2007 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner Double Cab V6 4.0l 47k Miles White on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Construction of Lexus' first US assembly line underway

The ES is Lexus' top-selling sedan, but the Japanese luxury marque has never manufactured it outside of Japan. In fact, Lexus has never made any cars in the United States, one of its largest markets worldwide. But that's about to change.
Yesterday, construction began in Georgetown, Kentucky, on the first Lexus assembly line in America, the first concrete (or steel) step in a $360-million expansion of Toyota's plant in the Bluegrass state that will create 750 new jobs. The expansion was announced last April by chief executive Akio Toyoda at the New York Auto Show.
Once the new assembly line gets online in the fall of next year, Toyota plans on building some 50,000 units of the ES each year. Lexus sold a record 72,581 examples of the ES in the United States last year - 30 percent more than the previous year - so Lexus will either have to import some more from overseas or leave some buyers disappointed.

Recharge Wrap-up: Toyota i-Road and COMS in France, Tesla tours Northeast, EV attitudes in UK

Toyota's i-ROAD and COMS teeny, tiny, city EVs are joining the Citelib carsharing fleet in Grenoble, France. The ultra-compact EVs, which will become available in October, are meant to supplement the Grenoble metropolitan area's existing public transit infrastructure, which includes trams, buses and trains. Toyota's i-ROAD and COMS will be connected to the transit systems IT infrastructure, allowing users to visualize their route on their smartphone or computer, and reserve and pay for their car before they get dropped off near the charging station (or the other way around). Then, the user finishes (or begins) their trip with one of the EVs. Surveys show that use of public transport is increasing in Europe, but most users still have to walk 15 minutes or so to reach their destination. Adding the i-ROAD and COMS carsharing service to their commute makes the trip into the city center quicker and more flexible, while keeping the air clean. See more below. Toyota is providing 70 vehicles to the Citelib program as part of a three-year test, while French energy company EDF is contributing 30 charging stations to the project. The i-ROAD is a three-wheeled EV that seats two people, and it features Active Lean technology for stability and comfort in the corners. Its footprint is about one-fourth that of a regular car. The four-wheeled COMS EV seats one, but also features a small storage compartment in the rear. The Tesla Model S is going on tour throughout the Northeastern US to give test drives to the public. Beginning July 4 in Montauk, NY, and ending August 30 in Vergennes, VT, people will get the chance to take a 15-minute spin in what many consider to be the best electric car available as part of Tesla's Fully Charged tour. If you live in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire or Vermont, the Model S may be coming to a town near you (check the schedule here) and you'll get the chance to drive the car with a product specialist in the passenger seat to answer your questions. You can even bring up to three guests in the back seat. So if you live in one of the states where Tesla can't sell cars or doesn't have a store, this is your chance to get to know the vehicle and decide if you want to buy one. Or you can just see what it feels like to silently go from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds (hint: it's pretty cool). A UK Survey shows five percent of people there are considering buying an electric vehicle.

Toyota amalgamates motorsports divisions under Gazoo Racing

Toyota has more racing divisions than we could wave a checkered flag at, with the company's various motorsport activities all coordinated by different operations. But the Japanese industrial giant is now bringing most (if not all) of them under one roof. From here on in, any racing that was done under the Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing or Gazoo Racing banners will now be united under the latter. That includes the LFAs it races around the Nurburgring, the TS040 Hybrid it fields at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship, the Yaris it will soon throw at the World Rally Championship, the Lexus racers that compete in the Super GT championship back in Japan... the works. The move does not appear to affect Toyota Racing Development, the automaker's American arm that handles its NASCAR racing activities, but from here on out, any Toyota or Lexus you see racing on most anything but a speedway will be competing under Gazoo Racing. The move appears to be more than symbolic and semantic, putting its racing vehicle development, technical support and marketing activities in the hands of the new Motor Sports Group. In announcing the consolidation, Toyota highlights in particular the benefit its various racing programs bring to its talent pool, if not the direct effect they have on the company's vehicles themselves. Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing Unite Under GAZOO Racing Toyota City, Japan, April 9, 2015-Starting April 11, Toyota will unite all motorsports activities under GAZOO Racing. The move will clarify the role of Toyota's motorsports in its efforts to make ever-better cars and foster new generations of car enthusiasts. Until now, Toyota has participated in competitions around the world-including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Super GT in Japan, and the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race-through the separate Toyota Racing, Lexus Racing and GAZOO Racing teams. Of those, GAZOO Racing in particular was created to expand the role of promoting motorsports beyond that of traditional automakers, and carry out grassroots activities aimed at creating new and ever-growing generations of car enthusiasts. Concerning today's announcement, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said: "Our founder Kiichiro Toyoda once said that motorsports are vital to the evolution of car making and the entire auto industry.