All posts tagged toyota
Volkswagen tipped to become the world’s biggest carmaker by the end of the year
According to the Financial Times, Volkswagen will soon become the world’s biggest carmaker, probably by the end of this year. If confirmed, the achievement will be attained seven years earlier than what the VW management would have expected: when in 2008 VW’s chief executive Martin Winterkorn announced plans to overtake Toyota by 2018, few people took it seriously as at that time the group was selling 3 millions fewer cars than its Japanese rival, but now that goal is within reach.
Toyota - that held the industry’s top spot for years - is still suffering backlash of the earthquake that hit Japan in March as many of its suppliers are still recovering from the consequences of that tragedy. Obviously, this situation led to a slowdown in the production that - combined with VW’s relentless growth across the world - will allow the German group to become the world’s new number one in the automotive industry in terms of both sales and production.
Leading consultancies JD Power, IHS Automotive and PwC Autofacts forecast that by the end of 2011 VW will have sold 7.8m vehicles (10.5% share of the global market), GM will be second with 7.2m, Renault and Nissan will follow with combined sales of 6.8m, and Toyota will end up in fourth place with 6.7m units sold.
Toyota to return at LeMans in 2012 with hybrid LMP1
Toyota will make its official racing come-back in 2012, with an hybrid version of the LMP1 competing at the next 24 hours of Le Mans. At the moment, the drawing pictured above is all there is about the exterior design of the car. The chassis will be based on a brand new project that is going to be developed at the German motorsport division of the Japanese manufacturer, in Cologne, whereas the hybrid engine - as well as the whole mechanical apparatus - will be assembled in Japan. The last Toyota model to make an official appearance at the legendary French endurance event was the GT-One, which raced there in 1998 and 1999 in both GT1 and LM GTP categories. In that period a road-legal version of the GT-One was also built, but it never went on sale as the racing GT-One from which it derived never managed to achieve the success on the track that Toyota expected.
In the official press-release announcing this long-awaited comeback there is no mention of a possible future shifting of LMP1 technology to road-legal models, but it’s fair to say that this decision will influence the whole next generation of sports cars from the Japanese carmaker. The upcoming FT-86 is somewhat anticipating Toyota’s return in the sports cars market, but also a new version of the ‘iconic’ Supra is currently in the works.
2010 Toyota 4Runner
Toyota 4runner has been on the market since 1984; originally based on the famous Toyota pick-up, the 4Runner has over the years developed into a cross between a mid-size and full-size Suv, but things are now going to change for good; the 2010 Toyota 4Runner is far bigger and luxurious than its predecessors, featuring comfortable leather seats and far more room for passengers. It also features a 4.0 -litre V6 engine, achieving 270 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 278 pound feet of torque at 4400 rpm, while the extra horsepower makes the 4,700 pound 4runner feel surprisingly fleet-footed; and last but not least with the economy and financial crisis hitting a new low its impressive 17,5 miles per gallon can really make the difference.
Toyota Auris Hybrid goes on sale in the UK in July
While Toyota has recently suffered from image problems and missed and late recalls on several of their models, but the Europe-only Auris Hybrid hatchback that will hit the UK market in July could help recoup their image.
The Auris hybrid will come in two models, the Hybrid T4 and Hybrid T Spirit, both featuring Hybrid Synergy Drive Technology and will be priced at £18,950 and £20,700 respectively.
Built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant, it uses the same body shell as the traditional Auris hatch and features two electric motors and a 1.8 litre VVT-i petrol engine. The Auris HSD has four driving modes, including zero-emisisons EV mode, that are optimised for different driving conditions with CO2 emissions as low as 89g/km, and will offer an economy potential up to 74.3mpg on the official combined driving cycle.
Source | autocar.co.uk
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