2006 Toyota Solara Se Coupe 2-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota offering $4.2 billion in stock to fund Mirai, new hybrids

Toyota president Akio Toyoda told a group of investors that the hydrogen fuel-cell Mirai is the car for the next century. To help pay for it, Toyota is courting investors who aren't only after short-term capital gains but want to help the company long term. It will offer up to 500 billion yen ($4.2 billion US) worth of special shares in Japan that cost 20-percent more than common stock and that can't be sold for five years. The upshot is that the shares will pay a higher dividend, still have voting rights, and they can be converted to common stock or sold back to Toyota at the issue price. The investors won't lose money. Called "Model AA" shares in honor of the company's first passenger car, the sale would help Toyota hold onto capital while it works on the next - expensive - developments. The sale would be broken up into tranches, with 50 million potentially on offer this year after the annual shareholder's meeting. Successive sales would take place no more than once a year. The initial dividend is set at 0.5 percent and capped at 2.5 percent, which even at its lowest rate would beat that of a standard deposit account in a Japanese bank. At the moment, sales are only planned for Japan. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai: LA 2014 View 19 Photos News Source: Bloomberg Earnings/Financials Green Toyota Hydrogen Cars Sedan toyota mirai stocks investing

Toyota and Subaru file patents for performance FR-S and BRZ

People have longed for a more powerful version of the Subaru BRZ, Scion FR-S, and Toyota GT86 since the triplets arrived on the market. So far, neither partner in the deal has launched a model to fully satiate that hunger. However, the Japanese patent office recently approved documents from Toyota for the design of a vehicle that looks just like the Subaru STI Performance Concept (pictured above). According to AutoGuide, the filing also gives Fuji Heavy Industries credit for the design. The STI Performance Concept debuted at this year's New York Auto Show as an early step in STI's attempt to expand its reach here. The BRZ-derived coupe featured a body with a ground-scraping front bumper, tweaked headlights, wider fenders, a massive rear wing, and diffuser with a center-exit exhaust. All of these elements also show up on the patent renderings. The concept was just as exciting under the hood because STI installed a 2.0-liter, turbocharged boxer four-cylinder from its GT300 racer, and upgrades for the chassis, suspension, and brakes came from the Japanese market's BRZ tS. While the coupe made hearts race, the company was clear it didn't necessarily plan to build the model. Patent filings aren't a guarantee for production, and even if this one does arrive in showrooms, it might not come to the US. That's because Subaru and Toyota have a history of creating Japan-exclusive versions like the tS or Style Cb. That being said, spy shots have revealed a camouflaged GT86 testing in Europe, and rumors indicate more power from the engine. Subie's boss has even confirmed the existence of a partnership to create a next-gen model. Related Video:

Toyota asking NHTSA for fuel cell car safety exemption regarding electric shocks

Toyota is requesting an exemption from federal safety regulations that govern electric cars as it prepares to launch a small-scale hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle fleet.
The Japanese automaker is targeting Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 305, which covers the packaging of high-voltage parts in electric cars. According to Uncle Sam, these systems need to be isolated so that passengers and first responders aren't electrocuted in the event of a crash. That seems pretty smart, but it's become a problem for Toyota's upcoming production fuel cell vehicle, as the mechanism that prevents electric shocks in low-speed crashes will apparently simply keep Toyota's car from even functioning.
Instead of the federally approved system, Bloomberg reports that Toyota plans to insulate the high-voltage wires and cables in the car, along with shielding electrical components like the fuel cells, electric motor and batteries with (presumably non-conductive) metal barriers.