Lexus LF-A achieving top speeds of over 218 mph, production model to look very different

The Lexus LF-A has been long considered a competitor to the company’s Japanese-rival - the Nissan GT-R. Well, if AutoExpress is to be believed, the LF-A will leave the Nissan GT-R in the dust in terms of speed and price.

Sources close to Lexus say that the engineers were not at all happy about the LF-A’s top speed of 199 mph. After some revisions, tuning and testing, the 550-hp 4.8L V10 engine is reportedly allowing the LF-A to achieve a top speed of over 218 mph. Yes, that’s faster than the Nissan GT-R, putting the LF-A in the Ferrari Enzo and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 category.

Sources say that the actual production model will look very different from the prototypes seen at the Nurburgring. Basically we’re in for a surprise.

Production will be limited to 500 units with some units getting a sports package version with a wider bodykit similar to the one on the race version that raced in the 24-Hour Nurburgring. Pricing is expected to come in around £140,000 ($223,820 USD) to £190,000 ($303,756 USD). The production model will debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show in Oct.

Toyota looking to boost 2010 Prius production

Toyota said today that it is considering revving up production of its 2010 Prius to meet better-than-expected demand, a move similar to the one Honda made when it launched its 2010 Insight hybrid in February.

“We are considering steps to increase production to meet demand,” Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said.

While this is good news for treehuggers or those that hate the Honda Insight, the news is a sigh of relief for workers involved with manufacturing Toyota vehicles. Toyota was among the first Japanese automakers to halt production earlier this year as demand was hit by the global financial crisis.

Toyota has confirmed that it has received over 80,000 orders for the 2010 Prius, which it rolled out earlier this month. The Japanese automaker declined to comment on reports that the number had jumped to 110,000.

The 2010 Toyota Prius is on sale no with prices starting at $21,750.

Lexus HS 250h luxury hybrid (First drive)

(Credit: Lexus)

When we first saw the Lexus' new luxury hybrid, it was being revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Recently we were given an opportunity to preview Lexus' new HS 250h, a vehicle that the automaker is calling the world's first luxury dedicated hybrid. It also calls the HS an economy luxury car, which to us seems a bit of an oxymoron.

As I approached the vehicle, my first thought was, "Oh my, they've Lexus-ified and hybridized a Corolla! This is going to be a disaster." I couldn't have been more wrong.

True, the HS 250h looks like your run of the mill boring Toyota/Lexus econobox, but under the rather plain skin is a rather exceptional vehicle, particularly when it comes to cabin tech.

The floating center console lifts the controls up to be easily reached.

(Credit: Lexus)

The HS 250h's dash is an ergonomic dream. Its floating center console lifts the climate and audio controls up to where they can be accessed without reaching. The flip up navigation screen is moved up to the top of the dash, where it can be viewed out of our periphery without taking our eyes off of the road.

At the bottom of the console, Lexus' new remote touch controller falls naturally into the drivers' hand. A sort of joystick-trackball hybrid, the remote touch controller uses a control stick that is moved with your fingertip to select options from the HS' icon-based interface. Movements are 1:1 with where the pointer is on screen, so there's never any issue with losing cursor. Haptic force feedback notifies the user through touch when an option has been selected, which assists in navigation without taking eyes off of the road for too long.

Lexus HS 250h - World’s First Hybrid-Only Luxury Vehicle

With the introduction of the world’s first hybrid-only luxury car, the 2010 HS 250h, Lexus brings the promise of sustainable luxury to the forefront of the auto industry. In the process, the brand also elevates luxury transportation with innovative engineering and intelligent, driver-inspired design that offers excellent roominess and nimble maneuverability. Each new generation of Lexus [...]

Toyota Prius Harvests the Rewards of its Ecological Plastics

When it comes to environmental performance, new Prius’s achievements are not just about the fuel economy and clean running offered by its Toyota Hybrid Drive full hybrid powertrain. Toyota’s determination to reduce emissions and promote sustainability prompted it to research and develop the world’s first injection moulded material to be derived from plant matter. This new [...]

Toyota Aurion Touring Special Edition Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Toyota has launched a new special-edition Aurion to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary in Australia. The refreshed Aurion “Touring” Special Edition offers more than $2700 of added equipment at no extra cost compared with entry-level Aurion AT-X sedan. Quad Cam V6 Aurion delivers more power than any other normally aspirated Australian-made six-cylinder car with 9.9 litres/100km [...]

New Generation Toyota Prius Unveiled

A new chapter in the history of Prius opens at the Detroit motor show with the official unveiling of the all-new, third-generation of Toyota’s world-leading hybrid power car. With a heritage of more than one million sales worldwide since the original model was launched in 1997, new Prius takes the benefits of hybrid to a [...]

Car Review: 2009 Toyota RAV4 Sport strikes agreeable balance

The small crossover segment, where the neo-sorta-trucks live, is one of the hottest battlegrounds for consumer dollars. Small skirmishes go on in the border regions; confused vehicles don’t know whether to be mud-slingers with brash attitudes or optioned-up urban sophisticates. Toyota’s RAV4 certainly brings sophistication, and though it can venture off road a bit, it’s not a jumbled, mixed-up mess. The RAV’s classification-straddling lets it serve the whims of a broad array of potential buyers.

Wanting to cover all the bases, the RAV4 can be had in a variety of configurations, from a basic front-driver with four-cylinder power up to a leather-lined, four-wheel-drive Limited with a silly-powerful V6. A Sport version seeds right in between the base and Limited, carrying a satisfying level of equipment. There’s an allure to the big horsepower delivered by the six – especially when it costs as little on EPA ratings as the RAV’s 3.5-liter – but these days, “adequate” is riding a wave of newfound popularity as Americans struggle to pinch more pennies. In keeping with that spirit, when it came time to test a RAV4, we decided to try life with a four-cylinder 4WD Sport.

Toyota to further cut North American production

Toyota announced that it would further cut production at many North American plants over the next few months in a move where it will try to reduce its vehicle inventory by half.

“This is a tough environment, and it may continue for a while,” said Jim Wiseman, vice president of external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America.

Wiseman said that in addition to the cuts, Toyota is also doubling efforts to cut costs at its facilities. According to Automotive News, Toyota’s U.S. marketing boss Jim Lentz said that the U.S. inventory of unsold cars and trucks should be in line with demand by May.

Toyota’s spokesman Yuta Kaga declined to state the actual number of vehicles involved in the cuts.

2010 Toyota Prius US pricing

The redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid goes on sale in the US from late May with Toyota today announcing pricing will begin at US$22,750 - which in an ideal world would mean an Australian price tag of $32,560.
A stripped-down base model version will join the line-up late this year for just US$21,750.
The third-generation Prius comes with a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine producing 73kW which combined with the car’s electric motor can produce a total of 100kW.
The US Prius comes in five trim levels and includes standard safety equipment across the range such as ESP with Traction Control and ABS.
The second model in the range, priced at US$22,750, adds push-button start, a six-speaker stereo system, six-way adjustable driver’s seat and seven airbags, including a driver’s knee airbag.
The most expensive trim level, at US$28,020 includes Bluetooth, heated front seats, an eight-speaker JBL system and 17-inch alloy wheels.
© Source: caradvice

2009 Toyota Avalon

Toyota’s 2009 Avalon is the automaker’s entry into the full-sized sedan market. The 2009 model is very similar to that offered in 2008. Likes: Lexus-quiet interior Smooth, almost pillowy ride Strong, silent powertrain Backseat space Dislikes: A snooze to drive Conservative look and feel Price overlaps that of Lexus ES 350 TheCarConnection.com has looked to some of the best automotive resources to bring you this [...]

Toyota releases new EX-grade second-gen Prius in Japan

By: Sam Abuelsamid

Sometime in early 2008, about the time when it became clear that Honda was planning to price its then-upcoming Insight hybrid very aggressively, rumors began to circulate that following the release of the redesigned third-gen Prius, Toyota was considering continuing sales of a de-contented second-generation version in order to compete. Ultimately, Toyota confirmed that plan, although the decision was made to offer the old Prius only in Japan. That model, now labeled as the Prius EX, is going on sale in its home market – mostly to fleet customers – starting June 8.
The EX is only available in black, silver or white with a grey interior (the car shown above is a 2009 U.S. model, as Toyota has not released images of the new model). Dual stage airbags and air-conditioning are standard, but luxury items like hub caps and foglights will now be dealer-installed options. The base price of the Prius EX is about $19,700 at current exchange rates (1,890,000 yen, the exact same base price as the Honda Insight in Japan) and Toyota hopes to sell about 2,000 a month.
Toyota vice-president of communications, Irv Miller, explained to Autoblog that the company opted not to offer this model in the U.S. because updated on-board diagnostics regulations for 2010 would require a significant amount of software development, an investment that would likely negate any savings in offering the older model.

Toyota Receives 75,000 Orders for the 2010 Prius

Toyota has received 75,000 orders for the all-new Prius according to the Nikkei business daily, which means its going to be a fierce battle between the new Prius and the Honda Insight.

The Honda Insight was launched in Japan in February and in three months Honda has sold almost 20,000 units, which has surpassed Honda's initial goals. The Insight was also Japan's best-selling vehicle last month.

The new Prius will be on sale here later this month with a starting price of $21,750 including destination fees

Toyota forecasts first operating loss in 71 years

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 already cutting operating profit predictions by half last month to $6.6 billion, the carmaker now expects to post a ¥150 billion ($1.7 billion) loss in the year through March.
Currently, Toyota's profit for the period from April to September sits at $6.6 billion, however with massive losses expected for the 6-month period from October to March of next year this profit has a good chance of being significantly diminished or wiped out altogether. Global sales of Toyota vehicles for 2009 is expected to sit between 8 and 8.7 million units - almost 2 million units less than Toyota itself predicted recently.
“The environment we’re in is extremely tough,” President Katsuaki Watanabe told reporters today in Nagoya. “We’re facing an unprecedented emergency situation. Unfortunately, we can’t see the bottom.”
Toyota today also cut its global vehicle sales forecast 8.5% to 7.54 million for the year ending March 31. It also lowered its North America sales estimate by 10% to 2.17 million vehicles, reports Bloomberg.
In order to cut costs as much as possible, Toyota may have to delay launching new models, lashing research and development costs and extricating itself from non-essential activities, such as motorsports. Just last week we reported that Honda had cut its losses and left F1 in a bid to stay in the black this year.
Japanese rival Honda is also slashing costs as vehicle sales plummet, and the dire state of the world economy means that Detroit manufacturers are not the only ones feeling the pinch. In Europe, the story is different, with companies such as Porsche reporting record profits on the back of successful share trading of VW shares.
The last time Toyota posted an operating loss was in the year ended March 1938.

Fox Marketing Prepping Twin-Turbo IS Convertible [Tuner Cars]

The tuners at Fox Marketing, fresh on the heels of their twin-turbo IS-F, have returned to the RWD Lexus sedan for a convertible coupe version. Better still? The "Ecto Cooler" green color.

The vehicle itself is not a an IS-F, but rather an IS convertible with an IS-F body and twin-turbos. It's unclear at the time which of the IS family's line of engines this particular model will get, but we're holding out for a screaming V8 — otherwise that rollbar isn't going to get much work. Expect to see this vehicle at the next SEMA in non-rendered format. [via TRMTuned]

Toyota First Quarter Losses Higher Than GM

Toyota forecasts a much bigger-than-expected $8.6 billion loss for the current fiscal year and sell one million fewer vehicles. Bigger news? They blew through $7.6 billion during 2009's first quarter! That's more than GM lost!

That's some pretty big news — especially considering GM dropped $6 billion during the first quarter. Jeez, if only Toyota were building some fuel-efficient, dependable appliance-type vehicles, right? [Reuters, WSJ]

Toyota Tundra and Sequoia SUV facelift

2010 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia has been launched in US. 2010 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia SUV comes with a new 4.6 L V8 engine capable of producing 310 HP and 327 Nm of torque, mated to a 6-speed auto transmission. This new engine delivers 34% more HP compared to the previous 4.7 [...]

1.U.S. Hybrid Sales Down 9.9% for 2008

Despite the fact that hybrid vehicles saw increased publicity in 2008 from record-high gasoline prices, sales of the fuel-efficient vehicles in the United States were actually down 9.9 percent over 2007. Vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic saw record sales when gasoline prices topped $4.00 per gallon, but when the price dropped and the economy started to really slide customers shied away from the price premium (usually a few thousand dollars) associated with hybrid cars. Compared (...)

Abflug MRX

We may be witnessing a little bit of a revolution the Pontiac Fiero has been the choice for many Lamborghini and Ferrari ripe-off body kits because of its cheap price and mid-engine layout. Japanese tuner Abflug may have just come across the next big thing. This Toyota MR-S has a striking resemblance to a Porsche Carrera GT. The kit may look good, but the MR-S' original 140 hp could only embarrass any potential Porsche wannabes. Abflug helps with this a little bit by adding a (...)

Attended: Bridgestone Winter Driving School

The 2-ton SUV is sliding completely off its intended course. The steering wheel is at full opposite lock, yet uncontrolled oversteer flips the rear end of the Toyota 4Runner around like a cat with its tail on fire. In one last-ditch attempt to halt the pendulum process, I stab the throttle. All four tires desperately claw at the frozen surface, but it is too late to really help. The grip the four small contact patches manage to find simply drives me directly into the thick snow bank on the side of the road. The truck immediately comes to a stop and I sit there stupefied shaking my head with embarrassment. Over the radio, my instructor tells me to back up and try it all over again. No harm done, as the "crash" is all part of the learning process at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School. Follow the jump to read all about our full-day experience in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Wallpaper: Bridgestone Winter Driving School

All in the family: Toyoda grandson to take top job

The Associated Press is reporting that Toyota will once again have a Toyoda at the helm before long. Akio Toyoda, the 52-year-old grandson of Toyota Motor Corp's founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, is reportedly about to be voted in by the board. If everything goes as planned, he will officially take over the presidency in June. It will be the first time in 14 years that a Toyoda will lead the company, but Akio isn't your father's Toyoda. He is known for being a lot more laid-back than the typical Japanese executive, which might help rejuvenate the company.
Current president Katsuaki Watanabe is on his way out as Toyota faces its first projected operating loss in the company's 70-year history. Just like the rest of the world, Toyota sales have slumped and the automaker has had to cut production and lay off temporary workers. Although Toyota remains predictably tight-lipped on the move, it's expected that Watanabe will become a vice chairman, with current chairman Fujio Cho keeping that position. Toyoda has been an executive vice president since 2005, so this "prince" (as the Japanese media call him) should be well-prepared for the job. Thanks for the tip, Jarrett!
[Source: Associated Press]

Lexus LF-A Supercar in action in Fuji

It's the the Lexus SC 430's replacement... No wait, it's the new Toyota Supra... Oops its just a concept car that won't see he light of day... Wait again, it's a track car. Whatever the Lexus LF-A is, Toyota/Lexus has been dragging its feet so long that not only is the LF-A's production hopes more like the car-that-cried-wolf, but also its styling is beginning to become stale. Optimists would say that Lexus was testing the LF-A at Toyota's Motorsports Festival at Fuji Speedway, but others (...)

SEMA 2008: New Toyota Venza Sportlux by Street Image

The new 2009 Toyota Venza underwent a unique transformation by Street Image resulting in the creation of the SportLux Venza performance show car. The Venza SportLux will be displayed at the Toyota exhibit throughout the 2008 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas from November 4-7.

Toyota Corolla Axio GT300

The Toyota Corolla is the best selling car of all time. It earned this honor by being economical and reliable. Both qualities are great for choosing a commuter car, but are rarely used to describe a performance vehicle. Turns out Toyota does have a little bit of soul for its everyday car. Premiering at the Tokyo Auto Salon was the Super GT300's, and this is not your grandmother's car. It's powered by a 3.5l V6 engine that delivers 300hp, and weights a light 1100 kg (2420 lbs). It will (...)

Toyota Tops GM for World Sales

With a little help from a tanking global economy and miserable 2008 auto sales, Toyota has finally overtaken General Motors place at the top of the pack for worldwide sales. GM has topped the sales chart for the last 77 years, but Toyota has been making a hard charge over the last decade. In 2008, Toyota sold 8.97 million units worldwide compared to GM's 8.36 million. While GM execs downplay the importance of the No. 1 spot, it definitely gives Toyota new bragging rights for worldwide (...)

Batteries Included: Toyota rolls out certified hybrid program

Underscoring just how important hybrid cars and crossovers are to Toyota's overall sales strategy is a new certified used hybrid program that will reside alongside the automaker's standard certified pre-owned program.
Like the automaker's existing gasoline-only program, certified hybrid vehicles will have passed a thorough examination with 174 individual points, 14 of which are hybrid-specific. Assuming a hybrid were to pass the inspection, it is then covered under a warranty that includes seven-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain coverage. Batteries are included, in this case under a pre-existing eight-year/100,000-mile factory hybrid battery warranty. If you should happen to break down, each certified Toyota comes with free roadside assistance for seven years. With over a million hybrids sold to date, Toyota has been seeing more and more come in as trade-ins, so it's only natural that the automaker would introduce a program to resell them and boost profit margins. Press release after the jump...

[Source: Toyota]

2010 Toyota Corolla, Matrix get standard stability and traction control

It's not every day that you get more for the same money. Yet that's what Toyota is offering with the 2010 Corolla, which will come with traction control and vehicle stability control and no price increase over the outgoing model. The MSRP of that car remains $15,350 for the base model 5-speed sedan. The Matrix also adds the two features as standard, but the price on the CUV goes up by $201, to $21,960. Both cars will arrive in dealer showrooms at the end of February, and for more pricing info you can check out the press release after the jump.
[Source: Toyota]

Sink or Swim: Toyota could follow Honda out of F1 if the wins don't come

Click above to view the Toyota TF109 in high resolution

Toyota has a reputation around the Formula One paddock for having the biggest budget with the least results. But that's all going to change, and change drastically, if the team doesn't start winning races, according to some new reports.
Although outgoing Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe was reported to have rubber-stamped the company's continued participation in F1 following a recent review, his successor and founding family scion, Akio Toyoda, may feel otherwise. Toyoda will be taking the reigns at the company following the first year of decline in its history, and will likely be looking to curb expenditures. In good times, some companies can justify the enormous financial cost of competing in F1 for the positive image it attaches to their company. But that's only if they're out there winning races, or at least coming close. If Toyota can't score its first race win this year, the bean counters might have no choice but to follow fellow Japanese automaker Honda and pull out of the sport altogether. Click below for an updated gallery of the Toyota TF109, and follow the jump for a video.

Toyota denies plans to cut jobs in North America, UK

Toyota has a long-standing tradition of not laying off permanent full-time workers. So if you've got a job at Toyota, you've got a job for life. But something's got to give in today's economy. Unfortunately, current market conditions aren't getting along well with the Japense automaker's policy, and Toyota -- now officially the world's largest automaker -- may be finding that it's more difficult to follow through on the promise while shedding thousands of sales per month in the global downturn. Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that the automaker is looking to reduce its ranks by 1,000 jobs in North America and the U.K., but it sounds like those reductions will be made through voluntary cuts and attrition, not by layoffs, which company spokespeople claim would be an absolute last step if the market doesn't improve over time.
[Source: Bloomberg]

REPORT: Toyota to sell decontented current Prius alongside new model in Japan

The current generation Prius has been a big hit in the US and Japan, and the tried and true second-gen. model could live on in Japan after the new hybrid goes on sale this spring. According to reports out of Japan, Toyota will sell a de-contented version of the old Prius to better compete with the new Honda Insight on price. The current Prius is rumored to be getting a cheapening on the inside, giving Toyota the ability to price it at ¥2 million mark, or about $22,000 US.
Toyota isn't responding to questions surrounding the rumors, as it says it doesn't comment on future product. We're not sure why questions about the current Prius could be considered "future product," but that's Toyota's story and their sticking to it. Inside Line points out that having two different models called the Prius could be a bit confusing, and we tend to agree. Our web-writing friends are all for a "Prius Classic" designation, while we're rooting for "Prius Lite."
[Source: Inside Line]

Toyota recalls 1.3M Yaris models, which begs the question: What's the plural of Yaris?

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Toyota Yaris

The 2006 and 2007 model Toyota Yaris is being recalled over a seat belt problem. In severe frontal crashes, a foam pad could reportedly ignite. The recall affects 1.3 million Yaris units (Yarises? Yarii?) worldwide, with 134,900 of those residing in the States.
Toyota is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to administer the recall. The fix evidently takes an hour at the dealership, and affected owners should begin receiving letters next week. According to Toyota officials, NHTSA has logged no reports of pad ignition in an actual consumer crash.

Hyundai planning Toyota iQ rival

It is codenamed "green baby," and it is Hyundai's answer to the Toyota iQ. A Hyundai Europe insider hinted that the car could be funkier and "more basic and functional" than the iQ. The iQ Concept had a pretty neat interior, but there really isn't much space between it and the backstop of basic transportation - at least, not when it comes to anything you'd want to sit in.
Drivetrains and engines haven't been discussed, but the 12-valve 4-cylinder with 66 hp from the i10 would probably be in the cards. Hyundai has said that i10 is too small for the U.S., so the even smaller "green baby" will probably be offered only in Europe at first, and could be on sale by as soon as next year.
[Source: Autocar]

Toyota loses top credit rating

Moody's Investor Services has lowered its credit rating for Toyota from the top-level Aaa to Aa1 and given it a "negative" outlook. Toyota had maintained Aaa status since 2003. The automaker, recently crowned as the largest in the world, is currently dealing with what must be the worst crisis that the Japanese company has ever faced since its inception in 1937. In what is decidedly uncharted territory at Toyota, the automaker saw its global sales fall by 4% last year and it is widely expected to post its first-ever loss - a whopping 150 billion yen ($1.65 billion) - over the full year ending in March. The worst bit of news, though, is that there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Sales figures are not expected to improve in the coming months, which could very well lead to another loss next year according to industry experts.
[Source: Bloomberg]

Toyota Sports 800 : 1969

The Toyota Sports 800 was a derivative of the Toyota Publica that was first shown as a concept in 1962. It entered production in 1965 and competed mainly against the Honda S800.

2009 Toyota RAV4 - Video

The RAV4 receives a cosmetic freshening and a new, inline-4 with 179 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque.

Keep Reading: 2009 Toyota RAV4 - Video

2010 Toyota Prius Pricing Announced - Car News

About 10 years ago, when the hybrid market was in its infancy, there were only two players: the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. Thing is, with the Prius being a conventional four-door sedan, and the Insight a tiny coupe/hatch/shoe, any price different was largely irrelevant. But now that the Insight and the Prius are both four-door hatchbacks, both all-new this year, and both nearly as indistinguishable from each other as Mary Kate and Ashley, price suddenly matters.

We recently learned that Honda stuck to its promise to offer the least expensive full hybrid on the market, and the Insight starts at just $20,470 and rises to $23,770 when fully loaded. No one expected the 2010 Prius to snatch that title, and it won’t, with the base 2010 “Prius I” starting at $21,750. (We don’t yet know how decontented this model will be, but we expect it will be very stripped down.) That said, the 2010 Prius has been priced a lot closer to the Insight than Honda may like. Indeed, with only $1300 separating the two, the price difference may not be enough to pencil in the Honda as the hybrid sales leader, especially given the Prius’s loftier mpg rating. The Toyota is rated at 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway, while the Honda is rated for 40/43. This would allow Prius buyers to reclaim that $1300 premium relatively quickly.

2009 Toyota Venza - Road Test

Behold Toyota’s latest effort to pull another kitten from mama Camry. The Venza is seductively and beguilingly styled unlike any other Toyota, and it is exactly as seductive and beguiling to drive as the term “Camry station wagon” implies. Wake us for the redesign.

Like California “octomom” Nadya Suleman, the Camry lays claim to a sizable clan of offspring. It already donates DNA to the Sienna minivan, the Highlander SUV, and the Lexus RX350. The Sienna seats up to eight, the Highlander seven, and the RX350 just five. Respectively, they intimate, “bigger family,” “smaller family,” and “If we had a family, we’d shop at Baby Dior.”

Wedged into the thinnest of hairline seams in this crowded lineup, the Venza—front-drive or all-wheel drive, four-cylinder or V-6—is basically an RX350 Light. This audience wants a five-door wagon that doesn’t look like a galleon for slaves to diapers and nose drip.

Venza is a conjugation of the Spanish verb vencer, which means to overcome, win, make trumps, et cetera. The base price, $25,740, shadows the more upright Highlander’s almost to the dollar. The basic 2.7-liter, four-cylinder front-drive Venza such as the one tested here is decently geared up. Locks, windows, and the driver’s seat are electrified at no extra cost. A six-CD changer with an auxiliary jack is standard, stability control comes with, and the rear seats—which split and fold in one fluid articulation—have three-position recline. Tilt and telescope the steering wheel until comfort is achieved. Our one option, the expansive twin-panel window up top known as the “panoramic roof,” cost $1050.

Keep Reading: 2009 Toyota Venza - Road Test

Michigan International Speedway looking to start vehicle connectivity trials

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is the next big wave in active vehicle safety but the technology is still in its infancy and will require substantial cooperation between carmakers and governments to get off the ground. Several carmakers have taken the initiative to develop the technology already, with companies such as General Motors, Toyota, Nissan, BMW and Volkswagen all previewing systems in the past. The Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan International Speedway (MIS) have now joined forces to help in the development of a connected-vehicle system.

GM in talks to offer OnStar to other carmakers

Telematics services are expanding even as the global car market contracts, with Toyota/Lexus the latest to join the arena with its recently-announced Enform system. Now General Motors' OnStar system is looking to expand by partering with other carmakers, according to the latest reports. Talks between GM and 'several automakers' are currently underway, reports Automotive News, in pursuit of deals to share the OnStar service in the U.S., Canada and potentially other parts of the world as well. The decision to get back into the business of re-selling OnStar services overturns GM's previous end to relationships with Acura, Volkswagen, Audi, Subaru and Isuzu.

Fourth model and replacement for tC coupe in the works at Scion

After a bright start almost seven years ago Scion’s sales have tanked and its lineup, which thrives on originality and freshness, is starting to show its age. The Toyota budget brand sold just 113,904 cars last year, down 12.5% on the previous year, and volumes are predicted to dip even lower this year. Most of the blame has been directed towards Scion’s limited lineup, although a weak car market was also a factor in the equation. The current staples of the brand, the redesigned xB and xD very closely resemble the original entrants, the xB and xA, and the tC coupe has only been given a mild facelift since it was launched back in 2004. Scion is now hoping to liven up its portfolio and boost sales by adding a fourth model line and replacing its tC coupe.

Over 40% of cars built in North America built by foreign companies

In January we brought you news of Toyota's predicted surpassing of Chrysler in North American output in 2009, and nearly two years ago we reported on the Detroit 3 slipping below 50% market share in the U.S. Now the trend continues, with the Detroit 3's North American car output slipping below 60% for the first time in 2008. The American carmakers' slide in output can be tied in part to the earlier market share milestone, but the generally down car market and 2008's high fuel prices were also responsible.

Toyota Recalls 134,900 Yaris Models Over Seatbelt Issues

2009 Toyota Yaris

RideLust.com informed us about Toyota’s latest recall; 134,900 2006-2007 Yaris models have a seatbelt pretentioner installed, which can affect the sound insulating foam found in the center pillar. The gas emitted when the pretensioner activates (in the case of a severe front-end collision) can ignite the foam in the insulation.

2008 and 2009 Toyota Yaris models are not affected by the recall. It’s good they fixed the problem in 2008, but why did it take 2 years to admit it was a problem? The last thing you want after you’re in an accident is your center pillar to catch fire next to your head. Fortunately, no such incidents have been reported in the United States.

Lexus hopes to sell 1,600 IS Convertible units a month

We have no idea what Lexus plans on doing with the SC convertible - some reports say that the car has been canned while others say a next-generation is in the works. In the meantime, those looking for a drop-top Lexus can opt for the Lexus IS Convertible, which hits showrooms later this year.

According to Toyota spokesman Hideki Homma, Lexus hopes to sell 1,600 IS Convertible units a month, with about 70 percent of those coming from North America. Through April, Lexus has sold only 310 units of its SC convertible.

“This is meant to appeal as an entry-level Lexus,” project manager Keiichi Nishiyama told Automotive News at the car’s Japan launch today. “Its main target is overseas customers, especially in North America.”

Pricing for the 2010 Lexus IS Convertible start at $38,490 for the IS250C and $43,940 for the IS350C.