent dip in sales, but brand transaction prices increased $2,000, while a Lincoln sold for $8,700 more on average. General Motors sold more cars and sold them for more money; overall GM transaction prices rose four percent, or $1,270, while a GMC traded hands for seven-percent more than in January 2017 and a Cadillac got $2,300 more on average. Of KBB's listed automakers, the Volkswagen Group got the most of out its customers, transaction prices rising at the German automaker by 5.6 percent to $42,243 in January 2018 compared to a year earlier. American Honda followed with a 4.3-percent increase to $28,991, GM in third at 4.1 percent to $40,313. Find your next car at Autoblog using our new and used car listings or the Car Finder tool. Broken out by segment, minivans rocked the table, transaction prices leaping by 7.9 percent to $35,380 compared to January a year earlier. Luxury cars boasted the next-highest rise, at 3.6 percent to $58,533.

Kyle Busch breaks leg in big crash, will miss Daytona 500

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch suffered a compound fracture of the lower right leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left yesterday at Daytona during the 112th lap of the Alert Today Florida 300, the season-opening race of the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series. Busch came into contact with the infield wall just past the pit lane exit, an area where there is currently no SAFER barrier, which is designed to reduce the risk of injury in a crash. Fellow racer Ty Dillon, the third-place finisher in the race, expressed a common refrain following the news of Busch's injury. "I think we're to the point now in NASCAR we should have SAFER barriers at a place like this, we're going so fast. I think we could probably afford it," said Dillon. Matt Crafton will drive the No. 18 Toyota today at the Daytona 500 today as a substitute for Busch, but it's not yet clear if he will continue to drive the car following Daytona. Kurt Busch, Kyle's older brother, will also miss the Daytona 500 due to the domestic violence case against him in Delaware. Video footage of the wreck can be seen above. It goes without saying, but we wish Kyle a speedy recovery and a return to his stock car as quickly as possible.