Toyota Tacoma Sr5 4x4 Extended Cab 2.7 L No Reserve on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota plans $126M expansion of MI R&D facility

Toyota has just announced that it will be investing $126 million to expand its operations in and around Ann Arbor, MI. The move will add around 85 jobs. In addition to expanding its Ann Arbor powertrain research and development facility (shown above), Toyota will also establish a new facility for vehicle development at its York Township facility. The move will allow the company to centralize its operations, "increasing their scope, responsibility and decision-making ability," Toyota said in a statement. "Centralizing our vehicle development and powertrain functions here in Michigan is beneficial for our decision-making process and allows us to better respond to changes in the marketplace while improving the speed at which we can offer technology advances to customers," says Ed Mantey, the senior VP at the Toyota Tech Center. This is Toyota's second investment in the Ann Arbor area in barely a year, as it made a $28 million investment late in 2013. Scroll down for the official press release from Toyota. More Toyota in the Motor City Toyota Technical Center to consolidate development operations December 18, 2014 Ann Arbor, Mich. (Dec. 18, 2014) – Toyota announced today that it is planning another expansion of its Southeast Michigan R&D campuses. This marks the third time in just over a year that Toyota has announced plans to increase employment and investment in Michigan. Today's announcement features a total investment of $126 million for the expansion of Toyota's powertrain operations at its Ann Arbor campus and the consolidation of vehicle development operations at a new facility on its York Township campus. Both vehicle development and powertrain functions will become centralized in Michigan, increasing their scope, responsibility and decision-making ability while providing improved communication and access to the company's direct procurement division. Approximately 85 jobs will relocate to Michigan from California by the end of 2016 as a part of the move. In late 2013, Toyota announced a $28 million expansion of its Ann Arbor operations and earlier this year announced the addition of 250 direct procurement and supplier engineering development positions currently based in Erlanger, Ky. "The Technical Center continues to be a vital part of our growing North American operations that enables Toyota to package greater value for our customers," said Ed Mantey, senior vice president at the Toyota Technical Center.

How to fix a $4,000 hybrid battery problem with vinegar and baking soda

This is one of those 'Don't try this at home if you don't know what you're doing' DIY tales. Two weeks after imgur user "scoodidabop" bought a used Toyota Camry Hybrid with no warranty, he got the Christmas Tree dash display with warnings like "Check VSC System," "Check Hybrid System," and the Check Engine light. After some Internet sleuthing he figured it could be a faulty brake actuator, assuming the hybrid system warning was a false alarm. But it wasn't the actuator, it was the battery, a Toyota dealer telling him that his battery had "gone bad," and he'd need $4,457 to replace it. Then he had a brainstorm: it could be one of the cells that's gone bad, not the whole battery. Scoodidabop has some experience as an electrician, so he figured he could test it and replace any bad cells for about $45 apiece. He removed the battery unit from the trunk and over the course of two hours tested all 68 cells four times. He found nothing wrong. So he devised another type of test and checked every cell again. He couldn't find a problem with any of them. Turns out the problem wasn't in the cells, but with the dirty and corroded copper connectors at the ends of the high-voltage cables. He pulled the 34 connectors and their steel nuts, soaked them in vinegar, gave them a light steel wool scrub, soaked them in baking soda and water to counteract the vinegar, applied an anticorrosive and reinstalled them. That took an hour. When he replaced the battery, the warning lights had all gone out and the battery worked perfectly. Skill level: experience. Cost: less than $10. Perhaps it's time for hybrids to be able to test their own cells individually. Dealers, too.

Toyota announces new, more efficient powertrains for 60 percent of its vehicles by 2021

In the face of increasingly strict standards on fuel economy and CO2 emissions, Toyota announced today that it's introducing a new hybrid system, a new 2.5-liter direct-injection inline four-cylinder engine, and two new transmissions – an eight- and a 10-speed. The development of all of these components will be based around the Toyota New Global Architecture, or TNGA. Development of the systems has moved forward and the new powertrains will find their way into vehicles starting next year. TNGA, like Mazda's Skyactiv technology, is a complete design philosophy that focuses on more than just a clean or efficient engine. The first vehicle to deploy the TNGA platform was the current, fourth-generation Prius. With TNGA, Toyota focused on improving handling, ride, and braking performance. The new powertrains are meant to compliment this new platform by being both engaging to drive and fuel efficient. Since TNGA can be adapted for front-, rear-, or all-wheel-drive layouts, it's capable of underpinning a number of potential products. Toyota is arguably the leader in hybrid technology, and taking lessons learned in the development of the current Prius, the automaker has developed the new Toyota Hybrid System II, or THS-II, for rear-wheel-drive applications. Performance has improved versus the outgoing model, and Toyota says efficiency, especially at high speeds, has been improved. In addition, the system's use in plug-in vehicles has been improved. For the first time, the electric motor will be able to provide direct driving power, whereas before it simply acted as a generator. The new, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder, like the THS-II, has been designed around the TNGA platform. Most notably, the thermal efficiency of the engine has been improved. This means a higher output and improved exhaust and cooling. The new engine, which works in both traditional and hybrid applications, will proliferate through the Toyota and Lexus lineup. Toyota's two new automatic transmissions, like the new engines, are based on the TNGA system. That means a lighter and more compact design relative to similar transmissions. The 10-speed is intended for rear-wheel-drive Lexus products like the GS and LS. The tuning has been adjusted to improve response and smooth out shifts, though it's impossible to say how much it's been improved without getting behind the wheel.