Geneva motor show: Toyota's hybrids

Toyota has revealed the first image of its forthcoming Yaris hybrid, a model that will be showcased at the Geneva motor show in March. The firm has also confirmed that its larger Prius model will be a seven-seater in European markets.

The Yaris teaser image, revealed via a company blog website, shows the nose of the car. It’s clearly a development of the model that was revealed recently in Japan as the Vitz, although there are slight changes to the grille (now deeper) and the headlights, which feature strips of LEDs.

There’s also a hint that the intake-esque elements at either side of the bumper will house LED lighting.

The Yaris hybrid is expected to go on sale in 2012, and it will be produced at Toyota’s factory in Valenciennes, France. It’s likely to get a much smaller petrol motor as part of its powertrain; expect it to use a 1.33-litre engine instead of the 1.8-litre unit used in the Prius and Auris.

Toyota also issued a photo of the larger Prius’s badging. It confirms that the car will be called ‘Prius+’ instead of the ‘Prius v’ that will be used in the US. And the blog promises “the versatility of seven seats”, indicating that the European model will be able to cope with more passengers than the five-seat US version.

Both models are being lined up for European debuts at next month’s Geneva motor show.

Toyota Yaris 1.33 2011

Toyota Yaris 1.3L
Price: £13,300 (est); Top speed: 105mph; 0-62mph: 9.0sec; Economy: 61.5mpg; (combined); CO2: Under 115g/km; Kerb weight: 1000kg; Engine: 4 cyls, 1329cc, petrol; Power: 94hp at 6000rpm; Torque: 89lb ft at 4000rpm; Gearbox: CVT

Toyota Europe Celebrate The 20 units

MADRID, Toyota celebrated the delivery of the 20 million units in Europe, an achievement which achieved success in just 10 years after record sales of 10 million units in the Blue Continent. Toyota entered the European market for the first time in 1963 by sending the Toyota Crown model 190 to their distributors in Denmark.

Currently, Toyota is one of the largest automotive manufacturers in Europe, with a nine factories that produce cars, engines, and transmission, research and development, design, and training centers. Toyota to invest 1.2 billion euros and employs 3,000 people in Europe.

Toyota's first production in Europe started in 1992 in the UK with the opening of Burnaston plant and engine plant in Deeside, North Wales. Britain remains one of the strongest markets for Toyota, and since sales started 1965, more than 2.7 million cars were sold here.

Investment continues to grow. Most recently, Toyota's Auris makes the Burnaston production center hybrids using gasoline engines produced in Deeside.

Cars that go on record to-20 million production is a Toyota Verso 2.0 D-4D made in Adapazari plant in Turkey. This car was handed over to Gabriel Jimenez, buyers from Madrid, Spain, in a celebration party at the office of Toyota Spain (TES). The celebration was attended by Miguel Fonseca as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Toyota Motor Europe and Orhan Özer as President and CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturers Turkey.

Source: TOYOTA

The 2011 Toyota Highlander facelift

Japanese carmaker has releases today the 2011 Toyota Highlander price list for the USA market. The 2011 Toyota Highlander will be sold in U.S. both as a gasoline crossover and as a hybrid.

The 2011 Toyota Highlander facelift comes with a slightly modified exterior design, which includes new head lamps and taillights, a redesigned grille, new fog lamps and bumpers, new chrome accents and various other discrete changes.

The base Highlander still sports its 187-horsepower, 2.7-liter four-cylinder, but the same engine is now offered in the SE version as well. Limited editions come standard with a 273-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6. All-wheel drive is available; it's standard on the Limited.

The second choices is a 3.5-litre V6 producing 270 HP and 248 lb-ft of torque that links to a 5-speed automatic gearbox, which enables the 2011 Toyota Highlander to return 28 mpg (both city and highway).

Highlander prices start at $27,390 for the base four-cylinder two-wheel drive model. The SE V6 two-wheel drive will be $33,150, while the Limited V6 four wheel-drive model will be $36,345. The Highlander Hybrid will range from $37,290 for the base model to $42,945 for the Limited model.