Something unusual is going on over at the Toyota Auto Parts Blog. Information was released about the 2014 Toyota Corolla, but then taken away. The notice says, “Order guides are out, which means we’ve got lots of news to share. There have been a number of changes to the 2014 Corolla…but you’ll have to wait to find out about them. We’ll put the info back up later. Thanks for your understanding.” So those who didn’t get the quick sneak peak will have to wait. Apparently a Toyota dealer in Kansas had posted the information and Toyota wasn’t ready to share.

What we do know about the 2014 Toyota Corolla is that it will continue to host the same 1.8 liter four cylinder engine, but why fix something that isn’t broke? Toyota did give the engine some refreshes though including adding the Toyota’s Valvematic continuously variable valve timing. There will also be options of a four speed automatic that will come standard, or you can choose a six gear manual transmission. If you upgrade to the higher trim levels you can also choose a CVT. All this work is expected to boost the fuel efficiency ratings and give the car a better overall performance. This should be better than the current Corolla that is getting 132 horsepower and 128 pound feet of torque along with offering 27 city miles per gallon and 34 highway miles per gallon. But that is with a five speed manual version.

The most reliable car of 2012 according to Consumer Reports, and the bestselling car in California for the same year, Toyota was pretty excited. The Japanese automaker was able to watch 236,659 Prius models drive off the lots with their new owners. Well, it’s a new year and sales just aren’t working out the way Toyota thought they would. Gas prices dropped just a smidgeon, for a minute, and drivers started to pick out cars they wanted, more than cars that were good for fuel economy and there went the claim to fame for the Prius family.

This year’s car sales goal for the Toyota Prius is set to 250,000 units for the year, but sales have dropped by 8.4 percent as of the first quarter compared to the same period in 2012. Toyota might want to start thinking about adjusting their goal to a more modest number, or come up with something that new car shoppers won’t be able to refuse.

Jim Lentz, Toyota’s North American chief executive officer was in New York and shared his perspective in  a recent interview. “It’ll be a challenge, we’ll continue to push Prius and Prius family, but if it ends up that demand is less than the sales forecast, that may be adjusted. Since we now have about 2 million hybrid owners in the U.S., we do have people coming in to buy new hybrids again.”

He also makes an concerted effort to point out that Ford’s push to topple the hybrid market to gain the Best in Sales is not a factor for why more Toyota Prius models aren’t going out the door, but there are no figures to back that comment up one way or the other at this point. As we work into the second quarter of the year, with two left, there is still plenty of time to get those numbers up. Whether it will be the 250,000 that Toyota is hoping for seems far reaching for now.

Source Bloomberg

The internet has been abuzz lately with trying to figure out how a Toyota Highlander crashed, twice into a garage. The person that uploaded the video said his wife was driving and that it was a case of “unintended acceleration” which has been an ongoing problem for a variety of Toyota models. You can check out the video we posted earlier in the week if you want to watch the action again for yourself.

Well, Toyota has stepped up to the plate to assure the world that this unfortunate crash had nothing to do with any issues with the Highlander, and while they don’t say it, the assumption that it was probably the case of the driver panicking and forgetting to apply the brakes is probably what really happened. Nothing has truly been proven either way other than the Black Box did not record any braking attempts during the fiasco. The “Black Box” is an Event Data Recorder (EDR) that records vehicle operations.

There are, as they say, two sides to every story, so after we posted a video on Monday showing what an owner claimed to be a case of unintended acceleration causing her Toyota Highlander to crash into a house twice, Toyota reached out to us revealing some additional information about the incident.

Part of the letter that was written by Toyota  to the Highlander’s owner is as follows: “Your vehicle’s throttle, accelerator and related components were inspected and found operating as designed, within factory specifications. No binding or obstructions were found in the throttle components. The brake system was also inspected and no problems were found.”

The state of Kentucky wants Toyota to expand the Georgetown assembly plant to build the new Lexus ES and they are willing to give $146.5 million in tax incentives to encourage the Japanese automakers to do just that. The production announcement is supposed to be made by President of Toyota, Akio Toyoda and CEO of Toyota North America Jim Lentz in New York City in regard to producing the new luxury sedan for Lexus here in the United States.

The Lexus ES has been built in Japan first its inception in 1989 and coming to America for production would create a great deal of new jobs, for Georgetown that would work out to be around 570 new employees needed and as you can imagine that would boost the economy for the Bluegrass state pretty nicely.  The plant would need to be expanded and all in all it would take around $531.2 million to get everything up and running to produce 50,000 Lexus ES models each year.

An unidentified, but reliable source said, Georgetown is “competing with other Toyota plants for the opportunity to build this new model in North America.”

The Georgetown assembly plant currently runs at full capacity producing the Toyota Camry which has been the bestselling car in America for 11 years running now. This has brought in an investment of $6 billion dollars to this plant by Toyota. There are currently around 6,600 employees hard at work churning those new Camry models out every day. While Toyota projects needing about 570 workers to produce the Lexus ES, the Georgetown plant estimates that the number would probably be closer to 750 jobs needed when you add in contract workers.

“Securing this significant investment in Georgetown, Kentucky, would be a huge economic development victory,” Mandy Lambert, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky agency, said in a separate statement.

Source AutoNews

Toyota has been trying to push the RAV4 crossover into the top of its class since it was first built in the 90s. They haven’t been able to do it to date, but the 2013 Toyota RAV4 is all new and hopes are high that this offering from the Japanese automakers will make it into the big time. Of course it is going head to head with some mighty big players, such as the Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape and Subaru Forester and to compete with those established players, the RAV4 had better be something special.

The styling is probably the best thing going for the 2013 Toyota RAV4 and no one can deny, it looks sharp from back to front. While some think it looks a bit too “delicate” to be taken seriously by the hard core crossover fans, this vehicle wasn’t made for off roading, in fact, it seems to have been built more for soccer moms who want to have something large, yet fuel efficient to haul the kids and equipment around in.

Speaking of fuel efficiency, the 2013 Toyota RAV4 does pretty good. The all wheel drive version will get about 29 miles per gallon on the highway when it’s in ECO mode. Don’t expect to win any races though. The 2.5 liter four cylinder engine, pared with a six speed transmission will give you about 176 horsepower, not totally unfortunate, but not something to write home about either.

The inside is a little disconcerting from what you would typically expect from Toyota. It seems the higher quality materials were saved for the sedans, but then again, the 2013 Toyota RAV4 wasn’t built for luxury, and it’s priced accordingly. If you opt for the XLE all wheel drive version and get the navigation package with touchscreen you are still under $30,000 out the door which is much better than some of the other competition. So, maybe what the RAV4 lacks in quality will be made up for in quantity.

Source YouTube

While the Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150 are typically the first type of truck you think about when the topic of trucks come up, the Toyota Tacoma has been a staple running quietly in the background for the past few generations. The 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport is the perfect example. It’s been out for awhile now, it is quietly rolling off the dealership lots without quite as much hoopla as other the heavy duty trucks are doing, but is still worthy of getting its fair share of attention.

The 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport is the perfect choice when going large just isn’t your cup of tea. It’s a compact truck that offers plenty of capability in regard to ruling the roadways in just about any type of weather conditions, but is easier to find a parking spot for. Some people love the coziness of the smaller cab, but some others feel it is somewhat constrictive. But that boils down to a matter of taste.

While the 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport hosts a 4.0 liter V6, some feel it feels a bit sluggish but the jury is out on that because while it is a bit slow on the get-go, it keeps up with traffic without a problem. You will get about 236 horsepower and 266 pound feet of torque which really is plenty for this size vehicle. You can expect around 18 miles per gallon or so, which while not magnificent, isn’t too shabby when you compare it to the thirstier trucks on the market today.

The double cab is nice is the 2013 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport, but not so much for passengers as the rear seating is pretty cramped. It’s great for throwing groceries or other items in though. The materials aren’t plush, but this isn’t a luxury truck, it’s made for driving and has water resistant seat fabric and lots of easy to wash off hard plastic.

Source YouTube