Detroit 09': 2010 Toyota Prius Officially Unveiled with 50 MPG Combined Rating

Toyota officially unveiled the 2010 Toyota Prius at the Detroit Auto Show today.

The third-generation Prius is larger, more powerful and gets better gas mileage than the last generation. For starters the Prius engine has been enlarged from 1.5L to 1.8L. It's also notable that the engine is the first Toyota powerplant to not use any belts (the water pump is now electric). Although the engine has been enlarged, the Prius now gets a combined mpg rating of 50 mpg, which is up from the 46 mpg rating of the last generation.

The overall styling of the new Prius is easily recognizable as a Prius, but with slightly more aggressive styling than the last generation. The new Prius also has the world's lowest coefficient of drag (Cd) at .25.

For the first time a moonroof is available with roof mounted solar panels that power the ventilation system. The system helps keep the car cool even when it is off, which helps reduce the stress on the air conditioning system once the car is in use.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the 2010 Prius will be in showrooms this spring.

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Toyota Prius to be produced in Mississippi

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Toyota Registers "LFA" with US Patent And Trademark Office [Lexus LFA]

There's been speculation lately the Lexus LFA supercar might be getting the axe due to US economic conditions but a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office suggests otherwise.

On December 1, 2008, Toyota Motor Company registered the trademark number 77623634 for the term "LFA," no dash as in the past "LF-A," to be used with "Automobiles and structural parts thereof." Now, this doesn't mean the LFA is absolutely, positively going into production, as automakers regularly place dibs on all kinds of names. It does mean that if the car does see the light of day we won't have to call it something else.


[USPTO (direct linking disabled), via AutoSpies]

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Toyota to debut lithium-ion plug-in hybrid at 2009 Detroit Auto Show

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2007 Toyota Sienna Pricing Announced

Ford and GM may be getting out of the minivan business, but Toyota is putting a new, more powerful engine into its 2007 Sienna. The new 3.5-liter V-6 gains 51 horsepower over the outgoing engine, for a total of 266 hp. That nice power boost doesn’t add much more to the sticker, with the average MSRP increasing just $281. Click below for full pricing of the 2007 Sienna, which goes on sale later this month.

• CE 7-Passenger 2WD          $24,155
• CE 8-Passenger 2WD          $24,305
• LE 7-Passenger 2WD          $25,680
• LE 8-Passenger 2WD          $25,830
• XLE 2WD                         $30,125
• XLE LIMITED 2WD             $35,465
• LE 7-Passenger AWD         $29,295
• XLE 7-Passenger AWD       $33,330
• XLE LIMITED AWD            $37,665

Prices do not include destination charge.

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Toyota Yaris 5-door rolls into U.S. for '09

Click above image for a gallery of the 5-door Yaris

How do you know gas prices are high? Well, for one thing, your wallet feels a whole lot lighter after you fill up your car. Another indicator is that Toyota is adding a second Yaris liftback to its U.S. lineup. So much for the red-white-and-blue being averse to hatches. For the '09 model year, we're finally getting the 5-door Yaris hatch, which has been available in other markets, including Canada, since the current car arrived in 2005. The 5-door is basically the same size as the three-door, but the added points of entry make for a more usable overall package, especially if you're going to be using the back seats often. Parents, for one, should be pleased with the new offering. Other changes made to the Yaris range for '09 include the addition of standard front side and rear curtain airbags and the addition of optional cruise control for the Liftback. Toyota hasn't announced pricing yet, but it should be in line with what it already asks for the 3- and 4-door cars. Photos of the U.S. market car haven't been released yet, but the enclosed gallery of the UK-market version show you just about all you need to know. Just mentally flip that steering wheel over to the other side.


[Source: Toyota]

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GM’s Sales Drop while Hybrids and Camrys give Toyota a Boost

The June sales numbers for the auto industry have been released and over all numbers are down across the board. GM recorded the largest drop in sales among the competition while Toyota credited the sale of the Prius and Camry, along with their new Tundra, for its increase.

GM blamed their sales drop in June on their decision to reduce their fleet sales. They also blamed the decline on lower incentive spending for the month of June. Despite recording a 21% loss in total sales across its many brands GM still sold 320,668 cars. Toyota on the other hand sold 245,739 vehicles which turned out to be a 9% increase from June the prior year. Those sales totals include both Toyota and Lexus brand cars.
Until GM begins to put a little more energy into fuel effeciency and the esthetics of their vehicles they may want to reconsider their decision to decline fleet sales. It is true that fleet sales flood the roads with a plentitude of sameness, but with mediocre styling and high volumes that is going to happen anyway. While Toyota’s recent embracing of bold design and their industry leading hybrid technology it is difficult to project them slipping from that #1 World Wide Auto Maker title.

Source[CNN.Money]

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The re-branding of the Toyota Prius is a great offer that might be too ...

About a week ago, General Motors denied that it will be licensing the Synergy Drive hybrid system of Toyota. Over the weekend, there are rumors that Toyota might be pushing the Prius over to the GM camp and be re-branded wearing a GM badge.

The picture is not that clear especially when one considers the effort of GM in developing the Volt and the Buick crossover. But with the announcement of General Motors that it will be withdrawing from its partnership with Toyota at the NUMMI or New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated, the move of re-branding the Prius may be a logical move.

The withdrawal was made after a final agreement as to which future product line up should be developed cannot be made between the two parties.

A spokesperson from GM North America informed the press that the joint venture between Toyota and their company has no future units planned for production.

The Prius though is already set for production at the California NUMMI plant since the plans of doing it at Mississippi did not materialize. The production at the NUMMI factory will also allow Prius to meet the increasing demand for hybrid vehicles.

The re-branding of the Toyota Prius is a great offer that might be too good to decline. Some worry though that with all the paper works, approval, and production, the re-branding of the Prius as a GM product may intersect with the timeline of the Volt which is due for release by late 2010. Toyota on the other hand is sure to be very happy with this development…

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