Tokyo Auto Salon: New Toyota FT-86 G Sports Concept
Toyota is getting attention at the Tokyo Auto Salon today with the unveiling of the updated FT-86 G Sports concept. This is the latest version of the “Toyobaru” joint project between Toyota and Subaru. The G sports concept features a much more track-ready appearance from the outside, including more substantial air intakes and brake vents, and a hard-to-miss rear spoiler.
Power comes from Subaru’s 2.0-L, 4-cylinder Boxer , which has been given a turbo boost. Specs are not yet known, although there is speculation that it could share similar numbers with the Boxer found in Japan’s Limited Impreza R205. Ride height has been lowered by 30mm, compared to the original FT-86, and grip is provided by a set of Bridgestone Potenza RE050s on 19″ rims.
And the Best-Selling Automobile of 2009 was…
…the Ford F series pickup…again.
The honored F was redone for ‘09. But once the shining child of the American auto market, the F is far from its prime. The pickup achieved its high-point in ‘04 with almost 940,000 units sold. The number for ‘09? Well under 414,000. With all the cash, advertising, and labor put into it, the F couldn’t break out of the recession’s pull. The Chevrolet Silverado (#3) was well behind it with 317,000, and Dodge Ram (#10) came in with a rather weak 177,000 units.
The big truck losers? The GMC Sierra came nowhere near the Silverado’s numbers (112,000), making the argument for us that it’s time to assimilate the damn thing into the Chevy line. The Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Ford Explorer were nowhere to be seen. The smaller Tacoma, Escape, and RAV4 all did well, however.
The Toyota Camry was the top car and #2 overall. The sale decline with the Camry was small, as the sedan managed to push out 357,000 units. Behind it were the Corolla with 297,000, the Honda Accord with 290,000, and Civic with 260,000. The only American car to break into the top ten was Ford’s Fusion. That came in at #9 with 181,000.
Toyota Prius and Honda Insight get Tommy Kaira Kits
Body kits and tuning are nothing new to fans of Japanese imports, although they tend to remind us of Supras and Civics, rather than the fuel sipping hybrids of the 21st century. Hybrids, by nature, are not the speedy performance machines generally associated with aggressive body styling and over sized rims, so this seems like an unlikely market for tuner accessories.
Toyota Reeling from Record Number of Safety Recalls
So much for Toyota dependability: the Japanese automaker had the most recalled vehicles in 2009.
Of the approximately 4,870,000 vehicles pulled from the road, the vast majority were related to “unintended acceleration.” The exact cause is unknown, but it was initially claimed to be from poorly designed floor mats, though Toyota did push ahead with gas pedal replacements. About 110,000 Toyota trucks were also recalled due to prematurely rusting frames, resulting in Toyota extending its warranty coverage to fifteen years. Before that, Toyota had to settle a case against it over charges of oil sludge buildup within its engines.
Consumer Reports, a longtime supporter of Toyota, was forced to concede its practice of automatically recommending the company’s vehicles would have to cease. Both the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have placed Toyota vehicles under review.
Prius to Become Toyota Flagship?
Jim Lentz, Toyota’s US president, told Ward’s Auto that he expected the Prius to serve as a dominant star in the 2010s. As he put it, “I think long-term, Prius as a nameplate could even outsell Camry as a nameplate, into this next decade… I think Prius will become just that much stronger.”
Lentz was careful to state the Camry would keep its high sales–which Ward’s seemed to support, pointing out that the current ‘09 figures are 294,000 for the Camry to the Prius’s 118,000. Adding to that is the Camry’s record high of 473,000 versus 181,000 for the Prius. The overall picture could be fuzzy given that Toyota appears to be making the Prius into a sub-brand, with a larger variant in the works.
Whoops! Toyota’s Still Number One
Looks like the announcement earlier this week that VW was the world’s top-selling automakers was premature. Turns out Toyota still holds the crown. The VW numbers included sales from partner companies, including those which the German giant holds only a small stake in. By using the same standard, Toyota’s overall sales would run at a rate of just under five million vehicles–or a half-million more than VW. Anyone else think this is over-complicating a very simple question: Who’s selling the most cars?
Video: BMW M6 vs Toyota Supra
BMW M6 Evotech (560 hp) vs Toyota Supra (750 hp).
If you enjoyed this post, you should subscribe to our RSS feed. Also, you can subscribe by e-mail and get the latest news about cars, auto industry, concept cars, tuning in your inbox. It’s completely free! Subscribe to our Twitter to get the latest tweets.
Top Secret’s Toyota Prius
A new style on the plain Prius is starting in Japan and being developed by Smoky Nagata of Top Secret. Smoky Nagata is known for his big engine builds, mind blowing speed, and tunnel terror on the Wangan expressway. A new step forward in the world of green, this performance builder is proving to the world that a hybrid logo doesn’t always indicate a slow moving vehicle. Equipped with nitrous oxide, suspension, appearance, exhaust, and intake upgrades the Top Secret Toyota Prius is an excellent example of the tuners will to adapt and continue building fast vehicles.
Source:Tampa Sports Car Examiner
Hi-Res Gallery: Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Declared Victor in Cash-for-Clunkers Battle
Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans made up 41% of clunker sales, according to Inside Line. In contrast, the Detroit Three made up less than 37% of the 690,000+ vehicles sold through the program. Toyota managed to take the overall lead, making up over 19% of those sales alone.
The best-selling item? Corolla. Overall, Toyota kept a high mark on the Top Ten list with the Camry and Prius both selling in high volume. On the embarrassing side of the coin, GM saw no vehicles make it to the list; the company did manage to be No. 2 overall.
-
Social Groups
-
Sponsors
-
