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Toyota’s U.S. division announced a voluntary recall involving certain 2007 through 2008 model year RAV4 and certain 2008 Highlander and Highlander HV SUVs sold in the States over potentially faulty air bag sensors. The Japanese company said approximately 214,000 RAV4s and 94,000 Highlanders and Highlander HVs are covered by the recall that does affect any other Toyota or Lexus models in North America. Read more »

Toyota’s North American subsidiary, Scion, surprised us today at the opening of the 2011 New York Auto Show with the world premiere of its new FR-S sports coupe concept. We say ‘surprised’ not because we weren’t expecting a Scion-badged Toyota FT-86 to make its appearance in the Big Apple, but because of its refined design that made us forget about the FT-86 II concept we saw less than two months ago at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Read more »

The most hotly anticipated model of the New York Auto Show, Scion’s version of the Toyota FT-86 sports coupe concept, finally made its world premiere today. The study is named FR-S, which stands for ‘Front-Engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport’, though we prefer the definition given by Jack Hollis, Scion vice president, during the New York Show presentation.

“FR-S stands for Front-engine… Rear-wheel drive… Sport. Pretty simple. I personally believe it should stand for Friggin’ Really Sweet… but the legal department at Toyota was NOT feeling the same way,” said Hollis.

The first thing most readers will notice about the FR-S is the refined design compared to the latest concept version of the Toyota FT-86, shown in Geneva this past March. Though it’s hard to pinpoint all the changes without having the cars side by side, the photos reveal a tweaked front end with revamped headlamps and a different bumper design without the aftermarket like add-on LED strips.

In preparation for the 2012 market launch of its new Prius Plug-in hybrid (PHV), Toyota's U.S. division announced the introduction of a new online order system that will kick off later this year.

Customers who are interested in the Prius Plug-in hybrid are invited to register on Toyota's website in order to have first access to the online order system when it becomes available later in the year. Appropriately, the first phase of the online order program, called Priority Registration, will launch on Earth Day, April 22, 2011.

Pitting a puny stock Toyota Corolla against a Ferrari F430 and asking which car would win in a straight line race sounds like a joke, right? Well, under any other circumstances, you would be right to take this as a shaggy dog story but this comparo, which was made for a Japanese TV show, has a peculiar twist to it: the race was run in reverse gear… So, now that you know, can you pick the winner? Enjoy the quirky drag race between the Corolla sedan and Maranello’s supercar in the video clip after the break.

The 2011 Toyota Venza is a true crossover: it gives a car-like ride and SUV-like space. No matter what you call the Venza, reviewers are impressed with it.

It’s an SUV! It’s a 2011 Toyota Venza: riding on the same platform as the Toyota Camry, the Venza drives like a car but has the space of an SUV. "Truth be told, the Venza makes the average SUV look like yesterday's news," says Automobile Magazine. Reviewers like the Venza for how comfortable and useful it is. On the road, the Venza is smooth and comfortable – something many family car buyers appreciate. While it’s expensive for a wagon, the Venza is fairly affordable for an SUV. The Venza competes closely with the 2011 Ford Edge.

The Toyota Venza is unchanged for 2011.
It's a wagon. It's a crossover. The 2011 Toyota Venza is a strange creation, one rife with contradictions and difficult to properly define. Unlike with most midsize crossovers, the Venza features a four-cylinder base engine. In the front cabin, the Venza is filled with a variety of innovative storage solutions. The Venza's rear seat doesn't slide, it's not split three ways and there's no option for a third row.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options
The 2011 Toyota Venza is a five-passenger wagon available in two trim levels, which correspond to its two engines. The four-cylinder Venza comes standard with 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlamps, foglamps, privacy glass, a power tailgate, keyless entry, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, an eight-way power driver seat (includes power lumbar), a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a large color trip computer display, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio and an iPod/USB audio interface. The Venza V6 adds 20-inch wheels along with its bigger engine.

Mostly grouped into packages, options include a rearview camera, a panoramic sunroof, xenon headlamps with automatic high beams, keyless ignition/entry, a four-way power passenger seat, heated front seats, leather upholstery, leather-wrapped wheel and shift knob and a 13-speaker JBL surround-sound audio system with a six-CD changer. The 2011 Toyota Venza is available with a four- or six-cylinder engine and can be had in either front- or all-wheel drive. In Edmunds performance testing, a four-cylinder, front-drive Venza went from zero to 60 mph in 9.3 seconds -- an average time compared to similarly powered crossovers. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 21 mpg city/27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 20/25/22 with all-wheel drive.

Safety
Every 2011 Toyota Venza comes standard with four-wheel antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, a driver knee airbag and front-seat active head restraints. In Edmunds brake testing, the Venza came to a stop from 60 mph in 122 feet regardless of engine.
The Venza has not been rated using the government's new, more strenuous 2011 crash-testing procedures.

Interior Design and Special Features
The 2011 Venza doesn't quite exhibit the top-notch interior quality of past Toyota models, but it is a tad nicer than its current Camry stablemate. Although it lacks a third-row seat, the Venza provides loads of passenger space, particularly in the rear, which features reclining seatbacks.
In Toyota's well-stocked lineup, the 2011 Toyota Venza slots in between the base five-seat RAV4 and the more bloated Highlander seven-seater; while the RAV4 and Venza have three rows of seating, the Venza has two rows and seats five.

The 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 gives the Venza a smoother, stronger character, but fuel economy is the penalty. In repeat drives, editors have found the Venza's driving experience to be adequate but numb and uninspiring. In Toyota's well-stocked lineup, the 2010 Toyota Venza slots in between the base five-seat RAV4 and the more bloated Highlander seven-seater. The tall roofline allows a rather high, upright driving position and plenty of headroom. Overall, the Venza goes down the road with a certain isolation that pleases riders, not drivers. Highlights from the options list include leather upholstery, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, a power liftgate, a Smart Key system with push-button start, leather trim, a cargo mat, and all sorts of pet-friendly accessories. The available, top-of-the-line JBL premium audio system is impressive sounding, and also earns Bluetooth audio streaming.

Toyota has been teasing us with its upcoming compact rear-wheel drive sports car since the original FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, which was followed up by the FT-86 G Sports study a year later at the same show, and more recently, by the almost production-ready FT-86 II concept in Geneva. Now it’s time to get our first glimpse of the North American version of the FT-86 that will be marketed under the Scion brand.

Even though the Japanese firm’s North American subsidiary only makes word of a new Scion Concept to be revealed at the New York International Auto Show on April 20, 2011, without giving any further details, the car shadowed in the teaser video below leaves few doubts that the model in question is the FT-86.

It’s been over a month since the first of a series of earthquakes along with a catastrophic tsunami hit Japan’s shores resulting in devastating destruction and flooding, but the country is still feeling the effects in more ways than one.

According to a news report, Japan’s big seven automakers have lost more than half a million units of output since the March 11 quake. To make matters worse, even though many factories opened recently, they have not yet reached their full production capacity due to a lack of parts.

Sebastian Thrun, leader of Google's driverless car project, talked about the technology of self-driven cars at TED Talks, claiming it could save one million lives each year if it would replace human driving.

Google's test cars have so far covered over 140,000 miles (225,300 km) in all types of driving conditions without a single fault. “People didn't even notice” Google's cars were not driven by humans, said Thrun, who lost his best friend to a car accident when he was 18. The Stanford professor of computer science said that moment made him decide dedicating his life to saving one million people every year.

The devastating consequences of the March 11 Japan earthquake and tsunami on the country’s auto industry continue to unfold. Today, Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will reduce its North American production because of the lack of parts. The Japanese auto giant said that over the next few weeks, its American vehicle plants will operate on a reduced schedule, with production suspended on April 15, 18, 21*, 22, and 25. The same goes for most of the company’s North American engine and component plants that will follow a similar schedule.

The Toyota Prius, a car that is often credited for bringing hybrid-electric technology to the masses, has managed to rack up its one-millionth sale in the USA. The announcement comes shortly after Toyota achieved two more milestones that started with global Prius sales topping the two million mark in October 2010 and overall global Toyota hybrid sales passing three million last month.

Toyota's luxury brand Lexus released the first official teaser shots of the new LF-Gh hybrid concept car, which will make its world debut at the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show (April 22 – May 11). The name of the concept stands for Lexus Future Grand Touring Hybrid, and according to the Japanese company, the LF-Gh “sets out to redefine the premium grand touring sedan.”

The Toyota group has announced price increases for most 2011MY cars, SUVs and trucks it sells under the Toyota, Scion and Lexus brands. These increases will be applicable for cars produced from May onwards. The only models that will keep the same prices are the Tacoma pickup truck, Yaris sedan, Scion tC, Scion xB, Lexus CT 200h and Lexus LFA.

The shortage of parts and electricity problems in Japan in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake may delay the production of at least 500,000 Toyota vehicles, according to market research company Advanced Research Japan.

The world's largest carmaker may subsequently see its operating profit drop by at least 100 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in the 2010 fiscal year (ending March 31 2011) and up to 200 billion yen in the 2011 fiscal year. Auto analyst Koji Endo says any impact on production destined for export will affect earnings even more. “Hardly any cars will be built in April and a very low level of production will continue from May,” Endo was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

Toyota, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen and BMW are the carmakers closest to reaching their CO2 targets next year, according to a report by market research firm JATO Dynamics. The targets are imposed by the European Union, whose objective for 2015 is to enforce a fleet average CO2 level of 130 g/km for manufacturers selling cars in Europe.

In order to reach that objective, CO2 targets are lowered progressively each year. In 2009 the average was 145.9 g/km and in 2010 it went down to 140.9 g/km. Emissions regulations will be imposed starting next year, with significant fines to be enforced to automakers that will not comply with the new emissions limits.

If judged only on its merits as a competent (if not superior) midsize sedan, the Toyota Camry Hybrid would score well.

As its name implies, the "Toyota Camry Hybrid" is a regular Camry sedan with a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. The hybrid system is comprised of a 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine (producing 147 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque) and a 45-hp electric motor. The Camry Hybrid can run on any combination of the two power sources.

We found that the Camry Hybrid's combination of the gas and electric motors felt surprisingly robust. Since the gas engine of the Toyota Camry Hybrid will shut down at a stop and under some driving conditions, the air-conditioning and power-steering systems are driven electrically and powered off of the vehicle's batteries. Very little is sacrificed for these fuel economy gains. Compared to the similarly equipped four-cylinder Camry XLE, for instance, the Hybrid costs approximately $1,500 more. On the whole, however, the Camry Hybrid is a very complete package. For a hybrid family sedan, it doesn't get better than the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The Camry Hybrid was introduced for the 2007 model year as part of the regular Camry's redesign. The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a rare bird. While there is currently some drama surrounding Toyota, the Camry Hybrid is still a good car.

Edmunds writes, "The Camry Hybrid remains one of the best hybrid deals going, offering an enviable combination of excellent fuel economy and familiar midsize-sedan goodness.” The Camry Hybrid underwent a minor cosmetic facelift in 2010 and carries over into 2011 largely unchanged.

Buyers interested in the highest possible fuel economy may want to look beyond the 2011 Camry Hybrid. While the Camry Hybrid boasts a driving experience close to non-hybrid vehicles, the class-leading Toyota Prius’ fuel economy beats the Camry Hybrid’s mpg figures by 20 mpg in the city. The 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid is only available in one trim.

I'm always amazed by just how quiet hybrids are when driving in battery-only mode, and the Camry Hybrid didn't disappoint. In this car, it wasn't just the hybrid engine that was silent. Silence is golden.

The Camry Hybrid doesn't scream hybrid. My test car was sleek looking with Magnetic Gray paint and small, inconspicuous badges that designated it as a hybrid. This hybrid is a sleeper, if you will.

The Camry Hybrid wasn't quite like that.
The 2011 Camry Hybrid starts at $26,400.

The 2011 Toyota 4Runner drops its four-cylinder engine and gains a brake-override system designed to prevent unintended acceleration. Good riddance to the four-cylinder, which furnished slow acceleration and even slower sales

The Toyota 4Runner has long been a favorite for people who want a truck but also want an SUV. Still rugged and sporty, the 4Runner offers people the opposite of a crossover: This is a truck, drives like a truck and is for people who like trucks.

The biggest plus-sides of the 2011 Toyota 4Runner only apply if you're actually planning on taking it off-roads. If you're looking for an SUV or crossover to use mostly in the city, the 2011 Toyota 4Runner just isn't right for you.

This leaves the plenty powerful V6 as the sole engine choice for the 2011 Toyota 4Runner.--The midsize 2011 Toyota 4Runner SUV is offered in three trim levels: SR5, Trail and Limited.

Standard features on the 4Runner SR5 include 17-inch cast-aluminum wheels, skid plates, heated outside mirrors with turn indicators and puddle lights, foglights, air-conditioning with rear ventilation, cruise control, full power accessories, a power rear window, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a trip computer and an eight-speaker CD/MP3 audio system with an auxiliary audio jack. The SR5 is available in either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

The Limited is available only with full-time all-wheel drive and includes 20-inch cast-aluminum wheels, Toyota's X-REAS adaptive suspension dampers, keyless entry and ignition, automatic headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, a 15-speaker JBL audio system with a six-disc CD changer, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, heated front seats and power lumbar support for the driver seat.

The KDSS off-road suspension is available only on Trail models.
The 2011 Toyota 4Runner comes standard with a 4.0-liter V6 engine that produces 270 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque. The SR5 and Limited can be had in either rear-wheel or four-wheel drive (part-time dual-range system on SR5; full-time system on the Limited), while the Trail comes only with part-time dual-range 4WD. When properly equipped, the 4Runner's towing capacity tops out at 5,000 pounds.

In Edmunds instrumented testing, a rear-wheel-drive 4Runner SR5 accelerated from a standstill to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, which is about average among competing SUVs. The EPA estimates 17 mpg city/23 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined for a rear-wheel-drive 4Runner, which is also average in this segment. A four-wheel-drive 4Runner gets 1 mpg less on the highway.

Standard 4Runner safety features include antilock disc brakes (with brake assist), stability and traction control, active front head restraints, front knee airbags, front-seat side airbags and full-length, roll-sensing side curtain airbags.

The 2011 Toyota 4Runner's interior features a geometric, industrial theme that supports this SUV's rugged image. The Toyota 4Runner offers spacious seating for five passengers.
Cruising around town, the 2011 Toyota 4Runner is surprisingly smooth and comfortable. On the downside, the 4Runner's on-road handling limits are notably low, even for this class of vehicle. Off-road, the 4Runner performs very well, particularly if it's a Trail model fitted with KDSS.

We’ve already seen and gone over all the juicy bits of the near-production Toyota FT-86 II sports coupe, but the Japanese automaker’s social media crew went over to the firm’s European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, for a new photo shoot last week offering us a fresh batch of pictures as well as a behind-the-scenes video.

The second iteration of the FT-86 study made its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month. Its main purpose is to preview actual production model that will go on sale in late 2012. The well-received styling of the original concept model evolved gaining new front and rear ends, more pronounced surfaces and a host of other fresh details, with Toyota claiming that the design changes were made for safety regulations as well as for practical reasons.

The two new Toyota Avensis “Next Generation Touring Cars” (NGTC) received their public debut on Thursday at the Silverstone circuit today, a week before the start of the British Touring Car Championship. The Avensis racers went on display wearing the liveries of privateer teams Dynojet Racing and Hughes Motorsport/Speedworks.

The Avensis race cars will be driven by Frank Wrathall Jr. and Tony Hughes. “The Toyota looks amazing and we are all delighted with it," said Wrathall. "Yes, it is frustrating not to have done more testing, but the first few rounds were always going to be tough for us, so we will just get on with it and do the best, most competitive job that we can."

Could Toyota's source code hold the answer to its sudden acceleration problems? Possibly, and it's currently working with attorneys to smooth out how this code will be analyzed in its ongoing unintended acceleration legal woes.

For those of you too fried to remember, Toyota had a bit of a flub a couple years ago regarding unintended acceleration in some of its vehicles; the problems were originally blamed on floor mats, poorly designed pedals, and driver error.

Currently, plaintiffs and their attorneys are still fighting for a proper explanation and compensation even though "the [U.S.] government's comprehensive review of Toyota's source code found no electronic causes of [unintended acceleration] in Toyota vehicles."