Auto News 5

Electric vehicle and scooter specialist ZAP has named Gary Dodd, a manufacturing executive formerly with Toyota, as president of global operations. Full story...

As part of its long-term viability plan and recent decision to phase out the Pontiac brand, General Motors has decided to discontinue production of the Pontiac Vibe by the end of August 2009. The Vibe is produced at the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) facility jointly operated by GM and Toyota in Fremont, California. While no replacement for Vibe production has been determined, GM and Toyota remain in active discussions regarding potential future production at NUMMI. Full story...

Kingston, Ontario - Toyota Canada will reveal today the pricing of the 2010 Toyota Prius. This announcement will coincide with the deliveries of the first units to select Canadian buyers across the country. Full story...

Kingston, Ontario - Toyota Canada will reveal today the pricing of the 2010 Toyota Prius. This announcement will coincide with the deliveries of the first units to select Canadian buyers across the country. Full story...

Kingston, Ontario - Toyota Canada will reveal today the pricing of the 2010 Toyota Prius. This announcement will coincide with the deliveries of the first units to select Canadian buyers across the country. Full story...

Toyota has denied it plans to produce the Prius hybrid at the NUMMI plant in California but is preparing to boost production in Japan by adding weekend shifts. Full story...

2009 Toyota RAV4 4x4

It's competent, to be sure, but it seems to have lost some character.

Sometimes, even when you work at Automobile Magazine, you don't care if a car is fast or good looking, if it's refined or luxurious, or if its seats have the right amount of bolstering. You just want it to get you home. That's exactly the sort of mood I was in when I emerged from the office last week around midnight, eyes bleary from proofreading articles for the upcoming issue (it's a good one). It was a cold, rainy night, and I was glad to have the keys to a Toyota RAV4.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Toyota RAV4 4x4 - Toyota Crossover SUV Review - Automobile Magazine

Read More | Digg It | Add to del.icio.us

Full story...

Nissan Motor and Toyota are again employing short-term factory workers in Europe to boost their small car output, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday. Full story...

A parts maker that is part of the Toyota Motor Group is likely to face a government penalty for overstating its profits, according to local media. Full story...

Vehicle sales in Thailand fell by 26.2% year on year in May to 40,539 units, according to data released by Toyota Motor Thailand, marking the 12th consecutive monthly decline. The recession deepened in the first quarter, with GDP contracting by 7.1% compared with a drop of 4.3% in the last quarter of 2008. Full story...

How much did it cost to develop the new generation Toyota Prius hybrid? The colour drains from the face of chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka, it's probably not the sort of information the company wants him to give out. Full story...

Toyota is building three 'sustainable retailers' in France, Austria and Slovenia, as a business case for eco-friendly design and construction. Under the programme, Toyota is targeting new builds as well its 3,000-strong network of retailers to achieve widespread cuts in energy use, water consumption and CO2 emissions. Full story...

While General Motors has axed its hybrid version of the Chevy Malibu for the 2010 model year, Toyota hopes to sell about 25,000 of its new Prius-based hybrid-only Lexus HS250 model in the United States in its first year. Full story...

Toyota Motor Corp. expects to sell about 25,000 of its all-new dedicated hybrid car for the Lexus premium brand in the United States in the first 12 months of its sale, an executive said on Wednesday. Full story...

Toyota Kirloskar Motors is planning multiple use of the new compact platform its parent company is developing for the launch of a small car in India later next year. A sedan is among the body variants being planned. Full story...

Toyota's stalled Prius factory project in Tupelo, Miss., might not be a Prius factory when work on the plant finally resumes. The company is entertaining new ideas about other products it could build there, said Steve St. Full story...

Toyota expects to start compact car production at its new plant in India by the end of next year, with initial capacity of 70,000 vehicles a year, a top official said on Tuesday. Full story...

According to reports, Canadian Patrick Carpentier could be back with Michael Waltrip Racing for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway later this month. Full story...

Japanese factories making the third-generation Toyota Prius are humming at near full capacity to meet booming demand for the hybrid car. Four lines, at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant and a factory belonging to affiliate Toyota Auto Body Co. Full story...

Japanese factories making the third-generation Toyota Prius are humming at near full capacity to meet booming demand for the hybrid car. Four lines, at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant and a factory belonging to affiliate Toyota Auto Body Co. Full story...