Report: Toyota to halve Japanese production

The global downturn in car sales is a familiar topic these days, and even the production juggernaut of Toyota is facing unseen declines in demand for its products. To help realign output with that demand, the carmaker recently announced plans to shut down all 12 of its Japanese plants for a total of 11 days in February and March. Latest reports indicate that the carmaker will also build just half the number of vehicles it produced the previous year in Japan for the months of February, March and April.

Toyota confirms 2012 U.S. launch for electric vehicles

Toyota used last week’s Detroit Auto Show to unveil its new FT-EV concept, a compact urban runabout based on the iQ minicar and powered by an all-electric drivetrain. The carmaker also used the Detroit event to announce plans to launch an urban commuter ‘battery-electric vehicle’ (BEV) by 2012 in the United States. While it’s safe to assume the new electric vehicle will be similar in shape and size to the FT-EV concept, Toyota’s national alternative-fuel vehicle manager in the U.S., Bill Reinert, has revealed to Automotive News that the carmaker is still determining what platform and what model will be battery powered.

Toyota founder’s grandson will replace CEO by June

Following Toyota’s shock announcement recently that the company is expecting to post a ¥150 billion ($1.7 billion) loss for the year ending March 2009, comes an official announcement that Akio Toyoda, the 52 year-old grandson of Toyota's founder Kiichiro Toyoda, will step into the role of CEO in June. Toyoda will replace current chief Katsuaki Watanabe, who will step down to the more advisory role of vice chairman. Toyoda will be the first member of the family in 14 years to become the company's chief.

Toyota confirms iQ under consideration for U.S.

Toyota’s new iQ minicar is set to go on sale in Japan and most parts of Europe very soon, but there are now indications from one of the carmaker’s top officials that the diminutive hatch could make its way to the United States. There has been plenty of speculation that the iQ could be sold in the U.S., including a recent report claiming that it could be badged as a Scion. Then in October, Toyota’s small car projects chief, Soichiro Okudaira, confirmed that a U.S. launch of the iQ was under consideration.

Toyota may sell current Prius alongside third-gen model

Within days of unveiling of the Insight Hybrid concept vehicle at last year’s Paris Motor Show, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui boasted that the production version would arrive on the market at a price around the ¥2 million ($18,864) mark. This was the first sign that Honda was planning to aggressively tackle its main rival Toyota and its Prius, which currently lists for $21,500. At the Detroit Auto Show last week, Toyota unveiled a bigger, more powerful, better equipped, and most importantly, more fuel-efficient, third-generation Prius, and although pricing details are yet to be revealed the new 2010 model will most likely be more expensive than the outgoing one.
2009 Honda Insight Hybrid

Toyota to build more cars in North America than Chrysler

Toyota's North American car output will surpass Chrysler's for the first time during the first quarter of 2009. The two companies' downward trajectories will soon cross, leaving Toyota as the third largest domestic producer behind Ford and General Motors. Both Chrysler and Toyota are sharply cutting back their production, so it's a story of relative gain rather than absolute. Nevertheless, by building a planned 280,500 cars in Q1 2009, Toyota will outstrip Chrysler by over 20,000 units, reports Automotive News. Those figures amount to a 31.8% decrease for Toyota and an even more dramatic 50.6% decrease for Chrysler.

Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids averaging 65mpg in initial testing

Major carmakers are rushing to develop a new generation of plug-in hybrid vehicles including industry giants Toyota and GM, which hope to have the technology ready for sale by the end of the decade. GM appears to have the lead at the moment, forming a partnership with LG Chem to develop and manufacture long life lithium-ion batteries for its upcoming Chevrolet Volt. Toyota, meanwhile, has been relatively secretive about its plug-in hybrid advancement but has now revealed some details about its progress.

Toyota forecasts $4.95 billion loss

Toyota has forecast its first operating loss in 71 years, citing falling demand and an appreciating yen as the key factors leading to its poor performance. Despite predicting late last year that its loss would only amount to ¥150 billion ($1.7 billion) in the year through March, the carmaker has now forecast an annual loss three times greater than this. The world's largest carmaker now says its first annual operating loss in seven decades will be ¥450 billion ($4.95 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31.

2010 Lexus RX350 / RX450h - Second Drive

More than 10 years ago, Lexus created the RX300, a luxury SUV built on a Camry platform. In doing so, the automaker demonstrated to the world that an SUV needn’t spring from a body-on-frame truck and helped bring the word “crossover” into the lexicon. The world responded by buying the smooth-riding Lexus RX at a staggering pace, encouraging automakers everywhere to rush their own car-based luxury sport-utes to market.

In our case, the RX came across mostly as a snore. The handling could have been better, and sportiness was absent; the RX had the flavor of buttered noodles, reminding us of another Lexus, the dull ES sedan. Nevertheless, we had to admit the RX was refined, easy to live with, and seemingly engineered to relax the driver in a way that escapes most crossover utility vehicles.

The third generation of the RX arrives at dealers as you read this, and although Lexus has declined to turn it into a sports car, the final product will continue to appeal to current owners and may win over customers interested in downsizing their sport-utes.

Keep Reading: 2010 Lexus RX350 / RX450h - Second Drive

2009 Lexus ES350 - Review

Introduction

Based on the already-soothing Toyota Camry, the ES350 is Lexus’s most sedate offering. The styling is anonymous—a Camry with the zip removed—and inside it is pure, unpretentious comfort. Even ordering an ES350 is a calming matter: there’s only one engine choice, only one transmission, only one drivetrain orientation (front-wheel drive)—just one single model upon which to pile options.

The ES starts just above $35,000, some $3000 more than the Lexus IS, which offers a much different, sportier driving experience. The ES’s ride is creamy, the interior spacious and comfortable, and there is absolutely zilch to entice the enthusiast. People who enjoy quickness will appreciate the 272-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 and the 6.2-second 0-to-60-mph time, but hard sprints are the last thing this mush-machine is about.

Verdict

It’s one of the most Zen-like driving experiences on the road, but the ES350 won’t raise your pulse one beat, making it hard for the car to make friends here atC/D. Additionally, $35,000 is a high price for what is essentially a Camry, and a fully loaded ES350 can reach almost $50,000, or roughly double the price of a Camry with leather. If what you are looking for is the ultimate in affordable motorized road-rage suppression, it would be hard to do any better, but watch the options list.

Keep Reading: 2009 Lexus ES350 - Review

2010 Toyota Tundra Work Truck, Platinum Edition, and 4.6-liter V-8 - Auto Shows

Toyota has done a lot to make the Tundra competitive and appealing to America’s fiercely loyal full-size pickup buyers, from giving it humongous dimensions and big-rig styling to installing a stompin’ 381-hp 5.7-liter V-8. But has it done enough? Evidently not. At the 2009 Chicago auto show, two new trim levels and a new, populist-grade V-8 made their debut for the 2010 model year.

Two New Trims

At the low end of the Tundra range is a utilitarian Work Truck package that deletes many standard Tundra comfort features such as keyless entry, power side mirrors, cruise control, cloth upholstery, silver dash trim, and various gauges and courtesy lights. On the outside, the Tundra Work Truck will include a black grille surround and bumpers instead of chrome. The Work Truck will be priced $550 to $655 less than the base 2010 Tundra, although the pricing has not yet been finalized.

Keep Reading: 2010 Toyota Tundra Work Truck, Platinum Edition, and 4.6-liter V-8 - Auto Shows