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Toyota Mirai offers promising tech, unfortunate looks

Is there some rule that all cutting-edge, ultra-efficient or emissions-free vehicles need to look, uh, weird? No? Then would anyone care to explain the Toyota Mirai, a vehicle that for all it's hugely, wildly promising technology, will forever be pigeonholed based on its odd styling? Looks aside, the Mirai represents a big gamble for Toyota, which isn't only selling a hydrogen-powered car – a risky venture in itself – but teaming up with Air Liquide to build 12 hydrogen filling stations across the northeast. And once that's done, it plans on leasing the $57,000 sedans for just $499 month, a figure that includes free hydrogen (there is a reason for that, though). Like we said, this is a big gamble. Of course, we still can't get over its looks, which you can more closely analyze in our live gallery, available above. Have a glance. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. THE FUTURE HAS ARRIVED, AND IT'S CALLED MIRAI President Akio Toyoda announces name of fuel cell sedan in web video CEO Jim Lentz announces expansion of Toyota fuel cell infrastructure investment to five-state Northeastern corridor NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., (Nov. 16, 2014) – Akio Toyoda has seen the future, and it's called "Mirai." That's the name of Toyota's new fuel cell vehicle, which the company's president announced in a video released the night before the car's official launch. Mirai, which means "future" in Japanese, represents a turning point for the automotive industry. The groundbreaking vehicle can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes and emits only water vapor. Expanded Support for New Hydrogen Stations Of course, the car of the future won't become a reality without the hydrogen stations to support it. That's why Toyota North America chief executive officer (CEO) Jim Lentz announced a new commitment to drive the development of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure in five northeastern U.S. states. To support Mirai's introduction to the region in 2016, Toyota is collaborating with Air Liquide to develop and supply a phased network of 12 state-of-the-art hydrogen stations targeted for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The states and locations have been strategically selected in the greater New York and Boston areas to provide the backbone of a hydrogen highway for the Northeast corridor.

Honda, Nissan, and Toyota expand Takata recall by millions worldwide

Honda, Nissan, and Toyota are expanding their global Takata airbag inflator recalls to cover millions of additional vehicles. Toyota alone is adding about 5 million vehicles to its campaign globally, and over 600,000 of those are in the US, according to Automotive News. Nissan's expansion includes an estimated 1.56 million cars worldwide, including about 326,000 in North America, but the exact models from the company are not yet known. According to Automotive News, Honda has also announced plans to increase the scope of its campaign but hasn't yet disclosed specific models, total numbers, or their location. Company spokesperson Chris Martin tells Autoblog that none of these vehicles are in the US, though. In the US, Toyota is replacing the driver's side front inflators on 160,000 examples of the 2004 and 2005 RAV4 nationwide. It's also swapping out the front passenger side parts for 177,000 units of the 2003 and 2004 Tundra (pictured above) and 2004 Sequoia. The automaker is also expanding its regional recalls in high-humidity areas to include the passenger-side inflators of 300,000 more vehicles. In total, the affected models are 2005-2007 model-year Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, and Lexus SC; plus the 2005-2006 Tundra is included, as well. All of the states that are covered by this campaign are listed in Toyota's announcement, below. In a statement to Autoblog, Nissan said that it's currently working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on this campaign. "We expect to have a more formal statement and additional information by Friday, May 15," the company said. TOYOTA EXPANDS TAKATA AIRBAG SAFETY RECALLS TORRANCE, Calif., May 12, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is expanding its recalls involving Takata air bag inflators. First, Toyota will conduct a recall to replace Takata-supplied driver front airbag inflators on approximately 160,000 model year 2004 and 2005 RAV4 sport utility vehicles. The inflators could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants. For similar reasons, Toyota will expand two existing recalls for Takata-supplied front passenger airbag inflators, namely: Toyota's nationwide recall launched in April 2013 will expand to include approximately an additional 177,000 model year 2003-2004 Tundra and model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.