And the answer to the big question above?  Chrysler.

Ouch.

See, this is doubly unnerving after discovering that, yesterday, they were still trying to get a cohesive corporate strategy together and won’t actually have one until sometime later today.  Or at least not one they want to tell their franchisees about, who are probably all looking at this news with a kind of confused rage and just longing to scream various epithets at anyone who’s in charge over there.

Chrysler needs a comeback, plain and simple.  So what they’ve got to do is offer stuff you can’t get anywhere else.  Frankly, I have a hard time imagining just what it is they CAN do.  I drive a Chevy, myself, a wonderful if aging Monte Carlo, and my folks drive Ford Explorers.  There’s not a whole lot of taste issues as I’m considering switching to a pickup fairly soon anyway, and chances are I will go either Ford or Chevy.

Chrysler needs to get some new and interesting product, or it doesn’t matter how many bailouts it gets–it’s still done for.

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Yesterday we told you that Ford’s hybrid sales were up 73% over last year but we had no idea the Detroit automaker was going to see this kind of success. Recent reports have surfaced that suggest Ford is dangerously close to surpassing Honda as the second best hybrid seller in the United States.

Let’s take a look at some numbers: Honda has sold 29,958 hybrid vehicles so far this year which is a 8% increase over last year while Ford sold 26,016 vehicles, a 73% increase over last year like we already told you.

If these trends continue, by this time next year we may very well be seeing the U.S. hybrid seller top 3 looking like Toyota, Ford, Honda. But don’t pop the champagne yet, Ford, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

via autobloggreen

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Toyota has let us know today that their brand new 2010 Highlander has just entered into production at one of their North American plants in Princeton, Indiana. The Highlander getting produced at the Indiana plant was thanks to Toyota’s decision to move production of their Tundra model to a plant in Texas.

What’s better is Toyota says that because the Highlander will be produced at this plant the 4,200 workers need not worry about losing their job as said plant has become much more valuable.

via autoblog

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For all the owners of Toyota Tundra trucks, it would be advisable to make a periodic check of your chassis. Reports have it that some owners have been complaining about severe frame rust which may eventually lead to broken brake lines and loosening spare tires. The year models affected are 2000 and 2001 and covers about 218,000 vehicles. There have already been reports of underbody-mounted spare tire separations from the rear crossmember and broken brake lines. Fortunately, no accidents have been reported yet so take the initiative and check or observe these parts from time to time.

If investigations reveal that these are indeed Toyota’s fault once again, it may become the second recall after the celebrated floormat design unintended acceleration defect. Worse, it can really dampen the brand image of Toyota, something it doesn’t need right now with their floundering sales due to the recession.

(Source) Press

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It looks like a copyrighting infringement issue regarding the way to apply force to a car’s wheel from an electric motor or internal combustion engine may stall, if not threaten, the release of Toyota’s hybrid cars. Such is the claim of a small company in Florida, Paice. According to reports, Paice thinks that Toyota is making use of their technology which became more serious when the U.S. International Trade Commission came into the picture.

If Toyota is found to have violated copyrights, Toyota could face a ban on the release of its hybrid cars that include the hybrid Camry, Prius, LexusHS250H and Lexus RX450H SUV. And considering that Toyota is already in a heap of trouble, this is not going to help their cause one bit!

(Source) Secuobs

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The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the Toyota FT-EV II is that, indeed, this tiny, sprightly little electric buggy does not in fact have a steering wheel.

In fact, such twentieth century concepts such as a steering wheel and pedals have been replaced in favor of instruments and controls designed to take advantage of wireless information, allowing the car to, on a limited level, DRIVE ITSELF.  And check this out:

The car might, for example, recommend music, movies, and other content based on what it knows about the preferences of the driver and passengers. It remains connected to the Internet whenever it is switched on, and connects to its users’ home networks to download data on its operations.

All this is awesome, of course, but how does it DRIVE?  Well, pretty well, actually–turns out the car gets fifty miles on a battery charge with a top speed of sixty miles per hour.  This means, of course, the car is going to be best suited for urbanites, as opposed to people who actually have to drive any distance to get where they need to.

Being a concept, no one’s got any firm release date yet, but if they do go into production, we’ll be sure to tell you.

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What you see above is reportedly a leaked sketch of a Subaru/Toyota developed Sports Coupe that is in the works over at the two automakers. According to WCF, Subaru has yet to confirm that they are on board and Toyota is handling all development for the time being.

The car is apparantly the FT-86 concept Toyota is expected to show off at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show and is said to feature a 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine with power reaching up to 200 horsepower.

We’ll just have to wait until the Tokyo Motor Show later this month to see this concept in the flesh.

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It seems that the Japanese success of the Prius fueled by government incentives, among other things, was a bit higher than Toyota had expected. The automaker reportedly sold 31,758 of the highly sought after vehicle in the month of September which, according to Autoblog, marks the 5th consecutive month that the Prius has been the top selling car in Japan.

That’s not the problem, however, as the real problem is that the success has been so great that if you were to order a 2010 Prius in Japan, the chances of you getting one before May 2010 are slim to none.

Let’s see how the 2010 Toyota Prius holds up in North America.

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Toyota has unveiled a mean and green new sporty concept car with the Toyota FT-86. The car boasts of a 2 liter boxed engine courtesy of Subaru and is a rear-¬wheel drive that may yet rekindle the old AE86. This lightweight concept car aims to be a greener option for motorists who prefer a vehicle that is eco-friendly and stylish at that. The Toyota FT-86 concept car will be put on display at the Tokyo Motor Show from October 24 to November 4.

(Source) Press

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It was recently made known that Panasonic is working closley with Toyota to produce lithium ion batteries for cars that will be tremendously cheaper to produce than larger celled batteries.

The reason these Panasonic produced batteries would include lithium ion cells found in typical laptop batteries. However, Panasonic has reportedly come up with a new method of connecting said cells that will give them the same capacity of larger cells but cost a hell of a lot less to produce.

Let’s hope this technology goes into use sooner rather than later.

Read (Reuters)

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It’s the king of the hill as far as gas sippers go, kids–the Toyota Prius is still, for at least two years running now, the best vehicle as fuel efficiency goes outside of a horse-drawn hay wagon.

But there have been plenty of changes to the 2010 model–changes in horsepower, in fuel use style, in gear shifting, and plenty more.  You may not be aware of this, but the user manual for a Prius weighs in at over six hundred pages.

So if it’s a hugely fuel efficient vehicle you’re wanting, then the Toyota Prius is absolutely the car for you.  But be prepared– you’ll have a lot to learn about this buggy before you can even drive it any length.  After all–if you don’t relish the possibility of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere because you were driving in EV mode when you really wanted Eco mode, then you’ll definitely need to hit the books first.

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From the look of the initial reports, the LC3 model of the Toyota Land Cruiser is going to get some serious modifications made to it.  Let’s take a quick look at the list.

–It’ll be getting about thirty five miles per gallon on a new kind of diesel engine, but a gas engine will be available on other models and get roughly the same mileage.

–The suspension has been revised and will give a more comfortable ride.

–Power and braking systems are altered to improve the Land Cruiser’s offroad capabilities.

You can see that there are a whole lot of improvements made in the newer model Toyota Land Cruiser, and chances are this will draw a whole lot of interest, especially from current truck and SUV owners planning to make trades.  A small SUV that gets thirty five miles per gallon and comes in straight gas or diesel?  That’s too good for a lot of car buffs to turn down.

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Toyota has today announced that they will be increasing the price of their newly redesigned 2010 Prius by $400. There wasn’t much of an explanation for the price increase but it can be generally assumed that it is due to the fact that the Prius has been nothing short of a huge success in pretty much every market it was released in.

Just to make it clear, this $400 will be added onto the entire line of Prius’ from the base model all the way to the premium model.

via autoblog

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Earlier this month we brought you a leaked image of Toyota’s forthcoming 2010 4Runner. Toyota has since officially revealed the car and today have released the full pricing scheme for all 6 models.

Most of the below listed 2010 Toyota 4Runner models will go on sale this fall while the SR5 V6 model will go on sale in January of 2010:

SR5 L4 2WD: $27,500

SR5 V6 2WD: $29,175

Limited V6 2WD: $37,765

SR5 V6 4WD: $30,915

Trail V6 4WD: $35,700

Limited V6 4WD: $39,800

Read (KickingTires)

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One thing about electric cars, their silence is golden. Motorists often clamored for old gas-powered vehicles to be silenced but it didn’t seem to work. With their engines, it may be hard back then. But with electric vehicles all that may change now.

Now while that issue may have been resolved. Do remember that not all people may necessarily be giving a thumbs up to this. As far as commuters are concerned, the blind rely on their hearing to cross the street. And with a quiet vehicle, mishaps may happen so what could be a resolution?

It seems that Nissan and Toyota has come up with a solution and it is not irritating to the ear. Rather, it is an artificial sound that blind people can hear whenever an electric vehicle is approaching. To some motorists it may be silly but I guess it won’t be if you talk about safety. No one in his right mind would want to be accountable for accidents, especially if blind people are concerned.

(Source) The Korea Herald

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