2011 Toyota Land Cruiser on 2040-cars

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Toyota, Mazda $1.6 billion plant goes to Alabama, sources say

Alabama will be the site of a new $1.6 billion Toyota and Mazda auto plant, a victory for President Donald Trump who had prodded manufacturers to build new U.S. facilities and threatened tariffs on foreign production, sources said on Tuesday. The plant, which will employ up to 4,000 people and produce about 300,000 vehicles a year, will be located in Huntsville, Ala., and is a boon for the state, where Toyota has a large engine plant and an existing network of automotive suppliers. A formal announcement by company and state officials is expected on Wednesday in Montgomery, sources briefed on the matter said. The new plant — in a state Trump won by 28 points in 2016 — could be a political boost to the Republican president, who has urged automakers to build plants in the United States and add jobs. The companies said they expect the plant to open in 2021. Trump tweeted in March he wanted "new plants to be built here for cars sold here." The White House did not immediately comment on Tuesday. The announcement also comes at a time of declining U.S. auto industry sales, so it could exacerbate overcapacity and add pressure to cut prices. U.S. new vehicle sales fell 2 percent in 2017, after hitting an all-time record high in 2016, and are expected to fall further in 2018. Details of an anticipated tax and incentive package for the investment were not yet known. It has been reported the companies sought at least $1 billion in incentives. A Toyota spokesman declined to comment, except to say an announcement was expected soon. A Mazda spokeswoman also declined to comment. In recent months, the companies had narrowed their choices down to sites in Alabama and North Carolina. Local media last month said the leading site under consideration was in northern Alabama's Limestone County, near Toyota's large engine plant in Huntsville. In September, Toyota announced a $106 million technology upgrade for the Huntsville plant. A Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville website for the "Huntsville Mega Site" touts the fact it has been "certified as development-ready." The commerce chamber, local and state officials declined to comment on Tuesday on plans for the plant. A year ago, President-elect Trump criticized Toyota and threatened hefty tariffs against the Japanese automaker if it built its Corolla sedan for the U.S. market in Mexico. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S.

Forza Horizon 3 car list keeps on truckin'

We've covered three weeks of car reveals for Forza Horizon 3, and this time we get a better look at the trucks, SUVs and other off-roaders you'll be able to use to explore Australia. This week's list kicks things off with two of the most legendary off-roaders in the world, the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser and the Meyers Manx. They have different purposes; the FJ40 is for tough trail work and the Manx is for some light-hearted beach fun. But no one could deny the cultural importance of either. And both should be a blast in Horizon 3. In addition to this pair of classics, players will have a chance to get behind the wheel of both a race version of the Ford F-150 Raptor and its closest rival, the Ram Runner. And when traditional vehicles start to get boring, why not take out a full-blown Baja racer such as the Penhall Cholla or the Rockstar energy drink version of the little Polaris RZR XP 1000 side-by-side? Forza Horizon 3 is shaping up to have one of the most diverse car lists in a racing game in a long time. There are still cars left to be revealed, so stay tuned for further installments and see this week's full list below. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth 2013 Ford Focus ST 1973 Ford Escort RS1600 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III 2014 Ford Fiesta ST 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor Race Truck 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 1986 Lancia Delta S4 2009 Lexus IS F 1957 Maserati 300 S 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata 1967 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series 1971 Meyers Manx 2012 Mini John Cooper Works GP 1998 Nissan R390 1979 Opel Kadett C GT/E 2011 Penhall The Cholla 1971 Plymouth Cuda 426 Hemi 2015 Polaris RZR XP 1000 EPS Rockstar Edition 2013 Ram Runner 1993 Renault Clio Williams 1990 Subaru SVX 1979 Toyota FJ40 2005 TVR Sagaris 1990 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton Related Video: News Source: Playground Games / MicrosoftImage Credit: Playground Games / Microsoft Auto News Toys/Games Ford RAM Toyota forza exclusive ford f-150 raptor forza horizon forza horizon 3 toyota fj40 meyers manx

2013 Toyota RAV4 earns 'poor' rating in IIHS small overlap crash test [w/video]

When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested a batch of SUVs in its small overlap frontal crash test earlier this year, it held off on putting the Toyota RAV4 in the blender because the new, 2013 model was due to arrive shortly after the test. The new crossover might be better than it was before, but it could still only manage a rating of "Poor" in the test that has been a bugbear for a number of manufacturers.
Among other issues, the IIHS noted that the steering column moved seven inches to the right causing the crash test dummy to practically miss the airbag, the dummy's left foot was trapped in deformed sheetmetal and the dummy's head hit the instrument panel.
The 2013 RAV4 earned the Top Safety Pick rating by scoring well in the Institute's four other tests. A good score in this particular test would have earned it the Top Safety Pick+ rating that is so far only claimed by the 2014 Subaru Forester and 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in the SUV category. There's a press release below with more details and a video of the test.