Yaris: Not really cool or good looking for that matter. Factory photography: the cure for uncool. Toyota has released a couple of new colors for the Yaris Liftbacks - Yellow Jolt and Carmine Red Metallic. An ochreous or insect-derived hue doesn't instantly remove the Joe Camel nose or the S version's tacked on bodykit, but there's something sharp about the accessorized penalty box that Toyota's showing off here. The Yaris sedan gets a couple of more subdued colors - Zephyr Blue Metallic and Blue Streak Metallic. Of course, new colors don't make the Yaris any better, but we must grudgingly admit that while it doesn't stir our souls, it's a decent lob over the plate. Though the price can get uncomfortably close to $20,000 (yikes!). Take a look at the gallery below, which also includes shots of the new five-door hatch model in faux sporty S trim. Indeed, the Yaris has never looked better, and likely never will.
Toyota is not used to seeing its profit margins drop, as the Japanese auto giant has enjoyed increased profit for nine straight years. Expect that run to end this year, though, as Toyota is discovering that it is not immune to the downturn of the American auto market. For the year, Toyota has revised its sales forecast from 9.06 million units to an estimated 8.74 million. For the first quarter of the year that ended in June, Toyota has also announced that its operating profit took a 39% plunge from lower sales in both the United States and Europe, the increased value of the Yen and higher cost of raw materials. Oh, and then there's the pesky problems of leases. Still, Toyota sales remain fairly strong in this sinking market and a profit is a profit. We'd imagine that this is a problem any one of the Detroit 3 would love to have on its hands.
Due to a miserable U.S. car market, Detroit automakers are losing billions from lower than expected residuals on leased vehicles. Since the residuals on Motown metal are traditionally below that of the Japanese competition, many industry insiders thought that Toyotas in this country world were immune to the trend. It appears that's not the case. Toyota announced it had to "set aside major reserves for its first quarter to cover losses from vehicle leases in the U.S."
The problem is predictably bad with trucks and SUVs, but other products aren't selling off lease as well as they have in the past. With residuals dropping, used cars are dirt cheap. That gives prospective buyers an affordable alternative to buying a new car. That's bad news for Toyota, but it may even be worse news for everyone else.
Toyota has been making money and gaining market share during these tough times, but even the automotive juggernaut is struggling in today's difficult economic conditions. Including Lexus, Toyota's Daily Sales Rate is down for seven straight months versus prior year numbers, with July missing the mark by 18.7%. This news proves that even Toyota has its share of problems, but what it really shows is that Chrysler may have been on to something when it stopped offering leases.
Toyota has revealed the 2009 RAV4, and while the changes to its smallest CUV are modest, they are worth noting. Foremost is a refreshening of the exterior with a new grille, front bumper and restyled rear. New wheels, mirrors and fender flares round out upgrades. A new Sport Appearance Package is also available on the top level 4WD V6 RAV4 that gets a unique rear door with no spare tire and a set of run-flat tires. The SAP also gets you color-keyed exterior molding, extra interior upgrades and a new rear spoiler.
Toyota has also found a way to both increase the size and power of the RAV4's base four-cylinder engine while also squeezing out a bit better fuel economy. At an estimated 22 city and 28 highway, the new front-wheel-drive base model scores one mile per gallon higher than the '08 edition. The enlarged 2.5-liter four cylinder engine produces 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 13 horses and 7 lb-ft over the previous 2.4-liter. We have to wonder though why Toyota placed a brand new automatic tranny in the '09 RAV4 with only four ratios from which to choose.
The optional 3.5-liter V6 soldiers on unchanged and offers EPA fuel mileage ratings of 19 city/27 highway for front-wheel drive models and 19 city/26 highway on models equipped with four-wheel drive. The six is mated to a standard, and again unaltered, five speed auto. Pricing for the base RAV4 remains the same at $21,500 while the rest of the range gets price increases and a 4WD RAV4 LTD V6 will start at $27,810.
Last month, Toyota announced that its Yaris five-door hatchback would finally make its U.S. debut in 2009. Perfect timing, as escalating gas prices are making small cars like the Yaris increasingly popular; especially when they can be had for a song... which brings us to the real news here. The '09 Yaris five-door will begin at just $13,305 for the base model, with the upper-level S model coming in at $15,125. Also new for '09 are standard anti-lock brakes, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, driver and front passenger front side airbags, and front and rear side curtain airbags. Fuel mileage remains a strong point, with 29 mpg city and 35 mpg highway when equipped with an automatic transmission and 29 city, 36 highway with the manual transmission models. Now, if only Toyota could find a way to move the gauges in front of the driver where they should be, we'd be all set.
Sinking sales at its Lexus luxury division have prompted Toyota to lay off some 800 workers at a Japanese plant where certain Lexus models are assembled. All 800 workers were temporary hires provided by an outside agency, and Toyota claims that at least 500 of the temps will be brought back at some point in the future. It seems that Toyota, along with other Japanese automakers, are increasingly using these temporary workers so that they can more easily adjust their payroll to changing market conditions. This tactic has drawn the ire of many in Japan, a country where loyalty is seen as extremely important. In total, Toyota's daily sales rate dropped by 18% last month while Lexus saw an even larger 25% fall, by far the largest of all the major Japanese brands.
Hybrid vehicles have the potential to save a few bucks at the pump, but advocates for the blind have continued to warn about their potential to harm to the seeing impaired. Lotus' automotive consultancy arm is trying to avert the risk of hybrids quietly running in electric mode with its "Safe and Sound" demo car.
This specially equipped Toyota Prius has been fitted a waterproof speaker mounted above the radiator that can emit a sound similar to a flat-six or V8, based off the vehicle's speed and throttle position. Once the internal combustion engine kicks in, the system is muted, allowing the 1.5-liter inline four to sing its siren song.
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Taste: some have it, some don't. Case in point this Toyota Camry spotted in Dubai where the burgeoning middle class apparently wants to roll just like their oil-funded upper class but lack the money to secure a Rolls-Royce or Bentley. While we've reluctantly grown accustomed to customers opting for the gold-tone bright-wear instead of the standard chrome detailing – especially on cars like the Camry – this owner actually had the badges, grilles, side mirrors and wheels plated in 24k gold. Seriously.
If this somehow strikes you as a good idea, it can be yours for only 135,000 Dollars. Thankfully those are Arab Emirate Dollars, worth about $37 grand in American greenbacks. But please, if you're even thinking about it, contact us first and let us convince you of all the better ways you could spend $37k on a new car that won't instantly lose half its value the minute you take a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood.
My older brother Brian drives a Scion xD. He's 39 years old, and probably considered anything but cool by 18-24 year-old standards. He bought his little xD because he was tired of filling up his AWD 2001 Chevy Astro conversion van, and he's gone from getting 12 mpg to about 30. While that's a big-time win for Scion sales, the brand's marketing arm has to cringe. Scion was built to be Toyota's youth-oriented brand, with cars that would finally bring younger buyers into the Toyota showroom. The early days of Scion were a boon, with 80% of Scion buyers having never shopped Toyota before. Young people were clamoring for the xB and tC, and 100-200k online shoppers flocked to the Scion site each month.
Only a year after the redesign of the xB and xD, the Scion site is seeing less than half the traffic. Overall, year over year sales fell for 17 strait months until March, when gas prices skyrocketed. Even then, sales were back down by June, which was the peak of high fuel prices. The problems began to surface when the redesigned Scions were little more than larger versions of their former selves. A larger xB became more attractive to the mother of two, while losing some of the edginess that made it a smash hit with teens and early-20-somethings.
Scion's leadership would like to turn the tide by creating a fourth member of the Scion family that exudes cool for under $20k. It could be an SUV or a hybrid, but Scion execs want it to be free from the grasps of the parent company. The current models also have to be refocused to once again attract the coveted 18-30 crowd. That's a tall order, and a lot of work for a brand that's only five years old.
Toyota's bid to completely take over the world with robots is getting ever closer to fruition. Its latest endeavor is intended to place mankind on moving platforms -- very Segway-esque. Coming in Small, Medium and Large sizes, Toyota's Winglet places its riders in a standing position, likely to dissuade notions of the future portrayed in Pixar's recent Wall-E movie in which humans spent their time in more relaxed positions. Powered by an electric motor, the Winglet's two wheels are closely monitored by on-board sensors that constantly adjust the movements of the machine to keep everything upright. At just 6 kilometers per hour it ain't very vest and can't go too far with its 5-10 kilometer range, but it makes up for these issues by taking just one hour to charge. Testing is currently underway, with human trials expected to begin this Autumn in Japan. Presumably after that there'll be a version with handle bar-mounted guns that's able to round up humans in a pen.
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