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Toyota Aygo stars in 'invisible driver' prank

We love a good automotive-themed prank. Rémi Gaillard remains a favorite, although maybe we should take a closer look at MagicOfRahat, another online prankster. Rahat, who has developed a bit of a reputation for blending in with car seats, giving the impression that there's no one behind the wheel, has taken his talents to Europe, in a new video for Toyota.
Dressed to look like the seat of the new Toyota Aygo, Rahat goes about town freaking out tollbooth operators, valets, fast food servers and even receiving a bit of unwanted attention from the police. The result is, as is usually the case with this prank, pretty darn amusing. We were kind of hoping he'd pop up and give his victims a fright, as he did in his Halloween video, but alas, that wasn't to be.
Take a look below for the full video.

Honda, Subaru airlifting parts to bypass port labor diputes

It should be abundantly obvious that a vital element in building cars is actually having the components on hand to assemble them. A labor dispute on the West Coast between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and management is not making that quite so easy for some Japanese automakers. Work slowdowns at the ports have pushed Honda and Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries into flying some parts into the country. The two automakers began shipping by airplane late last month to avoid production delays, according to Bloomberg, but it has been an expensive solution. Subaru's chief financial officer said the decision cost around $60 million more per month than sending components by cargo ship. They aren't the only companies dealing with the problem, either. Toyota reportedly stopped overtime assembly at some of its factories here because of the delays in getting parts, according to Bloomberg. The dockworkers have been negotiating on a new contract since May 2014, and the current offer on the table to them has offered a 3 percent raise, according to Bloomberg. Although, the union is reportedly considering another slowdown at 29 ports along the West Coast in the coming days. News Source: BloombergImage Credit: Nick Ut / AP Photo Auto News UAW/Unions Honda Subaru Toyota shipping port labor dispute

Production Toyota C-HR to debut in Geneva, has hybrid engine

Toyota now officially confirms earlier reports that the C-HR crossover concept (above) will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The CUV will also be available a European-made hybrid powertrain, but the company won't yet say whether that will be the only engine option. "We are entering the C-segment crossover market with a fantastic product and with a hybrid powertrain from the start," Johan van Zyl, Toyota Motor Europe president and CEO, said. At least for Europe, the company will build the production C-HR at its factory in Turkey. The automaker originally planned the C-HR for the US as a Scion model and even displayed the concept that way at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. However, the brand's demise means the crossover now gets to be a full Toyota product here. The five-door CUV rides on the Toyota New Global Architecture, but test vehicles keep the production version's styling hidden under heavy camouflage. The final vehicle reportedly looks like the concept, though. On this side of the pond, the C-HR will compete against compact crossovers like the Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. View 13 Photos Related Video: Toyota Motor Europe confirms European production for future crossover based on C-HR concept Future crossover to be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey alongside Corolla, Verso New generation hybrid engine to be manufactured at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, UK in Deeside, Wales Brussels, Belgium - Ahead of the presentation of the highly anticipated production version of the C-HR concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) shared today its production plans for the model in Europe. The vehicle will be built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Turkey (TMMT) in Sakarya, Turkey, in what marks the first time a hybrid-powered vehicle will be produced in the country. This will be TME's third plant to produce hybrid vehicles in the Europe region, after Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK in Burnaston, Derbyshire (Auris Hybrid and Auris Touring Sport Hybrid) and Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (Yaris Hybrid). TME also announced that the hybrid engine for the crossover is to be produced at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK's engine plant in Deeside, Wales. The production destination for the vehicles will be greater Europe and regions outside Europe. Individual export countries are being considered at this time.