FIA using Toyota technology to improve F1 & IRL safety
Usually the high-tech world of Formula One is the first to benefit from advanced safety and performance features before the technology eventually filters down into regular road going cars. But with Toyota’s Total Human Model Safety THUMS computer simulation system, it was regular production cars that were first to gain from the technology. Toyota has been using its THUMS simulation to help design safer production vehicles for years. The system is a virtual representation of the human body that can...

Spy Shots: 2010 Toyota iQ minicar
Hoping to share in the success of the growing minicar segment, Toyota is planning to release a production version of its iQ concept car as early as 2009 with the future model destined for both the Japanese and European markets. These are the first spy images of a prototype of the future minicar, which will go up against rivals like the Smart ForTwo and upcoming Volkswagen up!. The car measures less than three meters in length, yet it can comfortably seat three adults plus one small child. Officials are...

Toyota denies claims Japan government funded Prius development
Reports emerged this week claiming the Japanese government helped fund the development of the first generation Toyota Prius more than ten years ago. Toyota has since denied all claims, which were originated from a recent interview with Chrysler exec Jim Press who was working for Toyota at the time the Prius was first developed. During an interview with Business Week, Press referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and its auto industry. The source quoted Press as stating...

Toyota establishes $100m U.S. research facility
Toyota today announced the establishment of a new North American research facility located in Ann Arbour, Michigan, which will spearhead research on advanced areas including powertrain technologies, energy systems, and partnerships with government and academia. The carmaker plans to spend $100 million during the next four years, no doubt to speed up development of technologies to reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency in light of stricter regulations set to roll in over the next decade. The...

Toyota Night View features pedestrian detection
The Japanese-market-only Toyota Crown Hybrid first debuted as a concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, and was revealed as a production model in April of this year. Now the luxury hybrid sedan is getting a cutting-edge pedestrian detection system for its Night View night vision computer. The previous model displayed the night vision information in a heads-up display format directly on the windshield. The new Night View system employs an LCD screen instrument panel that can display gauges in both...

Toyota Prius sales top 1 million units worldwide
Toyota has managed to rack up one million sales of its petrol-electric hybrid since the car first went on sale in Japan back in December 1997. At the end of April, Toyota said it had sold 1,028,000 Prius models with 100,000 finding a home in anti-hybrid Europe. Only last year Toyota’s combined hybrid sales including its Lexus models reached the million vehicle mark, so it just goes to show how much the Prius dominates the carmaker’s hybrid tally. Toyota is well poised to take advantage of increasing...

Toyota replacing pickups and SUVs with Camrys
It’s not only American carmakers seeing dwindling sales of pickup truck and SUV models. Industry leader Toyota is also seeing its inventories pile up and has responded by cutting production at its Princeton plant in Indiana. Inside sources have now revealed that Toyota could use the under-utilized capacity to build more Camry sedans, the third top selling vehicle in the U.S. last month behind the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The Camry is currently produced at two sites in the U.S., at Toyota’s...

Toyota replacing pickups and SUVs with Camrys
It’s not only American carmakers seeing dwindling sales of pickup truck and SUV models. Industry leader Toyota is also seeing its inventories pile up and has responded by cutting production at its Princeton plant in Indiana. Inside sources have now revealed that Toyota could use the under-utilized capacity to build more Camry sedans, the third top selling vehicle in the U.S. last month behind the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The Camry is currently produced at two sites in the U.S., at Toyota’s...

Toyota reveals 360 degree airbag protection
Carmakers are already mandated by safety groups to design vehicle exteriors that minimize damage to pedestrians upon impact, but Toyota’s new 360 degree airbag protection system takes pedestrian and occupant safety to the next level. Responding to increasing calls from both pedestrian and cycling groups for external airbags to be mounted on cars, Toyota has designed a new prototype safety system that features wraparound airbags at the top of the bonnet and front bumper as well as a blanket airbag...

Toyota shopping mall opens in Japan
In what may lead to a new trend among carmakers, the cash-rich ones at least, Toyota has opened a new shopping mall aimed at selling and promoting its cars. The new site is located in Yokohama, Japan, and features the usual assortment of restaurants and specialty stores you would find in any shopping mall. One key difference, however, is the display vehicles and dealers that litter the mall’s corridors. The mall is completely owned and operated by Toyota and only opened its doors last week. The move...