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2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback, Volvos earn IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

It's time for another round-up of recent IIHS crash tested cars. The trio this time include the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback, 2019 Volvo XC90 and 2018 Volvo S90. All three have earned one of the highest ratings from the IIHS, the Top Safety Pick. And all three continue a trend of very safe cars having slightly below-par headlights, preventing them from earning the highest Top Safety Pick+ rating. Of these three cars, the Corolla Hatchback has the most impressive scores. It earned the highest "Good" rating in every single crash test, including the difficult small-overlap passenger-side collision. It also received the top score for access to LATCH anchors for child seats. The standard forward collision prevention technology also brought home the best score possible, stopping the car before a crash at speeds up to 25 mph. The headlights themselves weren't particularly bad either, earning the second-highest score of "Acceptable" with both the standard and optional LED headlights. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Both Volvos shared similar scores to the Corolla Hatchback, with "Good" ratings for all crash tests they participated in, and top rank for their standard forward collision technology. Both vehicles were not tested for the passenger-side small overlap collision, so there is no score in that area. Both also received the "Acceptable" rating for LATCH anchor access. In the headlight department, the XC90 earned "Acceptable" scores for both of its available headlights, and the S90 received an "Acceptable" for its optional lights, while the standard ones were rated as "Marginal." Related Video:

Suzuki and Daihatsu join Toyota electric vehicle venture

TOKYO — Suzuki Motor Corp and Daihatsu are joining a commercial electric vehicle coalition led by Toyota Motor Corp, the carmakers announced on Wednesday, helping the Japanese alliance expand its focus from trucks to smaller cars. The two automakers will each acquire a 10% stake in the joint venture, on par with Isuzu Motors and Hino Motors, while Toyota will hold a 60% stake, they said. "With Suzuki and Daihatsu joining the project and working together, we'll be able to expand our circle of cooperation to not only cover commercial vehicles but also mini vehicles," said Toyota President Akio Toyoda. "With this expansion, I believe that we'll be able to take one step closer to a better mobility society," Toyoda said. The move comes as Japanese automakers face growing competition from tech giants and other rivals making electric and driverless cars. Toyota, Isuzu and Hino launched the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation in April to bolster their competitive edge in connected, commercial vehicles. Daihatsu's president Soichiro Okudaira said joining the pact and introducing connected, mini-commercial vehicles would allow data sharing, a major benefit for companies to provide better services to customers and improve logistics efficiency. (Reporting by Eimi Yamamitsu; Writing by Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Louise Heavens) Related Video: Green Suzuki Toyota Daihatsu Electric Akio Toyoda

400-hp Toyota Hybrid-R Concept gets second teaser

Toyota has released a second teaser of its Hybrid-R Concept, along with an estimation of the show car's power output. Using technology that's "similar to that used by Toyota Racing's TS030 Hybrid race car," the concept is expected to deliver over 400 horsepower.
The press release also mentions that the new concept is based on a current production model. While it's difficult to tell from the sole teaser image of the car's body, rumors are flying that it's related to the Yaris. If that's the case, though, it's difficult to know what to make of this concept. The teaser image is quite dark, but we played around with the exposure and came up with an image that reveals more details about the new concept. Take a look at the related gallery, below, to see the high-exposure image. We'll find out for certain what the Hybrid-R is in a few weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Let us know what you think Toyota's newest concept is in the comments.