2012 5dr Hb (natl) Used Certified 1.8l I4 16v Front-wheel Drive Hatchback on 2040-cars

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Toyota discontinuing FJ Cruiser after 2014 model year

The Toyota FJ Cruiser is not long for this world. According to the manufacturer's own fleet website, the rugged FJ will be discontinued after the 2014 model year, with the companies final orders due in June of next year.
Toyota first launched the FJ Cruiser in 2006 as a 2007 model, and aside from minor year-over-year changes, it has not been substantially updated. The FJ is the modern successor to the original FJ40 Land Cruiser that Toyota produced from the 1960s all the way up through 1984, when the automaker decided to better focus on its larger, four-door Land Cruiser line. Currently, it uses a 4.0-liter V6 engine with either rear- or four-wheel drive, and is available with either a five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. Interestingly, word of the FJ's demise comes not long after Toyota's US boss, Bill Fay, reaffirmed his company's commitment to body-on-frame trucks in late July.
Also of interest, Toyota's fleet website states that the 2014 model year Prius range will have "minor updates," though it's unclear what those are as of this writing. When Autoblog reached out to confirm these developments with Toyota, spokesman Curt McCallister reminded us, "As is our corporate policy, we don't discuss future products beyond the present or upcoming model year."

California readies big 'red carpet' for hydrogen cars, H2 stations

The Golden State is sinking some serious green into its hydrogen-refueling infrastructure. But California says it's rolling out the red carpet for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Maybe we'll get our colors straight eventually. With a goal to have 1.5 million zero-emissions vehicles on California roads by 2025, the California Air Resources Board is outlining plans to sink $50 million into opening 28 publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations by the end of 2015 and more than 50 ready for business by 2017. Today, California is home to all but one of the country's 11 public hydrogen stations (the other is in South Carolina). The most recent addition was at Cal State Los Angeles in May for the university's Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility. Most of the first expansion of 28 stations will be represented by a partnership Toyota and FirstElement Fuel Inc. announced this spring. FirstElement is headed by ex-General Motors and Hyundai executive Joel Ewanick. The collaboration will help build out 19 hydrogen refueling stations, which are said to be located so that anyone in the state can reach them with their H2 car. HyGen Industries, Linde and the Institute of Gas Technology are among the other entities breaking out refueling stations. Check out CARB's press release below. California agencies roll out red carpet for hydrogen electric vehicles State partnerships accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles SACRAMENTO - California state agencies are collaborating on a range of initiatives to support the goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. Last week, the California Energy Commission carried out one of these initiatives, voting to use nearly $50 million to put in place 28 new, public hydrogen refueling stations and one mobile refueler by the end of 2015. The move was one of several actions designed to help achieve a key goal of the state's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) plan: to accelerate construction of hydrogen refueling infrastructure across the state. "California is rolling out the red carpet for Californians who choose these ultra-clean hydrogen powered electric cars and for the companies that make them," said Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols.

Toyota puts three-wheeled i-Road into public tests in Japan [w/video]

The lucky citizens of Japan are getting it now, and some folks in France will join the fray later this year, but that's about it for public, leaning-trike fun. The car in question is Toyota's three-wheeled i-Road concept electric vehicle. And in addition to being really narrow and quite environmentally friendly, this little EV leans quite a bit when it scoots around curves. Earlier this week, the Japanese automaker started testing the super-narrow vehicles in Toyota City, Japan. They're part of a broader scheme called "Ha:mo" in which people can link shared vehicles with public transportation systems to get around with minimal environmental impact. Grenoble, France, will be the recipient of some i-Road EVs for a vehicle-sharing project that starts later this year. The i-Road weigh about 660 pounds, is less than a yard wide and has a 28 mile per hour top speed. The i-Road was first shown off at the Geneva Motor Show early last year and shortly thereafter was the subject of a groovy video that showed a group of four cruising and leaning through the streets of a Mediterranean village in France. Check out Toyota's video on the vehicle-testing program and the official press release below and read our driving impressions here. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Changing Mobility and Lives, Three Wheels at a Time Residents of Toyota City, Japan, might be wondering what they just saw on the street. If it had three wheels and was leaning around a corner, it was the "i-Road", Toyota's ultra-compact all-electric, all-fun concept. On Sunday, the i-Road, which weighs a mere 300 kg and is less than 90 cm wide, was let loose on public roads at an event to mark its introduction into "Ha:mo", Toyota's optimized urban transport system. Soon, even more i-Roads will be zooming around Toyota city when they are made available to residents at vehicle-sharing stations. And later this year the lucky residents of Grenoble, France, will also be able to have some three-wheeled fun, thanks to a vehicle-sharing project that will last until 2017. Besides being an absolute blast to drive, how could the i-Road actually help you out? Well, picture the following: You just got off work. You get a phone call. You need to get across town, pronto, because your wife just went into labor. But your car is in the shop, there's no time to call a taxi, and your co-workers with cars are stuck doing overtime.