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Toyota hangs on to title of world's largest automaker for first half of 2013

General Motors and Ford can have all the success they please, but it doesn't seem like America's two largest manufacturers are going to topple Toyota in the first half of 2013. According to Reuters, Toyota moved 4.91 million vehicles in the first six months of 2013, representing a 1.1-percent drop from the same period in 2012.
GM is on the rise, though, with a four-percent increase in global sales, to 4.85 million. Volkswagen, still sitting in third, saw a 5.5-percent jump to 4.7 million vehicles in the first half of 2013.
If this pace continues for Toyota, it'll finish 2013 in the top sales spot for the second year in a row. The manufacturer fell to third, behind GM and VW, in 2011 after earthquakes and tsunamis ravaged its production capacity.

More powerful 2017 Toyota 86 takes over for the Scion FR-S

Scion is dead, and the FR-S name passes away with it. The rear-wheel-drive sports coupe isn't gone, though, because it's now the the 2017 Toyota 86. To match the new moniker, the latest model finally has a little extra power and more aggressive styling. The public debut will take place at next week's New York Auto Show, and sales begin this fall. "When we announced the transition of the Scion models to Toyota we hadn't planned on changing the names of our cars, but by popular demand, for our sports car, we decided to adopt the global name of 86," said Toyota Division Group Vice President Bill Fay. The 2.0-liter boxer-four's output grows to 205 horsepower and 156 pound-feet of torque – increases of 5 hp and 5 lb-ft – on manual-transmission models. The 86 still isn't the turbocharged rear-wheel-drive coupe of some people's dreams, but at least this is an improvement. (Buyers who opt for the automatic will have to make do with less power and fewer pedals.) Toyota also promises "additional performance" thanks to different gear ratios for the six-speed manual transmission, and there's now Hill Start Assist Control. New shock tuning and spring rates will affect the handling, too. The 86 wears a meaner look than the outgoing FR-S. The biggest change is a new front bumper with a large intake that stretches across the coupe's width, and the two sharp points along the bottom look like teeth ready to chomp down. Toyota also replaces the headlights and taillights with LED units. The twist-spoke wheels are a great accompaniment to the more aggressive look, too. The tweaks are more modest inside, including silver stitching and new materials for the dashboard and doors. Toyota will also display the C-HR crossover concept again in the Big Apple. We won't see the production version until later this year, and sales won't begin until spring 2017 as a 2018 model. Related Video: Toyota to 86 the FR-S Name New Toyota 86 and Charismatic C-HR Concept on Display at New York Auto Show TORRANCE, Calif., March 17, 2016 – With its new home comes a new name and more. The former Scion FR-S will debut as the 2017 Toyota 86 at the New York International Auto Show with interior and exterior changes, as well as suspension and powertrain upgrades. The new Toyota 86 will go on sale at all Toyota dealerships this fall.

Subaru Viziv 2 presages Tribeca replacement with diesel hybrid tech

Subaru is in the middle of a new product bonanza. It has recent replacements for the Impreza and Forester at dealers, and soon we're getting the WRX, Legacy and if rumors are right the new Outback as well. Now, there are rumblings that there could be two more models from the Japanese brand on the way with styling inspired by the Viziv 2 concept from the Geneva Motor Show.
According to a company insider speaking with Motor Trend, the crossover concept shows the way for the brand's future design language. The shape would be used on a smaller CUV that is still being kept quite secret, and a second, larger one that would replace the recently axed Tribeca. The bigger model is the first priority and is planned as a new technology showcase.
It's rumored to use a turbodiesel, four-cylinder boxer engine that would be boosted with one electric motor on the front axle and two at the rear, with a plug-in hybrid system sourced from Toyota. It should provide a great mix of torque and fuel economy. A smaller flat-six engine would be a second powertrain option. Though the Viziv 2 concept only seats four, the production version would probably offer three rows.