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2014 Toyota Corolla to bow before LA

We've sort of been wondering when Toyota would finally debut the next-generation Corolla sedan, especially since the current car is getting very, very long in the tooth. We got a glimpse of the new compact's design at this year's Detroit Auto Show in the form of the Furia concept seen above, but we figured we'd see the production car by now.
According to Edmunds, Toyota will be unveiling the new Corolla sometime soon, and it won't wait until the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Officials from the Japanese automaker did not state a specific location or date for the new car's unveiling, but said that the 2014 Corolla is expected to be on sale before the LA expo later this year and that it will be revealed "somewhere in the US."
Toyota did not divulge any details about the new Corolla, and we're willing to bet that the aggressive lines of the Furia concept will be dulled down quite a bit for the production model. Still, news that the new car is coming sooner rather than later is indeed a good thing.

Junkyard Gem: 2010 Pontiac Vibe

Just over a month before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2009, General Motors announced that the 83-year-old Pontiac Division would be "phased out" by the end of 2010. Only three Pontiac vehicles were sold as 2010 models in the United States: the Solstice, Vibe and G6 (new G3s were sold here during 2010 but they were all 2009 models, while the G5 was available as a 2010 model only in Canada and Mexico). Today's bit of junkyard automotive history is one of the very last Vibes ever built, found in a yard near Denver, Colorado. This car is significant not just as one of the final vehicles to bear Pontiac badges but also as one of the last cars built by the New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated GM-Toyota joint venture in California, better known as NUMMI. The NUMMI factory began life as GM's Fremont Assembly, which built its first vehicle (a C-Series pickup) in 1963 and closed in 1982 after building its final vehicle (an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera). Rebooted as NUMMI, the first 1985 Chevrolet Nova (an Americanized AE82 Toyota Corolla Sprinter) rolled off the line in December of 1984. A quarter-century and better than eight million vehicles hence, NUMMI shut down production after its last Corolla was finished on April 1, 2010. While there was some noise about the Oakland Athletics building a new stadium on the site at the time, Tesla ended up buying most of the site soon after that. Tesla now builds more vehicles per year there than NUMMI ever did. The Vibe was co-developed with Toyota and based on the same platform as the ninth-generation Corolla. The Toyota Matrix was mechanically identical and was built in Canada, while the Japanese-market version (known as the Toyota Voltz) was built on the same NUMMI line as the Vibe and shipped across the Pacific. The Vibe/Matrix/Voltz got a redesign for the 2009 model year, but few noticed due to all the turmoil in the GM world at the time. The final Vibe was built in August 2009. This car was built in July of 2009, just before the end. It was living in West Texas just prior to coming to Colorado. El Paso is about a ten-hour drive from this car's current location. Once in the Centennial State, it got parked somewhere it shouldn't have been and ended up being auctioned to Pick Your Part. An occupant of this Vibe had time to sample some of the local agricultural products before that happened.

2017 Toyota 86 brings new name and fresh face to New York

The Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ seem unable to get away from their negative reputation online. The Mazda MX-5 Miata has no problem gaining fans that want an affordable sports car. However, the Toyobaru twins, which also offer attainable performance, can't seem to find a similar footing. The 2017 Toyota 86 has a new name, a fresh face, and a little more power. Even with the latest upgrades, the 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder's 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque doesn't make it a powerhouse by modern standards. However, a naturally aspirated engine with over 100 horsepower per liter is still rather impressive in this price range. Toyota doesn't have details yet, but the company claims that new ratios for the six-speed manual transmission also offer increase the coupe's performance. Updated shock tuning and spring rates should sharpen the handling a little, too. View 12 Photos The 2017 86's aesthetics are very similar to the outgoing FR-S, but Toyota uses this opportunity to keep things modern. The coupe now has LED headlights and taillights. The new central intake that stretches along the front also looks more aggressive. If you're still not happy with the 86 or BRZ, which also has a facelift on the way, the good news is that a replacement is coming eventually. Fuji Heavy Industries P\president Yasuyuki Yoshinaga has confirmed twice that Subaru and Toyota have a deal to create a second generation model. They haven't set an introduction date, though. Related Video: