Toyota Launches New FT-86 App for Apple iPhone and iPod Users

It seems that there's an APP for just about everything these days – even for a car that hasn't been introduced in its final form yet. We're talking about the very, very long-awaited Toyota FT-86 rear-wheel drive sports coupe.

We should see the FT-86 making its grand debut alongside its sister Subaru model, the BRZ, at the Tokyo Motor Show in Japan this December, but until then, Toyota has introduced a new dedicated app for users of the Apple iPhone and iPod devices.

From what we understand, users will be able to place a digital rendering of the FT-86 on videos and photos they have shot on the streets – or something along those lines.

Here’s what Toyota says:

Let’s shoot the images of FT-86 driving around the world and post them to “FT-86 World Report” with this APP! FT-86 is now driving around you! Please shoot cool images and keep on posting! Your image will be introduced as a “report” in the program on the interactive movie web site, “FT-86 World Report”. "

The "FT-86 World Report" app is available for free through the Apple iTunes store

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Toyota's Airs New "It's Ready. Are You?" Campaign for the 2012 Camry

After a first round of internet spots that coincided with the unveiling of the new 2012 Camry sedan, Toyota is ready for the official launch of its marketing campaign named "It's Ready. Are You?", which was created by the firm's advertising agency of choice, Saatchi & Saatchi LA.

Toyota's new campaign focuses on the performance, safety, fuel economy and technological aspects of the seventh generation of the Camry, highlighting key product features and packaging such as the Entune infotainment system.
The Japanese automaker said that it plans to air six spots on TV while also having significant presence in print outlets, outdoor boards and digital media. The company will also tout the Camry next year with two spots in the all-important Super Bowl and the Toyota Halftime Report.

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New Toyota Prius C: Leaked Brochure Reveals Standalone Small Hybrid Hatch

We got our first taste of the next member to join Toyota's growing family of Prius models with the Prius C concept study that made its debut alongside the Prius V minivan at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year.

But today, thanks to a tip from a Carscoop reader in Japan who goes by the nickname "i-Ryuji", we can show you the actual production version of the Prius C through a plethora of scanned images from a leaked brochure.

With a big stretch of imagination, you might see the resemblance between the concept study and the production variant of the Prius C that evolves the design language of the regular Prius liftback.

The interior styling is a bit funkier with a center-mounted dashboard and at least in Japan, the ability to customize the look of the cabin with different upholstery and colored trim accents.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the Japanese language is not our forte, but in one of the spec sheets, it appears that Toyota compares the Prius C with several rivals in Japan including the Mazda2 13-Skyactive.

On the same page, the first column (with the G, S and L trim designations) includes the basic specifications of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Prius C.

The smallest member of the Prius family measures 3,995mm (157.3-in.) long, 1,695mm (66.7-in.) wide, and 1,445mm (56.9-in.) tall, and has a wheelbase length of 2,550mm (100.4-in.). This means it's barely bigger than the latest Yaris (153.5" long, 66.7" wide, 59.4" tall, with a 98.8" wheelbase).

The brochure also tells us that power will come from a hybrid unit that combines a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine delivering 74HP at 4,800 rpm and 111Nm (81.9 lb-ft) of torque at 4,800 rpm, and an electric motor producing up to 61-horses and 169Nm (125 lb-ft) with a CVT. The hybrid system's combined output (in JDM tune) is rated at 100HP.

Toyota estimates that the front-wheel drive hybrid will return a fuel consumption of 35.4 km/lt (equal to 83.3 mpg US or 2.8lt/100km) on the Japanese JC08 driving cycle and up to 40 km /lt (94 mpg US or 2.5lt/100 km) on the 10.15 mode driving cycle.

We would like to stress that the above fuel efficiency numbers should not be used for direct comparison as the Japanese driving cycles differ from the U.S. and European combined measurements. For example, in Japan, Toyota says that the regular Prius returns up to 38 km/lt, which is equal to 89.4mpg and 2.6lt/100km, while the U.S. model is rated at 50mpg combined.

So, when and where will we see the new Prius C making its debut? The JDM model will receive its world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show in December while Toyota recently revealed that the North American debut would take place in Detroit in January of 2012.

During the U.S. media presentation of the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid in California in mid-September, Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager, Bob Carter, mentioned the new Prius C in his speech:

"The Prius v will be followed by the Prius Plug-in next March, and the Prius c will follow in the Spring," said Carter. "The Prius c will offer expressive styling in a city-friendly vehicle that we believe will be the most fuel efficient hybrid without a plug in the U.S. While we showed you a “c Concept” at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, we will be debuting the production Prius c for the first time in Detroit this coming January."

And there you have it. Scroll down to check out the brochure pictures and share your thoughts in the comments section below.

photo-gv admin

 

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Toyota Returns to Le Mans with Hybrid LMP1 Racer

Seems like the Nürburgring record for an electric vehicle set last August was just the beginning of Toyota’s electric charge into the world of motorsports.
The company's racing division, Toyota Motorsport, announced today that it will enter the 2012 World Endurance Championship which, for the first time, is organized both by FIA and ACO, the club that runs the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and the Intercontinental Le Mans Series.
The Japanese company will develop a brand-new, gasoline-electric hybrid racer that will compete in the top LMP1 class. The chassis will be built byToyota Motorsport in its Cologne, Germany headquarters, which previously served as its Formula 1 base, while the hybrid powertrain will be engineered in Japan.





Toyota’s head of motorsport activities, Tadashi Yamashima, commented: “We have competed in Le Mans before, but by using our hybrid technology, our participation in 2012 will be completely new. We want to make history in the Le Mans 24 Hours, as well as in the FIA World Endurance Championship, through the use of our hybrid technology.”
In order to do so, Toyota’s hybrid racer will have to upstage current winner Audi as well asPeugeot, both of which compete in the LMP1 class.
The Japanese automaker hopes that its new assault on Le Mans will yield better results than its last attempt in the late ‘90s with the GT One that was fast but not fast enough to score a win.

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Japanese Carmakers' Production Back on Track, But it May not be Enough

For the first time after the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami, Japanese automakers have returned to their normal production levels. In fact, they are superseding last year’s numbers in an effort to make up for the lost time.

Toyota and Nissan, Japan’s two biggest car manufacturers are leading the pack, reporting increased production for the first time since March, with Mazda, Suzuki, Honda, Subaru and Mitsubishi following their lead.



Yet there are still issues that hamper their efforts. One of them is the continuing shortage of certain parts, such as microchips, with the companies trying to find alternate sources of supply, mostly overseas, overturning a decades-old tradition.
Even the so-called "just-in-time" model, which was introduced by Toyota in the 1950s and has since been copied by almost everyone, may change in the near future as car manufacturers are trying to create parts inventories so as to prevent the 2011 catastrophic results.
Honda’s global purchasing boss, Masaya Yamashita, says: “In order to supply carmakers, I think Tier 1 suppliers are really struggling to make deliveries to us all. The parts are reaching us. But the inventory is still pretty tight.”
The solution, according to Yamashita, is to have "at least two Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers".
As reported, Toyota is the first to make sure that it won’t face the same problem again. The firm's executive vice president for global production, Shinicki Sasaki, said: “We have instructed them to have a plan that allows them to go back to normal operations within two weeks of a major disaster”.
Therefore, even though production is back to normal in Japan’s domestic factories, depleted inventories in big markets, such as the US, will take more time to build up again – and in the meantime, will continue to limit their sales.
Story Sources: Autonews

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Court Dismisses First Sudden Acceleration Case Against Toyota Over Technicality

The sudden acceleration issue is still troubling Toyota, which has already paid $50 million in fines and recalled almost 8 million vehicles in the US alone in 2009 and 2010. The Japanese carmaker still has to face the lawsuits brought about by citizens and their families affected by the issue which, according to estimates, could cost the company as much as $10 billion.
However, the first sudden acceleration lawsuit lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge who ruled that it should have been filed in Utah instead of California. The case is about Paul Van Alfen and passenger Charlene Lloyd, who were killed in 2010 when a 2008 Camry driven by Van Alfen hit a wall in Utah.





The judge ruled that the warranty claim didn’t meet the required $50,000 USD threshold for damages as the plaintiffs couldn’t count potential personal injury or punitive damages in this case.
“Plaintiffs are unable to reach the jurisdictional threshold of $50,000 in damages,” said U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna. “The case is dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.”
“We are pleased this jurisdictional issue has been resolved and that the court agrees withToyota that the proper forum for this case is the Utah state court”, said the company's spokeswoman Celeste Migliore.



The dismissal due to the lack of jurisdiction does not mean it's the end of the case. Mark Robinson, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said: “I am drafting a new complaint right now in which the dealer will not be named as a defendant and everything will be cured and the suit will go forward seeking punitive damages and everything else.”
Story References: Bloomberg

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2012 Toyota Avensis Facelift Uncovered at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Following a sneak preview of the updated Avensis, today Toyota went ahead and officially revealed its Opel Insignia-rival at the Frankfurt Motor Show . The facelift brings cosmetic changes both on the outside and the cabin.

While overall dimensions remain the same as the previous model, the mid-size sedan and the estate (Tourer) version benefit from a fresh face with a redesigned grille that has a chrome upper “lip” and new, narrower headlights that incorporate daytime running lights. At the rear, both body styles gain redesigned tail lamps.



The sedan also sports a new rear bumper design with a center guard and a chrome trim for the license plate, while depending on the trim level, the Avensis is offered with 16-inch steel or 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels. .
In the interior, the dashboard has received some minor tweaks to improve the ease of use of the center console switchgear, while the instruments have white instead of red backlighting. The cabin also gains new upholstery and higher quality trim on parts frequently touched by the driver or passengers, like the door grips, the switchgear and the center console.





Another addition to the 2012 Avensis is the new multimedia system, which is offered in three versions: Touch, Touch and Go and Touch and Go Plus. All versions have a 6.1-inch touch-screen, Bluetooth connectivity, rear-view parking camera, automatic phone book access, audio streaming and vehicle settings display as standard, with features like full map navigation, speed warning, SMS messaging, 3D landmarks, e-mail and an 11-speaker audio system added to the two other versions, depending on specifications and market.





The outgoing model had already received a five-star rating in the EuroNCAP tests. Now Toyotais introducing a longer list of active and passive safety systems in order to offer even better protection. Chief among them is the optional Pre-Crash safety system that uses a radar sensor to scan the road and warn the driver of potential hazards. When the driver brakes, it activates the seatbelt pretensioners and provide added braking power. If it detects that a collision is imminent, it will automatically apply full force braking in order to reduce the severity of the accident.
Other options include an adaptive cruise control and a lane departure warning system, while systems like ABS with EBD and Electronic Stability and Traction Control are standard.
In the powertrain department, Toyota has improved the 124HP 2.0-liter D-4D diesel engine by fitting it with a new turbocharger and modifying the combustion chamber. As a result, average consumption is lower and CO2 emissions reduced by 15%, from 139 to 119 g/km.

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Toyota Design Boss Says "Pump That Up," But the Company's Ads Say, "It’s a Car"

As we reported earlier this week, raffish-haired Akihiro Dezi Nagaya, Toyota’s global design chief, plans to implement a more aggressive design theme for the brand. “We have eliminated emotion. We need to pump that up” he said in an interview at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

Changing Toyota’s “quiet and non-offensive” image won’t be easy. Nagaya will be faced with challenges both from within Toyota, a company known for consensus-driven conservatism, and with the brand's consumer base. Nagaya recognizes thatCamry buyers, for example, “don't want something too aggressive.”
There’s no question about that. My quietly moderate in-laws have driven Camrys for decades. I can firmly assure you, aggressive styling is not what they’re after.
But Nagaya goes on to say, “[the model] has the responsibility of being the highlight of the lineup.” Looking at the 2012 Camry, it’s clear the Camry Conundrum (to coin a phrase) has yet to be addressed.
As for the future, I think one of our readers, Jackson L., hit the nail on the head when he commented that conservatism has served Toyota well, suggesting they continue to apply it selectively (i.e. to the Camry) while dedicating the more aggressive styling to their sport models.
One model that will more readily reflect Nagaya’s vision is the new Yaris. The video below shows Dezi himself singing its praises while sexing it up in skinny jeans. Alas, as we’ve come to expect from Toyota, there’s an element of sad irony to the story.
As Nagaya attempts to move Toyota away from “having too friendly an image while lacking emotion” Toyota advertisers have begun feverishly promoting, you guessed it: a too friendly image completely lacking emotion.
After watching Dezi cooing over the Yaris’ lines, take a peek at Michael Showalter’s straight-faced pitch for the same model: It’s a Car… with wheels that go forward… and backward…

By Michael Denhardt

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