Toyota » Australian Car Advice

Toyota to develop $5000 car

November 12th, 2008 65 Comments

Toyota is set to enter the cheap-car race with new reports suggesting a $5000 car has been scheduled for development.

Ultra-budget cars are in high demand in booming emerging markets such as India and Brazil, with Nissan-Renault developing a similar offering whilst Tata has already showcased the Nano.

Toyota Corolla packed with a lil’ action?

November 5th, 2008 79 Comments

Although for most of us the Toyota Corolla has always been viewed as a car without soul, a car which defines the idea of “A->B”, Toyota has begun a new battle to change our perception.

To do this, the Big T has started online, indirectly informing blogs (such as CarAdvice) to promote a series of new car ads that show the Corolla in a different light.

2009 Toyota Yaris YRS Review

November 5th, 2008 38 Comments

2009 Toyota Yaris YRS Review and Road Test

Yaris loves big city life

Model Tested:

2009 Toyota Yaris YRS five-door hatch, 1.5-litre, five-speed manual - $17,990 (RRP)

Options:

Safety Pack $750 (fitted); Metallic Paint $300

Economical, Safe, Built for City Driving, Price
Instrumentation Position, Clutch Feel, Boot Space

CarAdvice Rating:

- by Rose Harris

In the current economical climate where every dollar is being watched like a hawk, a new car purchase can unfortunately see safety take a backseat to price. However, Toyota have managed to combine a four-star ANCAP safety rating with an affordable price tag in the new Yaris range to bring the much loved favourite to the top of the table in the light hatch stakes.

Toyota-Subaru FR sports coupe cost concerns

October 21st, 2008 37 Comments

The joint-venture between Toyota and Subaru to create an affordable sports coupe has hit a snag with engineers apparently having issues in developing the car toward its modest price tag.

Together with a few renderings based upon insider speculation, Japan’s Best Car magazine has reported that cost cutting is proving to be a problem for Toyota’s compact rear-driven sports coupe.

2009 Toyota RAV4 upgrades

October 21st, 2008 8 Comments

Toyota has upgraded its nine-model RAV4 range with a package of active and passive safety features, as well as new technology and comfort features for 2009.

Safety features including active front-seat head restraints have been adopted as standard equipment across the RAV4 range, as has the inclusion of a driver’s knee airbag as standard equipment on seven models, and is available as an option on entry level four-cylinder CV.

2009 Toyota Yaris upgrades

October 21st, 2008 22 Comments

The popular Toyota Yaris has received an increase in both safety and comfort with the release of its face-lifted 2009 Yaris hatch and sedan range.

Yaris manual versions have also managed the maximum five-star rating on the Federal Government’s Green Vehicle Guide with fuel consumption for 1.3-litre Yaris manual models coming in at 6.0 litres per 100km (and CO2 output of just 141grams/km) based on the official combined cycle (figures for the 1.5-litre manuals are 6.1 litres/100km and 145 g/km).

TRD Aurion to race at Indy

October 21st, 2008 24 Comments

Toyota will race debut the first of four TRD Aurion Aussie Racing Cars in next weekend’s Nikon Indy 300 race on the streets of Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland.

The exciting Aussie Racing Cars compete nationally at V8 Supercar events, as well as the Indy 300 and the Australian Grand Prix with Toyota is the first manufacturer to directly support entries in Aussie Racing Cars.

Toyota Australia motorsport manager Todd Connolly said Aussie Racing Cars are an exciting category that offer thrilling wheel-to-wheel racing.

“We’re really pleased to join such a competitive, popular and entertaining series,” he said. “Toyota sees it as an ideal grass-roots category for young drivers to learn and make their way up the ladder in motor sport.”

The 450kg Aussie Racing Cars have identical mechanical specification to ensure close competition and to put the emphasis on driver skill. They have a moulded body (a caricature of the vehicle on which it is based), a space-frame chassis and 1.2-litre Yamaha engine that delivers 91kW at 11,500rpm.

Todd Connolly identified two synergies with the new TRD Aurion Aussie Racing Cars and Toyota.

“Yamaha has been a Toyota technical partner for the last four decades and developed the latest Corolla dual-VVT-i-equipped engine,” he said. “CATIA, who sponsor our Formula One team and Australian rally team, provided the software to design the TRD Aurion look-alike body for the four new cars.”

The first TRD Aurion Aussie Racing Car to hit the circuit has been nominated as a “guest” car that will feature different motor sport personalities at each event. It is finished in the same livery as TRD’s 2008 Targa Tasmania class-winning TRD Aurion.

Race commentator and V8 race driver Neil Crompton will debut this car at Surfer’s Paradise, with an added exterior feature. The car will have its roof painted as a bandanna to support CanTeen’s October 31 National Bandanna Day for young people living with cancer.

Todd Connolly said he hopes the car’s appearance at the Nikon Indy 300 event would help raise awareness of CanTeen’s largest annual fund-raising day, when it aimed to sell one million bandannas. There will be a hospitality area at the circuit for CanTeen families from South-East Queensland.

Indy gets under way this Thursday with further information available at www.indy.com.au

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2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid official leaked images

October 17th, 2008 68 Comments

Update: These images have been confirmed as genuine by Jon F. Thompson, Editor of Toyota’s Open Road blog.

Alleged official images of the new 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid have been leaked onto the web, clearly showing its new appearance as well as interior.

Whilst in the past these type of images have been defunct as works of talented amateur designers, the subtle flaws in these particular images suggest they may be the real deal.

Toyota HiLux WorkMate model upgrade

October 15th, 2008 25 Comments

Already leading the race in new vehicle sales year-to-date, Toyota is now rolling out the new member of the HiLux family, the WorkMate, for the first time with automatic transmission. The new WorkMate single cab and double cab automatic models take the HiLux 4×2 range to 16 models and will no doubt strengthen Toyota’s strong sales record.

Toyota is definitely doing something right, offering just what car buyers are after, FCAI figures show the company retained the top sales position in September with a market share of 22.4 percent, well ahead of Holden on 13.1 per cent and Ford with 11.0 per cent.

Toyota wins economy marathon

October 14th, 2008 26 Comments

A Toyota Yaris driven by Andrew Andersz and Gary Luton achieved the highest overall fuel economy in the 2008 ALD Fleet World MPG Marathon.

Seeing off stiff competition and winning Toyota top spot for the third year running, the unmodified Yaris 1.4-litre petrol achieved 84.66 mpg (2.77 litres per 100km), the highest figure attained out of all the 39 vehicles which took part in the 400-mile challenge last week.

Toyota Camry Hybrid 2008 AIMS

October 9th, 2008 104 Comments

Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive has grown a size this morning with the Camry model receiving the environmental treatment.

Having been available in the US for some time now, Camry will soon be available in RHD (right hand drive) and will be the first Australian produced hybrid vehicle.