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Heavily updated 2015 Toyota Camry to bow in New York

Looks like the new, "more emotional" Toyota Camry designer Kevin Hunter talked about back in January is going to arrive very soon, with news that Toyota's bread-and-butter sedan will be getting an update in just a few weeks time at the 2014 New York Auto Show.
"On April 16 at the New York International Auto Show, we will make an important announcement about America's best-selling car, the Toyota Camry," said Curt McAllister, Toyota product news manager, in an emailed statement. Considering the high-profile nature of the NYAS - not to mention the competition that will be shown there - it makes sense that Toyota would choose to unveil something as significant as a major refresh at the Javits Center.
We wish we had more to tell you than this, but unfortunately, that's about all we've got to go on at this time. Of course, we'll have much more for you during the lead up to NYAS, including any leaks of the refreshed Camry. Stay tuned.

Toyota's Bob Carter says seat heater stop-sale due to inconsequential compliance error

Last week, Toyota let it be known that a number of its more-popular vehicles were subject to a "stop-sale" order due to faulty seat heaters on these vehicles. No injuries were reported, but the problem affected a lot of models, including the 2013 and 2014 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Sienna, Corolla, Tacoma and Tundra. Toyota originally said 50,000 vehicles were involved, but Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, knocked that down to 30,000 during an interview at the Chicago Auto Show this week and said that the problem is not going to have a big impact on Toyota's sales. "It's an important situation but it will have a very minor impact on February sales," he told AutoblogGreen. "Dealers will start receiving new heating elements this week and then we have a process to take out the heating element that was put in and exchange that for the new fabric. It's very simple. It's a quick repair." Quick in this situation means about three hours to swap out the heating elements in two seats, according to Toyota's John Hanson. Since the Avalon also has heated rear seats, that car will require a total of six hours in the shop. Hanson said there was no official timeline for when the exchange program would be completed, "but new vehicles are arriving at some dealerships with the new seat heaters already installed." With a fix already in place, Carter would not comment on whether a recall is likely, saying only, "I'm not the expert on that. We're working with the NHTSA and ultimately it's their decision. We believe it's an inconsequential compliance error that was made by one of our suppliers and we're going to correct it." Featured Gallery 2013 Toyota Camry Hybrid: Review View 23 Photos News Source: Toyota Green Chicago Auto Show Toyota AutoblogGreen Exclusive Hybrid camry hybrid bob carter

Lexus, Mazda win KBB 5-Year Cost To Own Awards

We focus a lot on what new cars are like to drive, but it's difficult on a one-week loan to really get a sense of what a car is like to live with. Sure, we try to recreate that sense with our long-term vehicles, but even after a year, it's impossible to know fully learn about a car, particularly in terms of reliability and cost of repairs. For 2014 model year vehicles, Kelley Blue Book has put together a list of the most affordable vehicles over a five-year period.
At the tippy top of the list are Mazda and Lexus, with the Zoom-Zoom automaker winning the award for best non-luxury brand. Lexus, meanwhile, was the most affordable luxury marque over a five-year period. It's interesting to note, though, that not a single Mazda won its segment in this year's awards.
General Motors did quite well, taking eight segments, including both the subcompact and plug-in segments, with the gas-powered Chevrolet Spark and Spark EV. The Chevy Camaro SS and ZL1 took the high-performance car award. Toyota was well represented, with five winners split between the main brand (Corolla, Prius C and Tacoma) and Lexus (LS and RX).