1990 Toyota 4runner Sr5 Sport Utility 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Toyota builds its 500,000th Corolla in Mississippi

Toyota assembles the Corolla at plants around the world: from Brazil and South Africa to Turkey, Pakistan, China, Taiwan and Thailand. But the one we get here is built in Mississippi, and that location has just finished its 500,000th Corolla. The plant in Blue Springs, MS, is just one of a half-dozen assembly plants Toyota operates in the United States, but reached the half-million mark faster than any of the others. It began production late in 2011 and took over Corolla assembly from the NUMMI plant in California previously operated via joint venture with General Motors and now occupied by Tesla. Last year, the 2,000 workers at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi built 180,000 Corollas, contributing to the 10 million units of the model Toyota has sold in America since it was introduced here in 1968 and the 21 million vehicles Toyota has made in America over the years. 500,000th Corolla Speeds Off the Line at Toyota Mississippi Blue Springs plant celebrates milestone achieved at record pace BLUE SPRINGS, MISS. (Feb. 12, 2015) – Toyota Mississippi is celebrating the 500,000th Corolla coming off the line at the Blue Springs, Miss., production facility. The production accomplishment was achieved faster than any other Toyota plant in the U.S. – a testament to the 2,000 hardworking team members who have answered increasing consumer demand since the plant opened in 2011. "The 500,000th Corolla vehicle is a milestone we're excited to be celebrating," said Fred Volf, Toyota Mississippi, vice president of manufacturing. "We are proud to produce the Corolla, and it wouldn't have been accomplished without the 2,000 dedicated team members who support this operation." The milestone is one more to add to the long list of achievements for Toyota Mississippi and the Corolla. Toyota has sold more than 10 million Corollas in the U.S. and 40 million worldwide since the vehicle debuted here in 1968. The success of Corolla contributes to Toyota's accomplished domestic manufacturing footprint and represents Toyota's commitment to producing vehicles where they are sold. Since 1986, more than 21 million Toyota vehicles have rolled off the line in the U.S. and including dealers and suppliers, Toyota has generated 365,000 U.S. jobs. Toyota's local presence is felt by those in Northeast Mississippi through substantial economic investment, employment, philanthropic efforts and environmental responsibility.

These are the cars with the best and worst depreciation after 5 years

The average new vehicle sold in America loses nearly half of its initial value after five years of ownership. No surprise there; we all expect that shiny new car to start depreciating as soon as we drive it off the lot. But some vehicles lose value a lot faster than others. According to data provided by iSeeCars.com, trucks and truck-based sport utility vehicles generally hold their value better than other vehicle types, with the Jeep Wrangler — in both four-door Unlimited and standard two-door styles — and Toyota Tacoma sitting at the head of the pack. The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's average five-year depreciation of 30.9% equals a loss in value of $12,168. That makes Jeep's four-door off-roader the best overall pick for buyers looking to minimize depreciation. The Toyota Tacoma's 32.4% loss in initial value means it loses just $10,496. The smaller dollar amount — the least amount of money lost after five years — indicates that Tacoma buyers pay less than Wrangler Unlimited buyers, on average, when they initially buy the vehicle. The standard two-door Jeep Wrangler is third on the list, depreciating 32.8% after five years and losing $10,824. Click here for a full list of the top 10 vehicles with the least depreciation over five years. On the other side of the depreciation coin, luxury sedans tend to plummet in value at a much faster rate than other vehicle types. The BMW 7 Series leads the losers with a 72.6% drop in value after five years, which equals an alarming $73,686. BMW's slightly smaller 5 Series is next, depreciating 70.1%, or $47,038, over the same period. Number three on the biggest losers list is the Nissan Leaf, the only electric vehicle to appear in the bottom 10. The electric hatchback matches the 5 Series with a 70.1% drop in value, but since it's a much cheaper vehicle, that percentage equals a much smaller $23,470 loss. Click here for a full list of the top 10 vehicles with the most depreciation over five years.

Toyota wants you to meet an 'obsessed' hydrogen fuel cell engineer

Like a television-broadcasting company covering the Olympics, Toyota is looking to market its future in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle production by taking the personal approach. In this case, the Japanese automaker is telling the backstory of Jackie Birdsall, an engineer at Toyota Technical Center who Toyota says is "obsessed" with fuel-cell technology. A Sacramento native, Birdsall is responsible for testing fuel-cell vehicles and making sure hydrogen stations fill the tanks of the cars in a "reasonable" timeframe. Long a gearhead, she attended Flint, MI's Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute) and, among other places, worked for the California Fuel Cell Partnership before joining Toyota in 2012. Her first car was an '87 Camry. That's one personal side of Toyota's hydrogen push, and shows another way Toyota is introducing the world to this new powertrain (see also: winter performance). The nitty-gritty is made up of things like working with FirstElement Fuel Inc. on a hydrogen-refueling network in California. As for its fuel-cell sedan, which was displayed in FCV prototype form at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January and is due next year, Toyota said it expects the car to have a full-tank range of about 300 miles and a five-minute refueling time. That's if Ms. Birdsall has anything to say about it. Check out Toyota's press release about Birdsall below. Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution A healthy obsession leads Jackie Birdsall and TTC to the forefront of history The word she keeps using is "obsessed." Jackie Birdsall became "obsessed" with cars when she was a teenager. That made her "obsessed" with the history of auto icons like Henry Ford and Lee Iacocca. In 2003, she did an internship with Daimler-Chrysler, leading to an "obsession" with hydrogen fuel cell technology. And now, as an engineer at Toyota Technical Center, Birdsall is "obsessed" with bringing fuel cell technology to the masses. But perhaps you need to be obsessed when you're trying to change the world. After all, revolutions don't blossom from complacency. Leading an alternative fuel revolution is just what Birdsall and her partners on the Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle team are doing. Collectively, they're finding tangible ways to reduce fossil fuels in the automobile world and figuring out how hydrogen fuel cells can be useful and affordable. In 2015, that obsession will bear fruit when Toyota's FCV hits the markets in California, Japan and Europe.