Canadian drivers are looking for relief at the
gas pumps - and Toyota’s fuel efficient, low-emission vehicles deliver just
that. To dispel common myths and give Canadian drivers first-hand experience,
Toyota Canada Inc. and the Ontario Toyota Dealers Association are pleased to
bring the Toyota Hybrid Tour to Ontario this August.

Hybrid car entrants from Hyundai Motor Company and Japan’s Honda and Toyota will lock horns in the W20-million price range segment (US$1=W1,040) in next year’s second half.

Honda Korea said Sunday it will release its New Insight hybrid at a similar cost to its Civic 1.8 (W25.9 million) in the latter half of next year. The estimated price is comparable to Hyundai’s Avante LPG Hybrid, which will premiere in Korea in July of next year. Toyota’s hybrid Prius will hit Korea in October of next year, likely costing W29 million.

The electricity cost for powering a plug-in hybrid is only about one-quarter of the cost of powering a like-sized gasoline vehicle. Pictured here: a regular Toyota hybrid Prius converted to a 100 miles-per-gallon (avg.) plug-in by the California Cars Initiative, a nonprofit group dedicated to accelerating the availability of the technology. (Photo: jurvetson, courtesy Flickr)

The US auto industry is facing tough times and will not likely recover until 2010, a senior Toyota executive said Thursday.

“We’re in for a rough patch,” Bob Carter, vice president in charge of Toyota’s US sales, told an automotive conference.

Toyota Motor Co. plans to unveil a new Lexus hybrid and the next generation of its hot-selling Prius next year as the company looks to hit the one-million mark in hybrid sales in 2010.
A production version of the Lexus and Prius will be displayed at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager for the Toyota division at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. He made the comments during an interview on the sidelines of the Center for Automotive Research management Briefing seminar.

Q. Given the high price of gas, and the gap in price between no-name gas and the big brand names in some areas, can you clarify facts about the downside of buying no-name gas? Will it hurt performance? And, more importantly, will it harm my engine?

A. The federal government requires all gasoline to meet a minimum standard for both octane and quality. Does that mean that brand name gas is the same as no-name gas? Not necessarily. Brand-name gas may have more of the detergent additives that help keep the fuel system clean. So will you harm your car by using generic gasoline? In my opinion, no, although I’m sure I’ll get e-mails to the contrary.

TRAVERSE CITY, Michigan (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) sees an opportunity to increase sales through vehicle leasing as U.S. automakers pull back, Toyota U.S. sales chief said on Wednesday.

Bob Carter, group vice president of Toyota Motor U.S.A. Sales, said the automaker is committed to leasing in the U.S. market because record high residual values for its fuel-efficient cars and hybrids are offsetting falling values of large trucks and SUVs.

Toyota Motor Corp. still has the best working relationship with automotive suppliers, but it’s now closely followed by Honda Motor Co., according to an annual survey released Monday.

The ratings of Toyota and Nissan Motor Corp. both dropped significantly, while Chrysler LLC posted its second year of declines to fall to last place in the rankings slightly behind General Motors Corp., according to the survey by Planning Perspectives Inc. of Birmingham, Mich.

Drive a SUV through certain segments of society and you’re likely to be derided as a fiend personally responsible for blackening the sky, raising gas prices and aiming for people in crosswalks. Why, then, don’t Forester drivers, who technically are hauling around town in SUVs, face the same psychic daggers from the Green populace?

Massive declines in pickup sales, combined with stronger sales of cars, means that the Toyota Camry will likely pass the Ford F-Series as the best-selling vehicle line in America this year, according to Kimberly Rodriguez, principal of Grant Thornton Advisory Services Automotive Platform. She also expects Honda Motor Co. to surpass Chrysler LLC as the No. 3 automaker in the United States.

F-Series sales were down 22% through July, with 319,542 units sold. The Toyota Camry, meanwhile, posted flat sales through July, with 282,012 units sold.