1.8l Cd Pioneer Premium Audio System Fwd Powe Steering Cruise Control on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

Toyota creates GT86 concept inspired by Initial D

Everyone has a favorite movie or TV car of their youths. The love of these cars can ignite a lifelong passion for automobiles. Some lust for the sharp, stainless steel DeLorean DMC-12 from Back to the Future or the decked-out Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. For anime and manga fans, it's the panda-colored Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno from the Initial D manga and anime series. Toyota, recognizing the significance of the that car, meticulously reimagined it for a modern audience, basing it on the UK market GT86. The GT86, sold in the United States as the Scion FR-S and soon to be rebadged as the Toyota 86, is considered by some to be the spiritual successor to the rear-wheel-drive AE86 Corolla from the 1980s. Both are reasonably affordable, lightweight cars with a propensity for oversteer. The original AE86 from Initial D was a highly modified but realistic drift machine. The amazing feats of that tofu delivery car as it raced everything from Mazda RX-7s to a Honda S2000 turned the little Toyota into a cult icon. That AE86 itself was inspired by the personal vehicle of Japanese racing driver Keiichi Tsuchiya. Tsuchiya served as both an inspiration and supervisor for Initial D. Many of the modifications on the Initial D car, like the TRD carbon-fiber hood and Fujitsubo exhaust, car were exactly the same as Tsuchiya's real-life vehicle. Toyota is no stranger to crafting modern incarnations of classic vehicles. Last year the company created a Back to the Future Tacoma. Toyota's Initial D concept car uses the same parts wherever possible. Like the original, it has a carbon-fiber hood, Fujitsubo exhaust, and black Watanabe F8 wheels. The suspension, lights, and body have all been modified. Even small details like the engine cover and door handles were modified to recall the fictional car. The end result is a fantastic creation that pays great homage to the original. Toyota went as far as hiring UK manga artist Sonia Leong to design a series of backdrops that place the car in the same action shots as the original series. While this one-off vehicle is just a concept, most of the parts are available to purchase for fans who may be inspired to create their own version. Toyota's concept will be on display at various motoring shows across the UK this summer. Related video: Featured Gallery Toyota Initial D GT86 TV/Movies Scion Toyota Coupe toyota gt86 toyota 86

Autoblog Podcast #390

Episode #390 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing and Sebastian Blanco from Autoblog Green talk about the 2015 Ford Mustang specs, the 2016 Smart models, a proposal to add real-world numbers to EPA economy tests and the potential downside of autonomous cars. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the new rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #390: The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics: 2015 Ford Mustang specs 2016 Smart FourTwo and FourFour EPA wants road tests The downside of autonomous cars In the Autoblog Garage: 2014 Nissan Leaf 2015 Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron 2014 Scion tC Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Sebastian Blanco Runtime: 01:33:35 Rundown: Intro and Garage - 00:00 Mustang Specs - 34:40 2016 Smart Models - 51:14 EPA Tests - 01:02:57 Autonomous Cars - 01:11:19 Q&A - 01:21:22 Get the podcast: [UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10 PM Eastern at UStream [iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes [RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Feedback: Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Audi Ford Nissan Scion smart Electric Hybrid