Gold plated Toyota Camry
Posted on Aug 4th, 2008 by Vlad Balan3 Comments Category: Special, Toyota
Gold plated Toyota Camry
Gold plated cars are not something new. Every once in a while we get to see one of these showing up, reminding us that there are a lot of people out there that got nothing better to do with their money than extremely pimping up a car. This 24k gold plated Toyota Camry is no exception. Of course, as you probably imagine, the owner comes from Dubai and the car is for sale for 135,000 AED ($36,800 or €23,700). However, one thing bothers me. If you want to show off, why in the world would you choose a Toyota Camry? Weird.
Check out more photos after the jump.
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New spy photos of the next generation Toyota Prius
Posted on Jul 31st, 2008 by AndreyNo Comments Category: Green, Hybrid, Spy Shots, Toyota
New Toyota Prius Spy
We all know the Toyota Prius, it’s the most popular hybrid car out there, having conquered almost everyone with it’s eco-friendly nature, being the car to have if you want to help the planet. One thing though has received mixed oppinions, the design, people saying very different things about the exterior of the car.
Recently some spy shots appeared of a presumed facelift to the Prius, but it would now seem that it wasn’t just a facelift, Toyota planning a totaly new body for their top notch hybrid. Although there have been talks about the new generation of the Prius, even a launch date of January 2009 at the Detroit MotorShow being fronted, new rumours state that this new model will be available around 2010.
This new model will be wider and longer, leaving more space for the passengers in the back and for the trunk. This new space would ultimately be used to develop more vehicles based on this new Prius, and according to Jim Lentz, Toyota USA President, we might see body versions from 2-door coupe to wagon or commuter car. But the design hasn’t been the only thing that Toyota engineers have taken care of, the fuel economy is expected to improve, so is the top speed. Also the NiMh batteries which now power the Prius will be replaced by lighter and smaller Li-ion ones in the effort to increase storage space.
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Toyota is officially number 1
Posted on Jul 25th, 2008 by RaulNo Comments Category: General Motors, Sales, Toyota
Toyota Sales
Its official: GM is no longer the world’s largest automobile manufacturer. Toyota sold 4.8 m vehicles in the first half of 2008, while GM managed to move 4.54m. Higher U.S. gas prices have “put an enormous amount of pressure” on GM’s truck sales, said Erich Merkle, an automotive consultant with accounting and consulting firm Crowe Chizek and Co LLC. “That is equating to lower sales for GM and causing them to now fall behind Toyota.” GM and Toyota were roughly even in 2007 for the top spot among the world’s automakers, with GM slightly ahead if sales from a China business were included.
GM’s sales in North America fell to 963,929 vehicles in the second quarter from 1.2 million, hurt by the slow U.S. economy and labor disruptions in the U.S. market, the company said. Sales in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East rose 17.7 percent, while sales in its Asia-Pacific region grew 14.6 percent, GM said. Sales rose 2.5 percent in Europe. Mike DiGiovanni, GM’s chief sales analyst, said most of the industry’s sales increase is expected to be in the so-called BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China.” Certainly the biggest risk is the U.S. economic downturn and potential spill-over effects on the global economy,” he said.
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Toyota RAV4 has a sporty side: the SR180
Posted on Jul 23rd, 2008 by Razvan1 Comment Category: Toyota
Toyota RAV4 SR180
This is some news for most of you, isn’t it ? RAV4 has been a great combination between on road and off road abilities. However it has a bland image. Not anymore ! The new Toyota RAV4 SR180 aims to bring the sporty looks as well to the model.
It’s meant to be an affordable high performance alternative. It has a 175 bhp, six speed transmission, together with a diesel engine. Which should mean that it is economical as well. The Rav4 SR180 gets to 100 km/h in 9.3 seconds.
The starting price is around $46,000. The list of standard equipment is long and it includes 18 inch alloys, run flat tires, dark-tinted headlamps,
Integrated Active Driving, Bluetooth connectivity, dark tinted glass, fog lamps, cruise control and a lot more. There are also a lot of personalization options.
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Toyota gives up on next gen Lexus SC and Avalon
Posted on Jul 14th, 2008 by Vlad BalanNo Comments Category: Lexus, Toyota
Lexus SC 430
According to Inside Line, Toyota is planning on canceling the next generation Lexus SC and the Camry-based Avalon. The decision to drop the Lexus SC was caused by the slow sales of the model, in the first six month of 2008 Laxus managing to sell only 1,230 units (40 percent less than last year). Priced at $67,120, the SC is powered by a 288 hp 4.3 liter V8, which averages 16 mpg (city) and 23 mpg (highway). And with the current rising gas prices the car was doomed, especially with Lexus preparing the LF-A sports car, based on the same RWD platform.
As for the Avalon, because the next-generation 2012 Camry is well underway, Toyota is having serious doubts on whether to continue Avalon production or not and may opt to produce a long-wheelbase Camry for such markets as North America and the Middle East.
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