Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Toyota’

More of a Good Thing

Monterey, Calif. – By now nearly everyone is familiar with the Toyota Prius.  With more than one million of them on the American roads, they have become the standard for hybrids outnumbering all the other hybrids combined.

What most people don’t know is there are now three Prius models, or will be this fall, and a forth due soon.  In addition to the current Prius, there is Prius Plug-In, the midsize Prius v and debuting earlier this year at the Detroit auto show was the Prius c Concept. Read the rest of this entry »

Road trip! During a typical year we each fly 30 to 50 flights, but as automotive journalists, we only have time to make perhaps three to five road trips each year.  What’s wrong with this picture?

Most of our driving time is centered on getting a feel for the two new cars we get each week to test at home.  We used them for everyday driving, like running to Costco and Home Depot and then we drive them over one of our fun-to-drive test loops through the mountains near our home.  Between that and the travel to new car introductions, we only have time to drive about 150 to 200 miles for most cars we test. Read the rest of this entry »

A hybrid performance package sounds like a dichotomy doesn’t it?

First shown at the 2010  Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show — the Prius PLUS Performance Package features components of the new PLUS hybrid performance line from Toyota Racing Development (TRD).

The package was developed to meet growing demands by hybrid drivers to have their car look cool, or different from the other million Prii on the American road.  It also makes it handle better, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Toyota expects to have its North American vehicle manufacturing levels back to 100 percent by September after production cuts caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March.  Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, Sequoia, Sienna and Venza, which are all built in North America, returned to previous production levels as of June , and on average, the company expects to be a 80 percent back overall by August. Read the rest of this entry »

“2012 Prius V : Expands Toyota’s Hybrid family”

The Toyota Prius for 2010 was better in nearly every way imaginable, moving from its pioneer status to that of a Hybrid icon. It was a genuine “Hyper-miler”. The claimed EPA mileage estimates were 51 mpg City, 48 mpg Highway, and 50 mpg combined which could be bested with only a minimal amount of effort and focus, but given the way most Prius owners really drive their cars, the actual mileage will probably fall considerably short of the Prius’ potential for economy.

Read the rest of this entry »

As your family and friends get larger and you don’t want to succumb to the typical ‘move in size’ up to a crossover, SUV or minivan, a good option is a full-size sedan.  Toyota has just the car — the Avalon.

“The Avalon has long been appreciated by smart, conscientious consumers who recognize quality materials and the beauty of detailed craftsmanship,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.  “The changes made for 2011 will allow us to build on our position in the premium large car segment.  The competition does not stand still, and neither do we.” Read the rest of this entry »

Toyota Motor Sales, celebrated the opening of the first hydrogen fueling station in the U.S. fed directly from an active industrial hydrogen pipeline on May 10.

Located in Torrance, Calif., next to the Toyota sales and marketing headquarters campus, the fueling station is a collaborative effort between Toyota, Air Products, Shell, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the Department of Energy (DOE).  It is designed to provide hydrogen for the Toyota fuel cell hybrid demonstration program vehicles as well as other manufacturers’ fuel cell vehicle fleets in the Los Angeles area. Read the rest of this entry »

After several years of hints and rumors Toyota pulled the wraps of the sports car that had been jointly developed with Subaru and the results are stunning.

The FR-S Concept, which stands for Front-engine, Rear-wheel drive, Sport; is Scion’s definition of an authentic rear-wheel-drive sports car with compelling style, balanced performance and handling, flexible utility and surprising MPG. Read the rest of this entry »

We planned on spending a few days on the Oregon coast, and thought it might be a good time to try out the Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

We reasoned — it’s a hybrid, so it should get good fuel economy and it’s a four-wheel drive, which was good in case it snowed; plus it is roomy and comfortable.

Several hundred miles later in the Highlander Hybrid we determined our reasoning was right on target, in fact the Toyota Hybrid turned out to be much better than we had “reasoned”. Read the rest of this entry »

1.8 Million Vote on Plural Name

For 10 years the automotive press has deliberated over what to call a flock of Prius or even a pair….is it Prius, Priuses, Prii or something completely different?  With other Prius versions in the pipeline Toyota need to come up with a plural name, rather than having everyone make up their own name.   Toyota put the subject to a vote at the North American International Auto Show, and challenged the public to help determine the plural of Prius. Read the rest of this entry »