Toyota (31)
The 2017 Toyota 86 will turn more heads than ever with the new 860 Special Edition that adds stand-out styling, premium features and performance technology.
“The 86 is recognized by enthusiasts for its impressive driving performance and its value-oriented price tag,” said John Myers, Toyota national manager vehicle marketing and communications. “The 860 Special Edition will amplify these core elements with an added dose of premium styling mixed with performance technology.”
On the outside, the 860 Special Edition will command attention with its exclusive Supernova Orange paint that is contrasted by its black body stripes, rear spoiler, heated outside mirrors and 17-inch alloy wheels. Topping it off, the special edition gets LED fog lights and a unique aerodynamic underbody panel for added style and function. The special edition will also be available in Halo White, and only 860 units of each color will be made.
50 years is a rare birthday for a car make to reach … Only a select few have done it; but the Toyota Corolla has now joined that group.
Toyota has sold a ton of these things over the years (technically, it’s the best-selling car of all time with over 43 million sold), and it’s gone through many changes through the years, but the nameplate persists, and strongly too.
To put the model’s popularity in perspective: Once you get past the pickup sales, the Corolla only trails Toyota’s Camry and Honda’s Civic in overall U.S. sales … that’s impressive.
I recently drove a Corolla and I’m back to let you all know whether the car measures up to all the hype it’s been creating for the past five decades.
Toyota has long been a leader in the areas of hybrid vehicles and pushing fuel mileage to new heights. While the Prius is their most well-known offering in this arena, it’s worth noting that there are others to consider -- including the hybrid version of their top-selling Camry sedan, which isn’t quite the fuel mileage champ as a Prius is, but excels in other ways to make up for it.
GETS YOU MOVING
The Camry hybrid features a 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder engine; plus an electric motor. This provides you with 200 horsepower. The vehicle is front-wheel drive and the transmission is a CVT.
That translates to a bit of a surprise -- a much more enjoyable ride than you’ll get in a Prius or many other hybrids. You don’t hit the gas and wonder, “When it this thing going to get moving?” or worry about holding up traffic. You actually can get around pretty well and not even realize it’s a hybrid most of the time. What's interesting is that this Camry hybrid actually performs better than the standard 4-cylinder engine on the non-hybrid Camry.
It comes at a bit of a fuel economy cost, you lose at least 10 mpg off the 50+ mpg Prius, but 40 mpg is a realistic goal here and that’s not too bad. Official numbers on the Camry hybrid are 40 city/37 highway/38 combined, but I was able to top that during my testing. Using the Eco and EV modes will help boost your fuel mileage, but limit the fun of the drive at the same time.
Toyota has reported November 2016 sales of 197,645 units, an increase of 4.3 percent from November 2015 on a volume basis. With two more selling days in November 2016 compared than November 2015, sales were down 4.1 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis.
Toyota Division posted November sales of 168,595 units, up 5.3 percent on a volume basis and down 3.2 on a DSR basis.
“We expect to see the industry set a new sales record for November,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. “All-time best-ever Highlander sales combined with November best-ever RAV4 volume extends the Toyota Division’s 2016 streak of consecutive light truck sales records to 11 months.”
The 2017 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro showed off its off-road prowess at the 2016 Texas Auto Writers Association’s (TAWA) Texas Truck Rodeo, winning the Mid-size Pickup Truck of Texas award.
After two days of demanding on and off-road driving at Longhorn River Ranch in Dripping Springs, Texas, journalists voted for their favorite pickup trucks, SUVs and CUVs in multiple categories. This year, more than 70 media members attended the event to test drive 82 vehicles from the world’s top truck and SUV manufacturers.
“As America’s best-selling mid-size pickup for ten years running, the recognition as Mid-size Pickup Truck of Texas confirms our vision of producing a truck that can tackle any off-road challenge,” said Mike Sweers, Tacoma chief engineer. “Toyota’s commitment to the new Tacoma TRD Pro was focused on meeting the needs of adventure-seekers where roads fear to tread, and we have proven that today.”
Polarizing. ... Not for everyone. ... Divisive.
All those words could describe the Toyota Prius, which is wrapping up its second decade of existence on this planet. At the time it debuted (the late 1990s) it was an anomaly and grabbed headlines -- “wow, a hybrid! I wonder if that will catch on”-- but today nearly every automaker has many hybrids and/or electric vehicles in the works or already on the road, so in 2016, is the Prius still the rock star of the hybrid world that it used to be?
I recently spent time in a 2016 Prius Four Touring, and I’m back with my thoughts on the vehicle.
The best-selling car in America for 14 consecutive years is on another streak that recognizes its American symbolism: another award from Cars.com for most American-made. For the second year in a row and sixth time overall, the Toyota Camry claims the top position on Cars.com’s American-Made Index.
The Cars.com American-Made Index rates vehicles built and bought in the U.S. Factors include the percentage of parts considered domestic under federal regulations, whether the car is assembled in the U.S. and U.S. sales. Models with a domestic parts content rating below 75 percent are disqualified along with models built exclusively outside the U.S. or models soon to be discontinued without a U.S.-built successor. According to NHTSA, the U.S.-sold domestic content for Camry is 75 percent.
Last October, the world celebrated the 30th anniversary of the beloved “Back to the Future” movie franchise. Toyota joined in the fun by unveiling a re-imagined version of Marty McFly’s dream truck, in the form of a new Toyota Tacoma, adorned in vintage aftermarket accessories.
This movie-inspired Tacoma will appear at Motor City Comic Con, May 13-15, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The “Back to the Future” theme will be bolstered by the scheduled appearance of actress Lea Thompson, who played various incarnations of Lorraine McFly in all of the franchise’s films.
At the 2016 New York International Auto Show, Toyota unveiled the new Prius Prime, an ultra-efficient model with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
The Prius Prime’s manufacturer-estimated 120 or above MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) is expected to be the highest MPGe rating of any Plug-in Hybrid.* It also represents a substantial 26-percent enhancement over its predecessor, a result of greater battery capacity and an improved hybrid system.
In hybrid mode, the Prius Prime is targeting a hybrid MPG equal to or better than the Prius liftback.
The 2017 Prius Prime combines an electrifying design with an even more capable electric powertrain than the previous-generation Prius Plug-in Hybrid. The Prius Prime is expected to offer an estimated two times the electric range of the previous model -- 22 miles – meeting the daily commuter distance of over half of U.S. drivers, and drive at speeds up to 84 mph without leaving EV mode.
Toyota’s one of the world’s biggest automakers, but not all of its models are headline-grabbers. We hear lots about the Camry, Prius, Corolla, even the Highlander -- but the name Avalon isn’t often uttered.
For those of you who may not know, the Avalon is Toyota’s full-size sedan offering -- debuting over 20 years ago in the early 1990s and still kicking to this today. This segment has been diminished in stature in recent years with the rise of SUVs as the primary family vehicle choice, but the Avalon has persevered.
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Even with relatively lower gas prices recently, people still like to keep their money in their pockets and out of the hands of oil barons, so compact cars will always be popular to some extent unless gas suddenly becomes free.
That’s where vehicles like the Toyota Corolla come into play. They’re bigger than tiny rides like a smart car or those baby Scions that look like golf carts, but still smaller than the midsize vehicle that dominate the market (think Camry, Fusion, Accord). It’s a sweet spot for many car buyers who want some room but don’t need a lot, and the under-$20K pricetags are enticing.
In the world of hybrids, one of Toyota’s own -- the Prius, with its 50 mpg rating -- is the ruling king. But with its futuristic look both outside and in its tech setup, there are some customers turned off by the Prius.
That’s where alternatives -- like the Toyota Camry hybrid -- come into play; boasting strong fuel economy but in a less otherworldly package. In essence, slapping the hybrid package into what is otherwise a traditional car, to the point where it’s not even that obvious that it’s a hybrid. I recently drove a 2015 Camry hybrid and I’m back with a full report of what it offers and how it compares to the rest of the hybrid market.
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