2007 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Double Cab Trd Sport Pkg on 2040-cars

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Toyota builds world's first 'outdoor website' for RAV4 promo

This whole thing started with the premise that Toyota's target RAV4 buyers are people who spend their time cycling, hiking, and generally not in front of computer screens. These people are therefore not able to benefit from the full website experience that Toyota has built for the RAV4. We should clarify that the video below is for Toyota South Africa, and maybe RAV4 buyers there really are the disgustingly outdoorsy ideal that us bacon-eaters are not living up to.
Toyota's agency partner, Hello Computer, set up a 1.8-kilometer track at a cycle park that replicated sections of the automaker's website with real physical displays and interactive feedback. Riders were asked to leave their mouses and hit the trail on a mountain bike to experience the RAV4 Outdoor Website and learn about the vehicle.
That seems like a lot of effort for something that's available on the smartphones of these hyper-active people who aren't in front of computers, but hooray for creatively conquering a problem that didn't exist. Hey, let's not be complete wet blankets - maybe some of the cyclists that ran the Toyota gauntlet got a RAV4 for their to- and fro-ing after the experience. Check out the video of the outdoor website below.

Meet the Most Elegant Automobile, and it's for sale

Alright, so maybe "most elegant" is a bit of a stretch, but we feel safe in calling the 1992 Toyota Paseo in the video below an "automobile." High praise, we know. Still, it's clear someone loves the awkward little coupe enough to produce a hilarious video to sell the thing. Henry Floyd worked up a quick parody of the over-the-top luxury car ads we all know and loathe, and while the finished product is a little skimpy on details like price or location, it certainly doesn't hold back on the exposition.
Hell, if we didn't already have a parade of horrible ideas floating around our collective driveways, we might even be convinced to give this little heap a new home. You can check out the ad for yourself below, just don't be surprised if you find yourself with a burning desire to own a Paseo.

Toyota says freezing temps pose zero problems for fuel cell vehicles

Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles are not afraid of one thing – freezing cold weather. That's the latest from two companies that have been driving the cars in frostbite temperatures in the Northeast recently. Proton Onsite runs a fleet of 10 Toyota FCHV-adv fuel cell vehicles out of its Connecticut headquarters and discovered that the snow and three-degree temperature didn't restrict range. Mark Schiller, Proton vice president of business development, said in a statement that, "I went out to my Toyota FCHV-adv and brushed off a foot of snow before starting the car right up. No problem." While electric vehicles can have their driving range reduced in extreme temperatures (but not always), Proton Onsite hasn't seen that happen in the Polar Vortex. They're performing flawlessly in freezing temperatures even with the heaters blasting, and are continuing to hit their range of about 300 miles, Schiller said. Air Products, based on Allentown, PA, has had a similar experience. The FCHV-adv has had great performance under harsh conditions, according to Nick Mittica, commercial manager, hydrogen energy systems. Employees drove the fuel cell vehicle during one of Pennsylvania's worst winters in recent memory and, you guessed it, "No problem." Toyota says that has put its fuel cell fleet through the wringer, logging millions of miles over the last decade, to make sure performance can be delivered within extreme weather conditions. Toyota engineers spent weeks testing cold weather start up, performance and durability up in Yellowknife, Canada. Temperature can reach -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) at that location. On other end of the scale, Toyota was able to verify that its FCVs can handle driving through heat in Death Valley national park. We heard the same from Mercedes the other day, too. Extreme weather functionality is apparently something automakers want to make absolutely sure the public doesn't worry about. Jan. 30, 2014 – Record low temperatures have stranded many East Coast drivers, but not those driving a Toyota fuel cell hybrid vehicle. Connecticut-based Proton Onsite, which operates a fleet of ten Toyota FCHV-adv fuel cell vehicles, says that even in single digit temperatures, the FCHV-adv shows no signs of frostbite. "We had another snow storm Tuesday night and this morning the temperature was 3 degrees," says Mark Schiller, Proton vice president of business development.