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Toyota Production Resumes in Japan

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 forced Toyota to temporarily shut down all of the county's plants except for three. But now, for the first time since Japan was struck by the brutal double blow, Toyota has successfully resumed production at all of its facilities.

This doesn't, however, mean things are back to business as usual. As Toyota continues to struggle to secure 150 various auto…

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Demand For Prius Surges...But What About Availablity?

Though worldwide sales are already around two million, demand for the Prius is surging. So, what is drawing buyers to the best selling hybrid car in the world?

In a prepared statement, Edmunds.com recently said ,"Consideration of the 50-mpg Toyota Prius among its online shoppers is up more than 30% since the beginning of the year, rising almost in parallel with gasoline... That's triple the 11% increase in consideration of all hybrids and…

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Toyota's 2011 3-Door Yaris is Gaining Popularity

The all new Toyota Yaris 3-Door is becoming more popular then its 4-door counterpart. With a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 106 horsepower with an output of 104 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm, a curb weight of only 2,355 lbs, and a surprisingly large cargo section, it is no surprise that these little guys are flying off dealership lots!

So, how many miles per gallon does a sporty little car like this receive? The…

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Toyota Expands Production to West Virginia

The Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in West Virginia currently builds six-speed transmissions for many of Toyota's V6-engine models, including the Toyota Avalon, the Toyota Camry, the Toyota Sienna, the Toyota Venza, and even the Lexus RS350. The Japanese automaker palns to invest a lofty sum of $64 million into the facility with the goal of expanding production of six-speed automatic transmissions.

How does this translate to units produced? It will bring Toyota Motor Manufacturing…

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Toyota Excels in Edmunds' Minivan Comparison Test

The good folks at Edmunds' Inside Line gathered this year's posse of revised minivans for a grand comparison to determine which is the best. Among the competitors were the Town and Country, the Grand Caravan, the Quest, and of course, the Sienna.

We're proud to announce that the winner is none other than the 2011 Toyota Sienna. Among the factors weighted include: performance (10%), key feature content (20%), as-tested price (20%), 29-point evaluation…

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Toyota Prius Now Available to the Car-Less

A fleet of eight Toyota Prius are now available to Zipcar car-sharing service members in San Francisco, Portland, and Boston. Toyota's introduction of the highly acclaimed Prius to Zipcar's fleet is part of a pilot program designed to investigate how next-generation electric technology can effectively serve large car-share programs.

"Zipcar is an ideal test bed for early consumer acceptance of EVs," says Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO, Zipcar. "This project will allow companies…

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Toyota Prius With 62 MPG Target

Toyota now says its Prius can do 62 mpg. Jim Colon, Toyota vice president for product communication, made this announcement last week:  "Whatever goal [the Obama administration] establishes, Toyota will be prepared to meet. If it's 62 miles a gallon, we'll be able to achieve that."

Mr. Colon said the new rules "excite" Toyota, and the company is "already going in that direction."

But Toyota is going at it alone - members of the…
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Forbes 10 Cars that Will Make it Past 200,000 Miles

What's compact, reliable, has an MSRP starting at $12,855, and is named by Forbes on their exclusive list of 10 Cars that Will Make it Past 200,000 Miles? The Toyota Yaris. But, if you read the headline, you already knew that.

What you might not know about the Yaris is that predicted reliability for new models is expected to be 65 percent above average, according to Forbes.com.1 In addition, the…

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KBB Users Rate Toyota Top Car

Though the last year brought several problems in the realm of Toyota PR, the Japanese auto maker is still on top. Results are in from the latest Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch study and according to a press release from KBB, the consensus among young car buyers is that Toyota is "the most-considered auto brand." Toyota is no stranger to the "most-considered auto brand" title. The automaker was a consistent winner of the title from…
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11 Toyota Hybrids in the Works for 2013

It doesn't come as a surprise that Toyota, the company that introduced Prius to the world, is planning to have 11 new and revamped hybrid models by 2013. Between the Toyota and Lexus nameplates, the automaker is currently selling eight hybrid models in the US. They have already committed to releasing six new models before 2012.

As Reuters reported this week: "One of the new releases will be a small hybrid with fuel economy the company says exceeds 40 km/L…
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