Click above for more high-res shots of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring

The numbers for last year's combined fleet fuel efficiency for all automakers in the United States has been tallied. The winner? Um, Lotus. But, they don't really count. Too small. For manufacturers that actually offer a full line of automobiles, Toyota with 29.69 mpg just barely edged out the likes of Honda, which posted 29.49, and Hyundai with 29.37. All those Prius hybrid sales surely helped push Toyota to the top this year. Not surprisingly, the Detroit 3 didn't even come close with 25.16 from GM and 25.15 from Ford. DaimlerChrysler propped up the rear with a dismal 23.97 average figure.

Toyota has no plans to give up the mileage crown. In fact, the Japanese giant will increase capacity of its upcoming third-gen Prius sedan by an astonishing 70-percent at the Tsutsumi factory in Japan, allowing for the production of 480,000 hybrid sedans per year. For 2010, Toyota plans to bring its Mississippi plant online, which will further serve to increase capacity. We have a feeling that it'll have little trouble selling every one it manufacturers.


[Sources: NHTSA (.pdf link), Automotive News - sub. req'd]

With the first occupants set to move into Toyota's new Technical Center just south of Ann Arbor, MI just a few weeks from now, the company is hoping to get it certified as a "green" building. Toyota constructed the facility on the site of the former Ypsilanti Psychiatric Hospital. The company reused crushed building materials from the old buildings during the construction of roads and parking lots on the new campus. Additional building materials for the campus have been sourced from within 500 miles of Ann Arbor.

Inside the facilities waterless urinals, low emitting paints and efficient under floor ventilation systems are used. Toyota is hoping to get a gold certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED program.

By happenstance the very location of the facility also worked out to be beneficial. Toyota managed to buy the property for the facility from the state in 2006 over the objections of a developer who had offered more money. The developer wanted to build yet another sub-division with several thousand homes, which given the collapse of the real estate bubble would likely be sitting unsold and empty now. Instead Toyota will be consolidating employees from several buildings scattered around the eastern fringes of Ann Arbor along with hiring several hundred new employees. By moving everyone into a single facility, there were will be less driving from one facility to another for meetings.

[Source: Saline Reporter]

There's more than one way to paint a car. We've featured models with cans and brushes, the option of going sans paint entirely and we've even seen electricity generated from leftover paint fumes. Of course, automakers strive for the highest paint quality possible. The processes they come up with are often very time-consuming and cover many different steps, so it's not all that surprising that Toyota would find a way to both streamline and green up the process a bit. At its Tsutsumi plant in Japan, which is already equipped with solar panels and a rooftop garden, the automaker is currently testing its new "3-Wet" system, which cuts down one entire drying oven. According to Toyota, a 15-percent reduction in energy can be realized using this new process, which is substantial, considering that it estimates as much as 24 percent of the total energy necessary to create one of its cars comes from the painting process.

[Source: The Detroit News]

The Toyota Auris, the compact 5-door hatchback set to compete in the most difficult European segment is now available with a new diesel powertrain. The unit is a 1.4-liter D-4D 90 engine, with 89bhp (90 DIN hp) at 3,800rpm and maximum torque of 190 Nm (140 lb-ft), which can be ordered with a 5-speed manual or MultiMode transmission (with fully automatic or manual sequential modes).

Official combined cycle fuel consumption is 56.5mpg UK (46 mpg U. S. or 5.0 l/100 km) and average CO2 emissions of 132g/km. Top speed is 109mph and the 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) acceleration figure in 12.0 seconds (14.7 with MultiMode transmission).

[Source: Toyota UK]

Since the Japanese Health Ministry first recognized Karoshi (literally death from too much work) in 1987, the number of claims has steadily increased. In fact, in the year between March of 2006 and 2007, there were 303 claims of Karoshi made, with 147 of those cases acknowledged as accurate by the government. Those are some sobering statistics, and the auto industry in Japan is certainly not immune to the problem. An unnamed man who was a lead engineer on the Camry hybrid project from Toyota died from overwork in January of 2006, according to a recent ruling by the Health Ministry. The forty-five year old man is said to have worked eighty hours of overtime per month, including nights and weekends. He died from heart disease the day before he was scheduled to leave for the U.S. as part of the team preparing for the Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota, for its part, has acknowledged the ruling and says it will work on improving the monitoring of its employees. This latest case will certainly lend some credence for some regarding the recent allegations of workers rights abuses by Toyota, though it is impossible for us to accurately say whether or not the auto giant is directly responsible for the man's death.

[Source: AP via Yahoo]

Click above image for a gallery of the 5-door Yaris

How do you know gas prices are high? Well, for one thing, your wallet feels a whole lot lighter after you fill up your car. Another indicator is that Toyota is adding a second Yaris liftback to its U.S. lineup. So much for the red-white-and-blue being averse to hatches. For the '09 model year, we're finally getting the 5-door Yaris hatch, which has been available in other markets, including Canada, since the current car arrived in 2005. The 5-door is basically the same size as the three-door, but the added points of entry make for a more usable overall package, especially if you're going to be using the back seats often. Parents, for one, should be pleased with the new offering. Other changes made to the Yaris range for '09 include the addition of standard front side and rear curtain airbags and the addition of optional cruise control for the Liftback. Toyota hasn't announced pricing yet, but it should be in line with what it already asks for the 3- and 4-door cars. Photos of the U.S. market car haven't been released yet, but the enclosed gallery of the UK-market version show you just about all you need to know. Just mentally flip that steering wheel over to the other side.


[Source: Toyota]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Ironman edition Toyota Tundra

Moving full-size pickup trucks has proven more difficult than ever before. The main issues seem to be a slumping economy and high fuel prices, so most manufacturers have decided to offer heavy incentives to make their heavy metal more affordable and figured out ways to eke more fuel efficiency from their behemoths. Toyota, though, has oddly decided to go a different route, adding even more power, along with an extra cost, for three of its most fuel-hungry vehicles: the full-size Tundra pickup, midsize Tacoma pickup and FJ Cruiser SUV. Launched under the Ironman moniker, the vehicles are meant to draw on the Japanese company's involvement with Ivan "Ironman" Stewart.

For up to an extra twenty grand, buyers can opt for various suspension goodies, which will invariably reduce fuel consumption by jacking the vehicle further off the ground, along with topping the engine with a supercharger. This power-booster increases power on the Tundra to an impressive 504 from the standard 381 and torque from 401 lb-ft to a heady 550. Each of the various pieces will also be available separately, in case the idea of single digit fuel mileage are less than intriguing to you.

[Source: Automotive News]

Toyota has issued a clarification to reports earlier this week that it would introduce a third dedicated hybrid model in January at the Detroit Auto Show. At this year's show company president Katsuoko Watanabe announced that the company would bring two all new hybrid-only models to the 2009 show one each for Lexus and Toyota. That is all Toyota will unveil in Detroit. There will not be a third new hybrid. One of the new cars will be the new Prius. An additional model remains a possibility for introduction at some other show. This could either be a larger car or it might be the plug-in Prius that will debut in 2010 for fleet testing use.

[Source: Toyota]

The Toyota Prius has long been the darling of Hollywood celebrities, though it seems its good reputation is being besmirched just a bit. We can't say whether the allegations are true or not, but The National Labor Committee (NLC) has published a report highlighting such offenses against Toyota as operating sweat shops, working with dictators and human trafficking. Also under fire are supposedly low wages for workers in Japan and long hours without overtime pay.

You may remember from some time back reports regarding at least one Toyota worker who died from overwork. This case is brought up again by the NLC along with a few examples of workers who committed suicide allegedly because they were put under too much pressure to perform. Toyota's lack of an American union is also drawing ire from the NLC, as are the lower wages the company pays its U.S. employees. Again, we're not able to comment on the validity of the NLC's report, however these are serious allegations which could potentially tarnish the squeaky-clean reputation that the automaker currently holds.

[Source: The National Labor Committee via World Car Fans]

Even before its first production vehicle ships with a lithium ion battery, Toyota is already making plans for the next wave of energy storage technology. We expect to see Toyota and Lexus products with lithium ion packs sometime around 2010, and Toyota is said to believe that the technology will last about twenty years. Therefore, a replacement will be needed around 2030. For this reason, Toyota has set up a new team of fifty people this month to begin working on the next-next generation of electric power, which could use chemical batteries, capacitors or some combination of the two.

Whatever the next technology for energy storage turns out to be, Toyota doesn't want to be caught off guard. Considering that battery supply is already one limiting factor when it comes to how many hybrid vehicles the Japanese giant can produce, we are hardly shocked that Toyota has plans to stay on the cutting edge in battery technology.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Hybrid-X Concept

So, we already know that Toyota will be showcasing its new third-generation Prius hybrid sedan at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show early in 2009. It's long been assumed that this new third-gen Prius would spawn a Lexus vehicle using the same platform and a similar hybrid system. Differences would include a higher price, obviously, and lithium ion batteries in place of the nickel metal hydrides installed in the Prius. What may be more interesting to some, though, is news that Toyota will also be displaying a third hybrid vehicle at the same show. Without giving away too many details, Masatami Takimoto, a VP in charge of research and development, indicates that this third hybrid will be a totally new car based on a larger platform than the current and next Prius. As has been widely reported, including on this very blog, Toyota's first plug-in hybrid is expected to debut in 2010.

In other green news, Toyota will be adding new gasoline-burning 1.3 liter and 2.5 liter engines along with stop/start technology, which is becoming increasingly popular in these days of high gasoline prices. Also on the docket is a new six speed manual transmission which will be kept compact for use in small cars. We look forward to seeing what else Toyota's got up its corporate sleeves.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for 91 high-resolution images of the new Scion xD

Toyota and Honda have battled it out as the greenest automaker these last few years pretty much no matter how you look at it. Honda may have beat Toyota to the hybrid punch with its inaugural Insight model, but there is no arguing that the Prius is the green car standard by which others are judged. Last year, Honda was anointed the Greenest Automaker by the Union of Concerned Scientists, partly because it boasted the highest average fuel efficiency of its entire fleet of cars. Could that status be in danger? Perhaps, and Toyota would like you to know that its line is this year's most fuel efficient. How so? According to the press release pasted after the break, Toyota currently offers eight models which get better than thirty miles per gallon on the highway according to the EPA ... if the Camry hybrid is counted as a separate model from the normal Camry and the Scion xD is included. Additionally, the fuel economy numbers are those used by the NHTSA for CAFE standards, which are not the same as the numbers reported by the EPA. Is all of this just picking nits? Maybe, but there is no arguing that both Toyota and Honda are tops when it comes to the mile per gallon race.

Toyota was so proud of their earlier fuel cell hybrid vehicle's (FCHV) 347 mile range that they took it on several adventurous treks. Now, the company's new 500+ mile range achievement must have them poring over the maps again, seeking the next great challenge for the vehicle, now monikered "FCHV adv" (advanced). We think the drive from Patagonia to Ecuador would be an exceptional tour de hydrogen fuel cell force. Not only would it give the folks at Toyota lots of quality time with this new iteration but it would challenge all the various components that were improved to reach their new range milestone.

The cold of the far South would sorely test the improvements made to the building block of the fuel cell, the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), that keeps water from interfering with electricity production when the mercury shrinks to -30C. The mountains of Peru would give the improved regenerative braking system a thorough working over while the humidity of Ecuador would demand the most of the upgraded degradation control for the electrode catalyst and the improved fuel cell durability. In short, the trip would be an excellent trial by tire. The journey would also be longer than what one filling of the new 10,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks would allow for so hopefully they would be able to bring along the mobile fuel unit to top them off once in a while.

Of course, they could just forgo all that hassle and use it as a test-ride vehicle at the Environmental Showcase for the International Media Center during the July 7-9 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, since it was granted certification by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) on June 3. Press release after the jump.

Over at the Toyota Open Road blog, Toyota's American Communications boss Irv Miller has a new post talking about hybrid battery supplies. As we reported yesterday, May sales of the Prius were down 40 percent compared to the previous May. It's not because people suddenly didn't want Priuses anymore, especially with gas at $4/gallon. In fact exactly the opposite is true. So many people have wanted Priuses through the first four months of the year, that there simply weren't any more to be had. Those 15,000 units Toyota sold were basically all the cars that were left.

Miller mentions the same things the he told ABG the other day and then goes on to discuss the situation in a little more detail. The Panasonic EV Energy plant in Omori, Japan currently builds the batteries for Toyota's hybrids and it is being expanded. A new lithium ion battery line is being installed to supply batteries for the first plug-in Priuses that are coming in 2010. Toyota expects to sell 450,000 hybrids worldwide this year, an amount that the company has stated it wants to increase to 1 million annually sometime within the next decade.

[Source: Toyota Open Road]

Click above to view more images of Toyota's Night View technology

Toyota has been offering a large car known as the Crown in Japan for many years, and it often gets flagship-level technology which floats down to lower models in time. Recently, the Crown got the same parallel hybrid drivetrain which is offered in the Lexus LS600h. To go along with the advanced hybrid drive, the Crown Hybrid will now be offered with Toyota's new Night View technology, which allows drivers to see better under low-light conditions. In normal daylight, the 1280 pixel wide LCD displays what appear to be normal instruments, but at night, the LCD displays an alternate view ahead. While this type of technology isn't really anything new, Toyota has added an interesting new feature to its system which recognizes humans. Although the system only works at speeds below about 40 miles per hour and doesn't operate well in the rain, Toyota is working on improving its system to detect animals and bicycles, while also lowering the cost.


[Source: Nikkei]