Toyota Of Wallingford

The hybrid car race is on - but the finish line is no checkered flag. It's an attempt to make the longest lasting, most fuel efficient and affordable gas-electric cars on the road in The United States of America.

Toyota has quickly risen to be the most well known hybrid car maker with their 10-Year old (and still running strong) Prius sedan. But even with so many driving off in a new or pre-owned Prius, there are still many heading towards regular, internal combustion engine vehicles.

Toyota, along with other hybrid car makers, have plans to make green cars more available. The Obama administration has taken great strides to make this a fact of life in our near future.

President Barack Obama has pledged to bring 1 million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to U.S. highways by 2015, and turned to the nascent battery industry as one of the hallmarks of his economic recovery plan.

One of the greatest obstacles is the production and maintenance of lithium-ion batteries, which are expected to power electric vehicles for many years, are extremely expensive. This is even the case when the costs are reduced by a $7,500-per-vehicle federal tax credit.

The government recently estimated that a battery with a 100-mile range costs about $33,000, although federal stimulus funds could bring the costs down to $10,000 by the end of 2015. Other concerns remain about the durability and longevity of the batteries.

But the Obama administration has set a precedence to get these affordable hybrid rides on the roads of America by 2015. Prius, a favorite of both the Federal government and probably your local officials, is always looking towards efficient yet affordable alternatives to power their cars.

Check out the long running and fuel efficient Toyota Prius today at Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hRza6NQ2Pvmww0wQRomrXyZYB_UgD9HPK99O0

The Toyota Prius is the world's best selling and most quiet hybrid car. When the electric engine takes over control of the vehicle, you almost can't even hear it pass by. Well, this has been quite an issue in some areas, especially those with high pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Several accidents over the years involving a collision between hybrid cars and those on foot or pedaling has raised concerns that the Toyota Pius is too quiet. Toyota is working on a solution to this issue.

The Japanese auto maker will start selling a $148 speaker system in Japan on August 30, which will play sounds under the hood to help it achieve the "same noise level as a regular car engine." Rev that sound system!

Toyota will be selling the speaker system in Japan only at first, and the purchase is voluntary. But a Toyota rep told Associated Press that "the company is considering bringing the feature to the United States and other markets."

Toyota isn't alone. According to the AP, other car competition with hybrid vehicles are also determining how to increase the sound of their green autos to keep pedestrians safe.

Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that hybrid vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in accidents with pedestrians and bicyclists than other vehicles.

Remember to share the road and come in to test drive an all new Toyota Prius hybrid at Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.



Source:  http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20014511-17.html

About 1,000 Jobs Added to Produce Toyota's Best-Selling Pickup
 
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (August 6, 2010) - Production of the Tacoma pickup truck began last month but was marked today with a ceremony at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc. (TMMTX).  The $100 million investment boosts total investment to $1.4 billion.
 
Texas Governor Rick Perry joined San Antonio community leaders, team members, suppliers as well as Toyota officials including Toyota Motor Corporation Executive Vice President Atsushi Niimi.
 
Tacoma's production move to TMMTX was announced a year ago and adds 1,000 jobs. Today, over 2,800 team members are employed at TMMTX and the plant is fully positioned to ramp up Toyota's pickup truck production for the American market.
 
"The San Antonio plant has shown a great deal of resilience during the recession and is fully prepared to ramp-up Tacoma production," said Chris Nielsen, TMMTX president.  "By building Tacoma in Texas, we are able to consolidate pickup truck production in the United States under one roof, allowing us to fully utilize the plant's capacity."
 
During the economic downturn, TMMTX was one of several Toyota plants impacted by poor sales.  However, TMMTX retained its workforce instead of laying off, in order to strengthen team members' skills and improve plant processes. 
 
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 14 manufacturing plants, including one under construction. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.05 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs more than 35,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $25 billion. Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350.
 
For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com. Check out Toyota of Wallingfords inventory of Toyota Tacomas
 
 Contacts:
 
Craig Mullenbach
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas
(210) 332-8211
craig.mullenbach@tema.toyota.com
 
Tania Saldana
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America
(859) 815-9968   
 

Toyota has sold One Million Prius Hybrids in Japan alone. This statistic came in just last week, after the global auto maker posted a $2.2 Billion dollar profit for their second quarter.

Much of it was due to a rebounding auto market in the United States where a fall in loan defaults and rising sales produced buoyant numbers at Toyota's financial services arm, which accounted for 85 percent of its total North American operating profit.

There is more good news for Toyota, which took a hit on U.S. consumers' view of the brand with the recalls.

According to YouGov BrandIndex, a company that tracks consumers' attitudes towards brands, Toyota is back to an overall positive image.

Globally, Toyota has sold over 2.68 million hybrid vehicles as of July 31, 2010. The company currently sells eight hybrid vehicles outside Japan with overseas sales for TMC at 1.68 million units.

According to Toyota, its hybrid vehicles have resulted in some significant savings in greenhouse gas emissions. TMC figures that since 1997, its hybrids have resulted in four million less tons of CO2 emissions in Japan alone and 15 million fewer tons of CO2 produced globally.

The Japanese auto maker plans to sell a million hybrid vehicles per year during this decade and add hybrid models to every vehicle in its line as early as 2020.

Want to test drive the hottest selling hybrid car in the world? Come on down to Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://www.dailytech.com/Toyota+Sells+1M+Hybrids+in+Japan+Alone/article19292.htm

According to a recent report, Toyota's lawyers made a little mistake as they let the company's ownership of the Supra name expire.

But fear not all you Supra sportscar fans - Toyota has once again applied for the trademark after a four-year lapse.

While this could mean nothing, as companies routinely protect names they've previously used, it wouldn't be surprising if Toyota decided to slap the Supra label on the production version of the FT-86 concept.

Despite being speculation, it seems like a logical choice given the FT-86 is scheduled to launch in November 2011. Of course, if we want to be optimistic, Toyota could be preparing another sportscar - like the FT-HS concept - for a Supra revival.

Two and a half years after the initial plans were revealed, fans are still waiting for a new Toyota super car. However, the wait may soon be over as reports are indicating Toyota is preparing to launch a Supra revival in 2011.

While details are still limited, several sources are suggesting the rear-wheel drive sports car will be offered with a 3.5-liter V6 and the Lexus GS450h's 2GR-VSE 3.5-liter V6 which will be paired with the Toyota's Crown hybrid system.

While the current 3.5-liter V6 only produces 268 horsepower and 248 lb-ft or torque, the hybrid system could enable the Lexus' V6 to produce more than 400 hp.

Stay up to date on all the latest Toyota models at Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://www.worldcarfans.com/110080227704/toyota-applies-for-second-trademark-on-supra-name

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The Toyota concept sportscar, FT-86, has been given the green light and will come to life as a production model by November 2011.

This will signal an early production of the vehicle, as Toyota initially said they would release FT-86 by 2013. You're getting a present two years early, Toyota luxury car fans.

Toyota's also confirmed the all-important element that can make the difference in sales and support for this coupe: pricing.

The new car will come with a wide range of prices, depending on its specifications. A middle-of-the-pack FT-86 at about $29,000. This means that an entry-level version will be available for about $20,000, making the car affordable for a vast public that hasn't got a strong financial background to support the desire for a sportscar.

Toyota is also offering motorheads enthusiasts a huge relief, as the company said that the coupe will not include any hybrid technology at first. However, Toyota is also currently also working on a hybrid performance vehicle, which may or may not follow in the footsteps of FT-86.

The Japanese auto maker made it clear that the coupe will include a few new visual enhancements, but it will keep its overall shape - as a two door, fastback Japan-based sportscar.

Stay up to date on all the latest from Toyota and their new concepts cars by checking out Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://www.autoevolution.com/news/toyota-ft-86-launch-confirmed-for-november-2011-22860.html

Earlier this year, Tesla, best known for making all electric sports cars like the Roadster, joined forces with Toyota Motors. Their plan was to produce several green cars and share technologies.

Well, it looks as though the fruits of their labor are already paying off - Tesla and Toyota have announced two prototypes that will be coming out within the next couple of years. These concepts were produced by Tesla for the Japanese auto maker.

"Since our announcement in May, Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, and it is exciting to start seeing some initial results," JB Straubel, Tesla's chief technology officer, told Bloomberg in an email.

Straubel added that Tesla signed an agreement to provide Toyota with two electric vehicle prototypes by the end of July.

"By having Tesla we think our omni-directional approach is becoming even more robust," said Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation president. "How they use batteries, how we use batteries, how the vehicles are used, there are many things we can share in these areas."

Neither Tesla nor Toyota has given any specifics on the models being used, or key technical specifications, such as target range - all we do know is the press will be updated during "each stage of development." This Tesla project is separate from the electric city car Toyota is developing for sale in 2012.

Stay up to date on all the electric car news from Toyota, or check out the upcoming Prius plug-in at Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6664006/green/electric-development-tesla-developing-two-ev-prototypes-for-toyota/index.html

Toyota is planning to produce not only a new plug-in electric Prius by 2012, but also several other EV vehicles for that model year.

Three new to the market vehicles, all "green cars," will be out by the end of that model year. These three cars will be a "A battery electric vehicle, a plug-in version of the Prius and an as-yet-unveiled variant of the Prius will arrive in U.S. dealerships in the first half of 2012," according to Automotive News.

Although no details were given on the Prius variant, it is believed to the long-rumored Prius Alpha model. Based on the current Prius, the Prius Alpha is said to be a more people-friendly MPV version of the well known hybrid - basically a hybrid minivan.

A test fleet of those vehicles is already being deployed, in fact. Customers can keep a track on their progress through a new public testing site set up by the Japanese auto maker, Toyota.com/ESQ. Toyota has equipped the test fleet with the capability to stream real-time data about the vehicles including usage patterns and fuel efficiency.

As for the battery electric vehicle (BEV), Left Lane News speculates that it"could be an electric version of the Toyota iQ, which will be making it to our shores as the Scion iQ. Toyota showed an electric version of its iQ at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show."

For now, you can check out the upcoming Prius Plug-in for 2011 at Toyota Of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.


Source:  http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/daily-news/100712-Toyota-Planning-Three-New-Green-Models-in-2012/

ESPN and Toyota have joined with Bassmasters to bring fishing fans a chance to win cash prizes and more with their Fan Favorite Contest.

The contest will run through July 25, 2010, and will determine which one of the 12 Bassmaster Elite Series postseason qualifiers is the 2010 Toyota Fan Favorite.

Toyota trucks have always been a proud sponsor of ESPN events like Bassmasters. The 2010 Tundra is a champion truck, very much like the competitive fishermen.

Fans can go to www.bassmaster.com/vote and select their favorite angler. With the vote, participants will be automatically entered into a contest, and can be awarded daily prizes, Monday through Friday,  each week of the contest, including a $100 Bass Pro Shops gift card and Berkley baits.

The grand prize, a Nitro Z-7 boat powered by a Mercury 150 Optimax dressed in a custom trailer and boat wrap, will be awarded on Friday, July 30, 2010. The winner will be revealed on the Bassmaster Elite Series postseason stage in Montgomery, Alabama at the Evan Williams Bourbon Trophy Triumph.

The Tundra comes with a variety of engine types: from a 4.0L DOHC 24V V6 with 236 horsepower at 5200 rpm's and 266 lb.-ft of torque at 4000 rpm's - to a monstrous 5.7L DOHC 32V i-FORCE V8 with  381 hp at 5600 rpm and 401 lb.-ft. of torque at 3600 rpm.

Stayed tuned to ESPN for the Bassmasters Toyota Tundra Fan Favorite Contest, and check out the all new Tundra in person at Toyota of Wallingford - 859 North Colony Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492.



Source:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/tournaments/elite/news/story?page=b_ES_2010_ToyotaFanFavorite