toyota

Toyota Motor will pay to fix about 650,000 Prius models worldwide for a coolant pump glitch that could cause the top-selling hybrid to overheat and lose power, the automaker said.

The repair campaign covers Prius cars for the model years 2004 to 2007. The bulk of the cars, or 378,000 units, are in the United States.

The Japanese automaker said it had not received any reports of accidents or injuries from problems with the pump, which circulates coolant for the hybrid system.

Major automakers, including Toyota, often conduct repair campaigns that are separate from safety recalls filed with … Read more

Tesla got a great deal on the NUMMI plant in its deal with Toyota this year, but what does Toyota get out of it? At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota let us know, pulling the wraps off of its RAV4 EV Concept powered by Tesla. However, the EV wasn't the production-bound model that many were expecting. Rather, what we were shown was more of a stepping stone to a more complete vehicle that may come later.

To call the RAV4 EV a glorified test mule would be understating things a bit. Then again, the concept is built … Read more

Toyota Motor unveiled big plans for staying in front in clean-car technology as rivals race to play catch-up, saying it would launch 11 new hybrids and a rechargeable Prius that may cost as little as $36,000.

Having dominated the hybrid field for more than a decade with the iconic Prius and 13 other models so far, the world's top automaker has won a reputation as the most advanced car maker in next-generation technology.

But with governments tightening environmental and fuel economy standards, competitors are turning up the heat with new technologies including battery electric cars and "range … Read more

Toyota announced that it is working with Clear Channel to integrate the latter's mobile app, iheart radio, into some of its vehicles next year.

The iheart radio app is currently available for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Phone 7. It lets you listen to more than 750 Clear Channel radio stations, the majority from specific cities with a few genre-oriented stations not tied to a particular market. Music streams over the phone's data connection.

Toyota offered no details on exactly how it will integrate the app. If it takes a similar route as Ford's Sync Applink, an … Read more

Toyota this week announced its new campaign "Ideas for Good," along with a Web site that encourages anyone to post a video of an idea that uses Toyota technology in a new way.

Consumers are challenged to find new, nonautomotive ways to repurpose five distinct Toyota technologies: T.H.U.M.S. (Total HUman Model for Safety) is an advanced injury-simulation, Solar Powered Ventilation System uses the sun's rays to keep an electric fan running while the car is parked, Hybrid Synergy Drive converts braking energy into electricity, Advanced Parking Guidance System helps drivers park hands-free and allows drivers to control music, and Touch Tracer Display allows drivers to control the cabin temperature and other features from the steering… Read more

The Toyota Prius has nabbed the top spot once again on the U.S. government's guide to fuel efficient cars.

Earning a rating of 51 miles per gallon for city driving and 48 mpg on the highway, the 2011 Toyota Prius was named the most fuel efficient vehicle by the Fuel Economy Guide 2011, which is produced jointly by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency.

The Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid tied for second place with all of them getting a fuel efficiency rating of 41 city mpg and 36 … Read more

We look at a real swagger wagon from Toyota, find some cool-looking Honda hybrids, sit in a new supercar from McLaren, and drive the lowest tech car we've seen this year.

• SEMA 2010

• Toyota debuts Swagger Wagon Supreme

• Honda CR-Z concepts and special editions

• Sneak peek: McLaren's most lust-worthy supercar

• Aston Martin transponder watch

Someone at the Conversions and Accessories group at Toyota Motor in Japan must have spent way too long staring into the maw of the Lamborghini Reventon, because the C&A Prius concept debuted at the 2010 SEMA Show looks like the twisted offspring of the supercar and Toyota's powder blue hybrid sedan.

Built to minimize weight and aerodynamic drag, the better to maximize efficiency, the C&A Prius features a carbon fiber hood, rear hatch, side skirts, rear bumper, front fender flares, and rear spoiler. Speaking of the spoiler, this one is a low drag-style rear faring, … Read more

Toyota must be getting sick of people calling it dull, because for sheer absurdity, no vehicle we saw at the 2010 SEMA Show impressed like Toyota's Swagger Wagon Supreme concept. Based on the new 2011 Sienna, this stretched out concept takes moving people to the next level.

The Swagger Wagon Supreme features a wheelbase that's been stretched by 44 inches, creating much more room for people and gadgets, but essentially retaining its seven-seat configuration. From the front seats to about the tailgate, the Sienna's carpet has been replaced with wood flooring. The second row captain's chairs … Read more