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Toyota sells six of 10 of hybrids in California

In an apparent shot back at Ford's increasing market share of electrified vehicles and claim that it accepts more Prius trade-ins for its own hybrids than any other car, Toyota has flexed a muscle and played the numbers game to put the Blue Oval in its place.
Leaning on its hybrid market dominance in California, the Japanese automaker stated that six out of 10 hybrids sold in the Golden State are Toyota models. And it keeps coming: Year-to-date through May 2013, Toyota sold five times more hybrids than Ford. One of every two hybrids in California is a Prius model. In addition, Toyota notes that it has sold 1.5 million Prius vehicles in the US, 90-percent of which are still on the road today.
Want more? We'll let Bill Fay, Toyota's group vice president and general manager of sales lay the smack down:

Thanks to smaller engines, vehicle dependability falls for first time in 16 years

As automakers have made engines smaller and smaller to improve fuel economy, problems in those vehicles have gotten bigger and bigger. That's the synopsis of a J.D. Power vehicle-dependability study, which found that dependability dropped for the first time in 16 years, largely because the proliferation of four-cylinder engines is causing the vehicles to be less reliable. Specifically, the number of problems per 100 vehicles (or what J.D. Power calls PP100) during the past 12 months for 2011 model-year vehicles rose six percent from the year-earlier figures for 2010 model-year cars. Singling out four-cylinder vehicles revealed about a 10-percent increase in problems during the past year. This issues largely related to engine hesitation, rough transmission shifting and lack of power, signaling the inability of vehicle makers to iron out some of the problems in their smaller engines as they strove for better fuel economy. Six- and five-cylinder engines proved far more reliable. Among car brands, BMW's Mini sub-brand came out as least reliable, with 185 problems per 100 vehicles during the past year. Toyota's Lexus badge was easily the most reliable, with just 68 problems per 100 vehicles. Coming in second place was Mercedes-Benz. The overall average was 133. Check out J.D. Power's press release below. J.D. Power Reports: Increased Engine and Transmission Problems Contribute to Decline in Vehicle Dependability for The First Time in More Than 15 Years General Motors Company Receives Eight Segment Awards, While Toyota Motor Corporation Garners Seven and Honda Motor Company Earns Six WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: o Owners of 3-year-old vehicles (2011 model year) report more problems than did owners of 3-year-old vehicles last year, according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today. The study, now in its 25th year, examines problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles. Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. The study finds that overall vehicle dependability averages 133 PP100, a 6 percent increase in problems from 126 PP100 in 2013. This marks the first time since the 1998 study that the average number of problems has increased. "Until this year, we have seen a continual improvement in vehicle dependability," said David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D.

Which sinister Scion FR-S would you buy?

Look beyond the utility. Look beyond the amenities, the infotainment, the hidden storage cubbies, and the 72-way adjustable seats. Yes, even the seats. Outside all the fluff of today's cars, there's a blank canvas waiting for an artist; cars can really come alive with a few tastefully placed modifications. These two Scion FR-S sports cars surely fall into that category, and when they both turned up on eBay, we figured we'd ask the question — which would you rather buy? The track-centric red car or the brutally simple black car ? Internet, you be the judge. The "widebody" look — with its outrageous fender flares and visible rivets—isn't for everyone, but this 2013 Scion FR-S happens to pull it off quite well. According to the listing, the pumped-up fenders, splitter, and additional aero bits are courtesy of legendary widebody purveyor Rocket Bunny. Overall, the racy body mods add a significant twinge of aggression to the once docile FR-S... a notion that's echoed underneath the hood. The heady Scion FR-S leverages an HKS supercharger system and exhaust, paired with a set of Buddy Club racing coilover shocks, Bee-R wheels wrapped in Yokohama ADVAN rubber, and a new engine management system. All in all, this looks to be one fierce track and street monster. RELATED: Check Out This Wild Toyota GT86 Wagon Concept But whereas the red car is a shout, the black car is a growl. Confident, powerful, yet restrained. The black 2013 Scion FR-S sports a sultry Varis Arising 2 body kit with carbon fiber accents lining its front lip and boot lid, as well as a brilliant set of projector headlights and Tom's taillights. The icing on the cake is the set of Work M1R gunmetal grey wheels, which come fitted with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. There's no supercharger in play here, but the Scion's 2.0-liter boxer engine does breathe a bit easer thanks new ceramic coated exhaust headers and a high-flow catalytic converter. It can also handle a bit better too, courtesy of sporty Cusco Street Zero 3 coilover shocks. If we're honest, both are quite jaw-dropping in their own unique styles. But which do you prefer? Related Video: This article by Zach Doell originally appeared on Boldride.com.