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Toyota C-HR hybrid crossover coupe concept leak ahead of Paris

Last week, Toyota previewed an upcoming concept called the C-HR and promised it would debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. It didn't say much more or give us anything beyond a silhouette and the shape of the lights, but here we have the first images of the finalized form.
The C-HR envisions a hybrid crossover coupe with angular styling that looks ready to take on the Nissan Juke. It's far sportier than a RAV4, and looks closer to how we'd imagine the next-generation Scion FR-S would look like if it were riding on a jacked-up suspension - with some show car elements thrown in for good measure, like a gloating roof, radical lighting and the usual absence of door handles and usable wing mirrors.
Of course, this being a Toyota concept, it packs a hybrid powertrain, although specifications did not leak out along with the images. Overall the form looks pretty striking, if decidedly unsubtle. We'll look forward to bringing you more as the Paris show rapidly approaches.

Toyota, Lexus recall 460,000 vehicles for stability control issue

Toyota and its luxury subsidiary, Lexus, are recalling 460,000 electrified models produced for the 2020-2022 model years to address an issue that can cause the vehicles' stability control systems not to activate on startup. If you drive a new Toyota or Lexus and it has at least one electric motor in it (or it's the new LX 600), there's a better-than-even chance you'll be hearing from your dealer in the coming months. The good news for owners is that the issue is one of compliance, rather than something which may immediately endanger a vehicle occupant.  "A software error can cause the Vehicle Stability Control system (VSC) not to default to ON the next time the car is started under certain circumstances. This can result in a noncompliance with applicable regulations in the U.S," Toyota said in its announcement. "For all involved vehicles, Toyota and Lexus dealers will update the software of the Skid Control ECU free of charge to customers." Included in the campaign are the 2020-2022 Toyota Venza, Mirai, RAV4 Hybrid, RAV4 Prime, Sienna Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid. On the Lexus side, it hits the LS500h, LX600, NX350h and NX450h+. Notably absent here are the Tundra-based trucks with the new iForce Max hybrid, though Toyota may have addressed the issue in those models before they went on sale. On the other side of the coin, the LX 600 — a purely ICE model for the time being — managed to stumble into the defect pool.  Toyota says owners should receive notices before the end of June. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Recalls Lexus Toyota Safety Luxury

Toyota turning landfill gas into hybrid vehicles, indirectly

Chamillionaire certainly wasn't referring to the Toyota Avalon or Camry when he rapped about "ridin' dirty" but maybe he'll change his tune soon. That's because some of the future energy sources for the Kentucky factory that makes those two models will come from gas created from the breakdown of solid waste. So the power behind some of the production at Toyota's largest North American factory will indeed be funky. Toyota is working with Waste Services of the Bluegrass to build a network of wells at a nearby landfill in order to collect the gases. Construction of the system starts next month and will be finished by early next year. The upshot is that the system will produce one megawatt of electricity per hour, which is the equivalent to the power used by 800 houses. Last spring, Toyota said it would start producing the Lexus ES at the Kentucky plant after getting almost a $150 million offer from the state. That's because that model is expected to add 50,000 vehicles to the existing production numbers at the plant. And those production numbers are already large, as Toyota makes both the standard and hybrid versions of both the Camry and Avalon there. Mind you, Toyota's not the first to go this route for factory-energy production. In 2011, General Motors' Orion Assembly Plant started getting about 40 percent of its energy for production of models such as the Chevy Sonic and Buick Verano from methane captured from a landfill nearby. The General estimated at the time that the process would cut the company's energy costs by about $1.1 million a year. Check out Toyota's press release about the Kentucky plant and its future landfill gas below. Landfill Gas to Build Cars and a Greener Community Partnership between Toyota and local landfill turns garbage into good March 24, 2014 GEORGETOWN, Ky. (MARCH, 24 2014) – Can a car company be a vehicle for change? Toyota thinks so. The Kentucky plant that manufactures some of the greenest cars on the road, including two hybrid models, will soon be powered in part by green electricity. Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. has teamed up with Waste Services of the Bluegrass to generate power from local landfill waste, marking the region's first business to business landfill gas to energy initiative. Toyota estimates the locally-generated landfill gas will supply enough power each year for the production of 10,000 vehicles. How it Works As solid waste naturally breaks down in a landfill, it creates gas.