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#81
03-09-2010, 07:40 PM
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Rumormill: Toyota working on FT-86 sedan?
Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Japan, Toyota, Rumormill  That's what the crew at Car Guide would have us all believe. According to the website, Toyota is looking to hedge its bets by producing a second model on the same platform as the upcoming FT-86. As the theory goes, If the two-door doesn't find the kind of favor the company is hoping for, it will at least have a four-door version to pick up a few sales. The site points to a shadowy Toyota executive as the source of the information, and it's even worked up a rendering to show the world exactly what the sports sedan could look like. That all sounds reasonable and all, but we're still having a hard time swallowing this one. Toyota isn't exactly the kind of company to take huge manufacturing risks. With the development costs of the FT-86 shared with partner Subaru, Toyota would be looking at shoving quite a bit of extra money toward coming up with a proprietary four-door variant of the car. We just don't see that happening, even if we do like the idea of a more affordable rear-wheel drive Japanese four-door. Head over to Car Guide to have a look at the full rendering. [Source: Car Guide] Rumormill: Toyota working on FT-86 sedan? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Commentsأكثر... 
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#82
04-09-2010, 12:30 AM
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Mitsuoka Orochi now available to rent in Osaka
Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Japan  Mitsuoka Orochi Premium Gold - Click above for high-res image gallery So you're headed to Japan and need to rent a car. What to choose? The island nation is a smorgasbord of metal foreign to American tastes, from a wide buffet of pint-sized Orochi, complete with its underwhelming Toyota 3.3-liter V6 mounted mid-ship. If you require something topless, Mitsuoka will be happy to put you in the driver's seat of its roadster, the Himiko for a mere $177 per day. Whichever you choose, you'll need a fair command of the Japanese language to navigate Mitsuoka's site. Our Google Translator was no help at all. [Source: Mitsuoka via Gizmag] Mitsuoka Orochi now available to rent in Osaka originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Commentsأكثر...
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#83
06-09-2010, 01:30 AM
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Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line
Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Toyota  Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery Akio Toyoda may want to bring driving excitement back to Toyota, but he and his team have two major hurdles to overcome: The brands's limited enthusiast base and the fact that Japan's youth have very little interest in cars. To combat both fronts, Toyota plans to launch a new line of budget-oriented vehicles that offer a modicum of sport. But so far, things don't look too promising. Despite debuting an FT-86-based concept at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota's G Sports line of products have mainly focused on the Voxy and Noah minivans, while a "sports" version of the Prius is apparently in the works. More interestingly, the Mainichi Daily News reports that a version of the GRMN sports car concept has been given the greenlight, meaning a mid-engined hybrid successor to the MR2 is in the works. All these developments come after Toyota established a sports vehicle management division in January, which now has a hand in the brand's overall product planning. We should get a look at the fruits of their labors during next year's auto show season and could see this new breed of budget sports vehicles on the market - at least in Japan - within the next few years. [Source: Mainchi Daily News] Report: Toyota plans budget sports car line originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Commentsأكثر...
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#84
07-09-2010, 06:40 PM
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Report: Mitsubishi could kill off Galant, Eclipse by 2013
Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Japan, Crossover  Mitsubishi Eclipse - Click above for high-res image gallery Things aren't looking good for the Mitsubishi lineup of American-built vehicles. According to AutoWeek, the Japanese automaker is channeling all of its resources into building a new global small car. That means that between now and 2012, we won't be seeing too many updates to the likes of the Galant, Endeavor, Eclipse or Eclipse Spyder. All of those past-their-prime vehicles ride on the same platform and are built in the company's Normal, Illinois manufacturing facility. As of right now, AutoWeek says that the Japanese automaker hasn't decided what to build at that plant once cars like the current Eclipse go the way of the dinosaur. Mitsubishi has been planning a new global car for a good while now, and while details are still murky at the moment, we're told to expect a fuel-thrifty 1.0 or 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood. The car is expected to show up in either late 2012 or early 2013, which leaves Mitsubishi to soldier on with only two other planned additions to its lineup between now and then - the i-MiEV electric vehicle and the Outlander Sport. Us? We're a bit more pessimistic. If cash-strapped Mitsu offs a significant portion of its lineup amidst slumping sales, will a new inexpensive small car and the Outlander and Lancer lineups make U.S. dealers enough money for them to stay in business? [Source: AutoWeek] Report: Mitsubishi could kill off Galant, Eclipse by 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Commentsأكثر...
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#85
07-09-2010, 09:10 PM
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Scion tC to get TRD performance version?
Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Japan, Scion, Rumormill  2011 Scion tC - Click above for high-res image gallery This is interesting. The JDM-obsessed crew over at 7Tune seem to believe that Toyota is planning a more sports-oriented version of the 2011 Scion tC. At first blush, the car reads like little more than a best-of list of parts from the TRD catalog. The word comes courtesy of none other than Toyota's Chief Engineer, Masayuki Nagai, who says that the car will boast all-new bodywork, a revamped suspension and a free-flowing exhaust for a little more pep. Supposedly the whole package will hit the wallet at a little more than $18,000. If that's true, the new package could be a performance steal. Unfortunately, this rumored sharper tC isn't slated to hit showrooms until the 2012 model year, which means that buyers will be only have its more prosaic iteration to pick over for a full year before its meaner brother comes along. Of course, we have to wonder exactly how many people are buying the tC because they want to scoot around a track faster than the competition - not too many, we'd fathom. But with Toyota apparently keen to gain a stronger male demographic for the tC, this is probably as good a place as any to start. Photos by Jeremy Korzeniewski / Copyright (C)2010 AOL [Source: 7Tune] Scion tC to get TRD performance version? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Commentsأكثر...
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