Auto News 5

When the Grand Vitara was redesigned for the 2006 model year, the 4-cylinder Vitara bit the dust. Suzuki's compact SUV was left with only one engine which was shared with the old XL7. For a few years, it was sufficient. Now, as SUV owners are downsizing, 4-cylinder trucks are the new trend. Toyota's RAV4, Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute have all received engine upgrades for 2009, so Suzuki didn't have much choice but to follow suit. And the Grand Vitara actually gets two new engines for 2009, a four and a more-powerful six. Full story...

When the Grand Vitara was redesigned for the 2006 model year, the 4-cylinder Vitara bit the dust. Suzuki's compact SUV was left with only one engine which was shared with the old XL7. For a few years, it was sufficient. Now, as SUV owners are downsizing, 4-cylinder trucks are the new trend. Toyota's RAV4, Ford's Escape and Mazda's Tribute have all received engine upgrades for 2009, so Suzuki didn't have much choice but to follow suit. And the Grand Vitara actually gets two new engines for 2009, a four and a more-powerful six. Full story...

Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) plans to terminate 350 short-term workers' contracts out of 5,500 across its Thai operations as it prepares for falling worldwide demand for its vehicles. The company this month revised down its Thai vehicle production forecasts for next year from 500,000 to 450,000 units, compared with a planned 570,000 units in 2008. Full story...

People looking for a solution to rush-hour traffic and jammed city streets won't buy a Volvo C30 for the same reasons they would buy a Toyota Yaris. The latter is a rational pick based on affordability and fuel efficiency. Full story...

Toyota is to scale back production at its largest Chinese venture but has no plans to lay off workers, according to local news reports. Full story...

Toyota will lose money in Europe for the first time since its 2001-2002 fiscal year unless unit sales rise sharply in early 2009. Full story...

Production began today of the new Toyota Avensis at Toyota's Burnaston, UK, plant. It's a bit of manufacting sector good news in Britain amid plenty of gloom lately and that attracted government ministers to the occasion. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp is to half the number of temporary workers it employs in Japan, its domestic market as sales continue to get worse. Full story...

This week, Auto123.com features the following road tests: The Honda Fit, the little Japanese car that features a convertible trunk more spacious than the Mazda5's. The Toyota Camry Hybrid, a fuel-efficient ride popular with the quiet crowd. The Volkswagen Tiguan, the new German alternative to the BMW X3... that costs less! And feel free to check out our video on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata road test, a mid-size sedan that proves that the quality of a product is not always reflected in its price. Full story...

There are fuel sippers, and then there are fuel shunners. The Toyota Camry hybrid concept unveiled Wednesday at the Los Angeles auto show that runs on compressed natural gas falls into the second category. Full story...

Toyota has said it will stop production at all of its assembly, transmission and engine factories in the United States and Canada for two extra days next month to work down accumulated inventory. Full story...

The Ford Fusion family sedan introduced for 2006 has done well, garnering awards for quality and topping the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry in the Consumer Reports reliability index. Full story...

Toyota has cut its automobile sales forecast for China by 100,000 vehicles to 600,000 this year, Japan's Nikkei financial daily reported. Full story...

Toyota has added an all-new 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i petrol engine with stop-start technology to the Toyota Auris. Full story...

Ford Motor Co. expects its Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrid sedans to get better fuel economy than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The restyled, re-engineered Fusion and Milan will be company's first sedans with a two-mode hybrid powertrain. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. will halt production at all of its U.S. and Canadian auto plants for two days in December to reduce its robust flow of vehicles into a sagging U.S. market. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. will halt production at all of its U.S. and Canadian auto plants for two days in December to reduce its robust flow of vehicles into a sagging U.S. market. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. will halt production at all of its U.S. and Canadian auto plants for two days in December to reduce its robust flow of vehicles into a sagging U.S. market. Full story...

Thai vehicle sales fell by 15.4% year-on-year to 48,942 units in October - the fastest rate of decline so far this year, according to data released by Toyota Motor Thailand. The gloomy data reflects a worsening global economic outlook and ongoing political uncertainty in the country. A domestic index measuring consumer sentiment shows confidence fell to a low for the year in October. Full story...

Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) says it will make fewer vehicles next year than the 570,000 estimated this year as exports have been hurt by the global recession. Full story...