Recently, Toyota expanded the Prius family to include the Prius v and the Prius Plug-in. Now, the fourth member of the Prius family has leaked early in full production trim. The new Prius C is the baby of the family, and is just a few inches longer than the subcompact Toyota Yaris.

According to CarScoop (via leaked brochures), the Prius C is 157.3″ long, 66.7″ wide, and 56.9″ tall. For comparison, the standard Prius measures 175″, 68.7″, and 58.7″ respectively. While the standard Prius gets its motivation from a 98hp 1.8-liter gasoline engine and an 80hp electric motor, the smaller Prius C uses a 74hp 1.5-liter gasoline engine and a 61hp electric motor.

The Prius C is expected to make its U.S. debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January.

Courtesy of dailytech.com

The 2012 Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Prius has come a long way since its debut in the late 1990s, along with the original two-seat Honda Insight hybrid.

Now in its third generation, Prius has become rather mainstream. Honda, meanwhile, was left tweaking its formula as competitors have launched hybrids and even all-electrics.

Competition? Prius still captures more than 40 percent of all U.S. hybrid sales, despite a slowdown after the earthquake in Japan and yen-dollar ratios, Hybridcars.com reports.

And the 2012 model year promises to give the Prius a boost with some cosmetic tweaks plus a larger V model and in some markets, including Phoenix, a PHV plug-in hybrid.

This week’s tester is the Prius 3, the midrange model priced from $25,280 including delivery charges. However, you can get a Prius 1 for $22,880 — you’ll probably have to special-order it — or tip the scales at $29,550 for the decked-out Prius 5.

My question is: Why Prius and not one of the many other hybrids?

For one, the Prius name has become nearly synonymous with hybrids. Plus, leaving all-electrics out of the equation, a search for high-mileage cars on the EPA’s www.fueleconomy.gov shows Prius leads the pack by a considerable margin: 50 miles per gallon in combined driving, compared with the No. 2 car, the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid, at 44, and the Prius V and Lexus CT at 42.

The Prius also is one of the most affordable hybrids, beaten only by Honda’s now five-passenger Insight and two-seat CR-Z. The Civic comes close, starting a shade under 25. Roomy hybrids such as the Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata start under 30 grand. Even Lexus’ new hybrid hatchback, the CT200h, starts at $29,995 — $445 shy of the Prius V.

Those are strong selling points, but beyond that the little Toyota is rather average. It improved in the 2010 makeover with better handling, a bit more interior room and better fuel economy.

Courtesy of bizjournal.com

At the CGI America meeting in Chicago in June, Toyota committed to donate its Toyota Production System expertise to help schools, hospitals and other community organizations improve their operations, extend their reach and increase their impact. The Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC) began this new commitment with the St. Bernard Project. It has worked closely with SBP’s professional staff, skilled construction supervisors and AmeriCorps members since late June to improve the organization’s homebuilding processes.

In just under three months, SBP has realized significant initial improvements using techniques pioneered on Toyota’s assembly lines.

* Previously, SBP needed 12 to 18 weeks to rebuild a house. With Toyota’s help, SBP finished two test houses in six weeks, an improvement of more than 50%.
* In addition, re-work (work not done right the first time) is down more than 50%, which is helping to reduce waste, increase efficiency and lower costs.

A short video about the impact of SBP’s partnership with Toyota is available at

http://www.youtube.com/cgivideos#p/u/6/r71jKRGNJIQ.

SBP CEO and co-founder Zack Rosenburg noted, “Six years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, more than 10,000 hard-working American families have not been able to rebuild the homes that they own. Despite steady progress in rebuilding, homes throughout our communities remain severely damaged, and our waiting list of those needing help continues to grow. While we still have a great deal more to learn from Toyota, the company’s expertise is having an extraordinary impact on our ability to serve this community more quickly and more completely.”

Rosenburg continued, “For those recovering from disasters, time matters. There’s a massive human impact from efficiency and the partnership with Toyota is going to make a significant difference in families’ lives.”

Once additional process improvements are complete, SBP hopes to bring its building model to help communities damaged by more recent natural disasters, such as Joplin, Mo., Tuscaloosa, Ala. and Minot, N.D.

“At Toyota, we judge our success not just on the cars we make, but also on the positive impact we are able to have in local communities nationwide,” said Jamie Bonini, general manager of TSSC. “With so many nonprofits being asked to do more with less, the need to operate with greater efficiency has become even more important. While there is still much more to accomplish in our joint work with SBP, we are pleased that the techniques of the Toyota Production System are beginning to show early results.”

Courtesy of Toyota.com

The August gains mark the latest step in the industry’s steady efforts to restore domestic production to pre-quake levels, but executives continue to warn that the strong yen could undermine a recovery of the export-dependent industry.

Toyota, Japan’s largest auto maker by output, posted a 12% on-year rise in domestic production in August, marking its first year-over-year increase in 12 months as a near-complete recovery in its parts supply chain helped boost output.

Suzuki Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. also said they boosted domestic production in the month.

Suzuki, Japan’s fourth-largest auto maker by volume, said its output in August rose by 5.9% from a year ago, marking its first rise in 11 months, while Mazda, the country’s fifth-largest car company, said its production climbed 5.6%, its first rise in six months.

Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.—Japan’s second- and third-largest car makers, reported 17% and 2.5% drops in domestic output in August, respectively.

The companies attributed the declines mainly to higher production a year ago spurred by strong demand by customers who rushed to buy fuel-efficient cars before the expiry of government subsidies.

In the April-July period, Japan’s overall auto output fell 34%, or 1.4 million vehicles, compared with the same period in the previous year. But car makers are now poised to start to boost production to make up for delays after the March disasters.

Toyota added overtime to resume normal output ahead of schedule in September, while Honda plans to lift output volume by 25% in the fiscal second half through March. Nissan expects its output to be back to pre-quake levels in October.

Despite these upbeat plans, Japanese auto makers still face headwinds, with the yen near a postwar record high of ¥75.94 against the dollar and an uncertain global economic outlook casting doubt on the strength of overseas demand.

Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn last week warned that Japanese car makers could be forced to move more production outside Japan if the yen stays at current levels over the next six months, though he said he believes the yen’s strength won’t last.

Toshiyuki Shiga, the chairman of Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said Tuesday that there are no signs of faltering demand in Europe and the U.S. but warned that concerns over the economic outlook could affect consumer sentiment.

In August, Toyota said that its domestic production rose 12% from the same month a year earlier to 252,374 vehicles, with a growth in output for exports helping to offset the relatively high basis of comparison in the previous year. The company’s exports soared 19.8% to 137,977 vehicles.

Nissan said its domestic output declined 2.5% to 89,262 vehicles in August after three straight monthly rises, while Honda’s domestic output dropped 17% to 56,356 vehicles.

Suzuki said its production increased 5.9% to 86,215 vehicles, while Mazda posted a 5.6% rise to 68,449 vehicles.

Toyota Land Cruiser

With model cars of which Toyota is truly proud, they are celebrating this year all over the world, including at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Toyota Land Cruiser has conquered the dust, burned in the sun, cooled down in the water and mastered every challenge put in front of it. Through it all, Toyota Land Cruiser enthusiasts were always there. Fans of the Land Cruiser never let the brand down.

To help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota created small video tribute showcasing a timeline of the popular SUV as an “anniversary gift”. The video takes viewers through each of the different generations of the vehicle and briefly shows some exciting off-road footage of the old versions of the Land Cruisers. It then shows how the Land Cruiser has grown and changed over the years, while still maintaining its ability to rough the tough terrain.

The Japanese car maker, Toyota Motor Corporation developed the Toyota Land Cruiser in a series of four-wheel drive vehicles. The development of the first generation Land Cruiser began in 1951 as Toyota’s version of a Jeep-like vehicle. In 1954, production began and has not stopped since.

The Land Cruiser has been produced in many different forms. The brand manufactured Land Cruisers that were convertible, hardtop, station wagon, and utility truck versions. What made the Land Cruisers so incredibly popular over the years, with incredibly loyal customers that keep coming back for more, is the vehicle’s reliability and longevity.

Toyota FJ, Land Cruiser get price bumps

The car is popular in the United States; however, Australia is where it the full-size, body-on-frame, four-wheel drive vehicles are sold. Australia is also the place where Toyota extensively tests the Land Cruisers due to the extremely harsh conditions of the Australian outback environment. Australia is considered to be one of the toughest operating environments in both temperature and terrain, which makes it perfect to test the Land Cruiser on all accounts.

The main rivals to the Land Cruiser are the Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, Mitsubishi Pajero and Nissan Patrol. However, the Land Cruiser still seems to come out on top as far as popularity to consumers.

Courtesy of torquenews.com