Classic First Generation Toyota 4 Runner With Removable Top on 2040-cars

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Toyota FCV puts hydrogen fuel cell twist on ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

You've probably seen your fair share of Ice Bucket Challenge videos online this week, which are meant to raise money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called "Lou Gehrig's Disease." Hopefully, you've seen ours. We've watched a lot of these videos, but haven't seen one that makes an alt-fuel point quite like a new video from Toyota. Julie Hamp, the CCO of Toyota North America, lost a sister-in-law to ALS last year, so for her the cause is personal. Instead of just dumping icy-cold water on her head, Hamp uses water from the FCV fuel cell vehicle parked next to her. Because, of course, a hydrogen fuel cell car emits nothing but water vapor. Toyota didn't run a lot of hydrogen through the car to collect water, it just got enough to top off the ice bucket. Using the water emissions from a hydrogen vehicle in a creative way is not a new trick. Two years ago, the California Fuel Cell Partnership made the point that you can drink the emissions (just like Mercedes-Benz did earlier this year), but admitted that "fuel cells produce about the same amount of water as gasoline vehicle – about 1/3 cup for a full day of driving." Still, for a good cause, we'll accept the mix of tap water and "emissions." Check out the video below, if you haven't had enough already. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota buys Daihatsu for small-car development

Toyota is getting serious about small cars, but it's not going at it alone. Instead it's turning to its subsidiary Daihatsu, with which it will now share more resources and expertise. And in the process, it's acquiring the remaining stake in the smaller automaker. Daihatsu is a Japanese carmaker founded in its present form in 1951, but with roots that trace back as far as 1907. Toyota acquired a controlling interest of 51 percent in Daihatsu in 1988, bringing the company under its umbrella. But now it is raising its stake to 100 percent by a reciprocal share-swap agreement that will see Daihatsu's other shareholders take 0.27 shares in the larger company for each share in the smaller. As part of the new arrangement, the Daihatsu division will take the lead in developing new small cars, both for itself and for its parent company. Toyota in turn will also share key technologies with Daihatsu, and both will share each other's networks in emerging markets. The bottom line is that we can expect to see more small Toyotas and Scions developed and built by Daihatsu in the near future. The Daihatsu name may not be as familiar to Americans as some of Toyota's other brands. It briefly sold models like the Charade and Rocky in the United States under its own name in the late 1980s and early 90s. However US customers may be more familiar with those it built for the Scion brand, such as the Scion xB that was based on the Daihatsu Materia. While the realistic part of our brains force us to admit it's unlikely, the dreamer within us will hold out hope that the new arrangement could see a Scion version of the nimble little Daihatsu Kopen roadster make its way to our shores in the coming years. Toyota and Daihatsu to Strengthen Small Car Operations through Unified Global Strategy Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and its subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Daihatsu) have reached an agreement whereby Daihatsu will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota by way of a share exchange (expected to be completed in August 2016). The purpose of the agreement is to develop of ever-better cars by adopting a unified strategy for the small car segment, under which both companies will be free to focus on their core competencies. Ultimately, this will help Daihatsu and Toyota to attain their joint goal of achieving sustainable growth. Additionally, the aim of the share exchange is to enhance the value of both brands.

2014 Toyota Corolla and Tundra production underway

After months of leaked photos and speculative reports, Toyota finally unveiled its 2014 Corolla to the world in early July at a star-studded California party. The confetti has been swept up and the champagne flutes washed and stored, and now the real work can begin: production. Toyota has announced that its new C-segment player has begun rolling off the lines at its plants in Mississippi and Ontario, Canada this week ahead of the planned start of sales in September. What's more, the refreshed 2014 Tundra pickup has also segued into production in San Antonio, Texas.
Corolla production in Mississippi is still a relatively recent phenomenon, with the plant having begun assembly of the outgoing model in the fourth quarter of 2011, while Toyota's Cambridge, Ontario plant has been churning out the compact volume king since 1988. Conversely, the Tundra has been in production at the Texas facility since 2006, and Toyota projects that the plant will build its milestone one-millionth new vehicle in September, right around the time the reworked fullsize pickup goes on sale.