2007 Toyota Camry Se Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Toyota issues stop sale on 6 key models over seat fabrics; recall possible? [UPDATE]

Toyota has issued a stop-sale order on six of its core models due to concerns about the flammability of certain seat fabrics. The issue rests not with the cloth and leather covers themselves, but with a piece of seat heater beneath them that fails to meet US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for flame retardancy.
There have been no reports of fires or injuries from the affected cars, which include some of Toyota's biggest volume sellers. 2013 and 2014 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon and Sienna models equipped with heated seats are included in the stop-sale, as are 2014 Tundra pickups and Corolla sedans. The exact number of vehicles with the non-compliant materials are still being tabulated, according to The Detroit Free Press.
According to a Toyota spokesman, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been notified, although it remains to be seen if a recall will be issued. Outside of a full recall, though, it's unclear how Toyota will deal with vehicles equipped with the flammable materials that have already found homes.

Toyota, PSA extend partnership with new European van

Toyota and PSA Peugeot Citroen collaborate on a number of vehicles. One of them is a small van jointly developed by the two automakers but marketed individually under their own brands across Europe. Now they've announced the extension of that collaboration, and revealed the first image and details of their new product. Set to be unveiled at their respective booths at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March are the new Toyota ProAce, Peugeot Traveller, and Citroen Spacetourer. They replace the Toyota model of the same name as well as the outgoing Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch, and will each be made available in private and commercial shuttle forms. Although technical specifications have yet to be announced, each will share the same underpinnings and mechanical components, leaving only the parts you can see changing from one brand's version to the next. Expect engines to range from 1.5 to 2.0 liters and burning gasoline or diesel, but the latter will undoubtedly prove the more popular option in Europe. No mention was made of a replacement for the Fiat Scudo, another badge-engineered version of the same van program in its current form. That would seem to suggest that Fiat Professional is either preparing to go it alone with the next-generation Scudo, or phase out the model altogether. The current Scudo slots in between the smaller Doblo (imported to the US as the Ram ProMaster City) and the larger Ducato which was also jointly developed with PSA and sold as the Citroen Jumper/Relay, Peugeot Boxer, and here in America as the Ram ProMaster. The ProAce and its cousins are made by PSA at its Sevel plant in Valenciennes, France. Aside from their vans, the Japanese and French automakers also collaborate on the city car platform sold alternately as the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 108, and Citroen C1. Fiat also partners with PSA on the smaller Fiat Fiorino/Qubo, Peugeot Bipper and Citroen Nemo. All of which just goes to show what a tangled web they weave in the European market, especially where commercial vehicles are concerned. NEW STAGE IN THE CO-OPERATION PROGRAM BETWEEN PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN AND TOYOTA PSA Peugeot Citroen and Toyota Motor Europe (TME) reveal today the new Citroen SPACETOURER, Peugeot TRAVELLER, and Toyota PROACE. They will be available in MPV versions for private use and in shuttle versions for business use. Both companies therefore confirm the continuation of their co-operation agreement signed in 2012.

Toyota's Bob Carter says far fewer stations needed in shift from gas to hydrogen

Toyota's Bob Carter has been talking about green cars for years, but it's only been recently that his comments have really caught widespread attention thanks to his disparaging remarks about electric vehicle supporters like Elon Musk and Carlos Ghosn and optimism about hydrogen. Speaking at the opening of the Chicago Auto Show this morning, Carter said that Toyota has claimed the "pole position on CAFE," thanks to its deep hybrid bench. The company's green car cred will continue to grow because of its upcoming hydrogen fuel cell car, due out next year. Carter is relentlessly optimistic: "I truly believe fuel cells will fundamentally change how we feel about transportation," he said. The reason, Carter said, is that a hydrogen infrastructure will be easier to install than people think. He referenced a study conducted by the University of California (which we've heard about before) that found that California would only need 68 hydrogen stations to refuel the roughly 10,000 H2 vehicles that Toyota hopes to sell in by 2016 or so. That's a lot more than the nine that exist today, but the state has already approved funding for 20 new stations by 2015 and then up to 100 by 2024. Then he said this: "If every vehicle in California ran on hydrogen, we could meet refueling logistics with only 15 percent of the nearly 10,000 gasoline stations currently operating in the state." "We could meet refueling logistics with only 15 percent of gasoline stations currently operating in CA" - Bob Carter This made us wonder: if the refueling time and range are roughly equivalent between hydrogen and gasoline – Toyota's hydrogen car is supposed to be able to go 300 miles on a five-minute fill-up - then why has the market decided that there should be 10,000 gas stations in California and why would 1,500 be sufficient for hydrogen? "If the locations are optimized," he said, "we don't need 10,000 stations." For example, at major intersections, instead of three gas stations, you'd really just need a single hydrogen one. "There are a lot of questions about the infrastructure, but it's coming. ... It's a hurdle that we've got to climb but it's not as steep as some may imagine." Toyota's Mike Michaels, the national manager, media and public affairs at Toyota Motor Sales, then stepped in to point out that there are gas stations closing and admitted that there might be too many gas stations in California.