While this advert is currently for the launch of the Toyota Camry in the USA, expect to see Camry adverts soon in South Africa.

]]> http://www.carsblog.co.za/2011/10/first-advert-for-the-2012-toyota-camry/feed/ 0 http://www.carsblog.co.za/2011/09/toyota-aim-for-humour-but-does-it-work/ http://www.carsblog.co.za/2011/09/toyota-aim-for-humour-but-does-it-work/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:27:24 +0000 admin http://www.carsblog.co.za/?p=2465 This Toyota advert for the new Yaris is just a little strange. They are going for the humour route but I’m not sure it entirely works.]]>

This Toyota advert for the new Yaris is just a little strange. They are going for the humour route but I’m not sure it entirely works.

You have seen unboxing videos for laptops and various gadgets, but never for a car …

Toyota have released a teaser video of the new FT-86 before it’s debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Toyota chose to unveil the Yaris Hybrid concept at the Geneva International Motor Show, which shows Toyota’s intention of bringing hybrid tech across their European lineup of vehicles. The Yaris HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) follows on from the Toyota Auris HSD which was released in 2010. The Auris HSD was released to target the C-segment of vehicles while the Yaris HSD will target the B-segment which is far larger and makes up the biggest segment in the European new car market.

Toyota note that the market for hybrid vehicles is rapidly increasing and has doubled in the past 2 years. These customers are looking for hybrid vehicle that provides low fuel consumption and emissions, along with a cheap price tag without compromising on driving pleasure.

Compared to the current Yaris, the Yaris HSD comes with a shallow opening in the upper grille and highly contoured headlamps to promote smooth airflow over the upper body. The massive grille gives this Yaris a particularly menacing look along with the ever-popular LED daytime running lights. From the side the HSD has a monoform shape, with a long roofline, which lends itself far more to hybrid and less to style.

By far the most interesting aspect of the Toyota Yaris HSD concept is the introduction of solar panels, which run along the entire roof. These solar panels capture solar power and provide independent powering to the vehicles air conditioning. This will ultimately reduce fuel consumption and free up power to the engine.

The Yaris HSD production model will be released in Europe around the second half of 2012 so it is likely that it will undergo a lot more changes before it is finally released. That said, the Yaris hybrid looks like a solid vehicle and by the time it is released the demand for hybrid vehicles will no doubt be a lot higher than it is now.

Source: Toyota

Aimed at young, active families, the 2012 Toyota Prius V comes as a welcome improvement to the current Prius. While it will use the current Prius platform, the V “Versatility”, will improve on a number of important aspects, most of all interior cargo space, which is improved by 50% compared to the current Prius.

The styling of the Prius V is obviously still very similar to the current Prius, albeit with some subtle tweaks. The Prius V has sleeker styling with an extended roofline which gives the vehicle its triangular silhouette and trapezoidal-shaped front. The styling is not particularly attractive but the Prius is always going to favour function over style.

Talking about function, the Prius V is designed to comfortably seat 5 passengers and includes sliding second row seats and rear storage flexibility. Adding even more to the storage, the fold-flat front passenger seats allow the vehicle to carry even extremely long cargo. Along with the great storage comes some impressive safety features, in the form of 7 airbags, a high strength cabin, energy-absorbing body structure and leg absorption pads.

Regards the fuel economy, the Prius V will deliver an estimated EPA fuel economy rating of 17.8 km per litre city driving and 16.1 km per litre highway driving, which gives it the best fuel economy ratings of any SUV, crossover or wagon currently available.

The 2012 Toyota Prius V will go on sale in the United States in their summer of 2011 and we await further details on a local release date.

Source: Toyota

Continuing from their previous car recall program, Toyota has now begun recalling additional vehicles. The Global recall program will effect the Toyota Prado, Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX 460, as mentioned in a previous post.

This recall however will have no effect on South African Land Cruisers or Prado models, as they are right hand drive models and it is only the left hand drive models that are in need of the recall. The recall is to fix an issue with the left hand drive models, there is an issue with their Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) under certain conditions.

The reason the right hand drive models are not effected is because they have different weight distribution.

Source: Toyota

As a sign, written in the stars, the first Hilux Legend 40 rolled of the production line on the same day that Chuck Norris celebrated his birthday.

-  Hilux, the country’s top selling vehicle, celebrates 40 years in South Africa.

-  Legend 40 adds visual appeal. This includes a Legend 40 roll bar, side steps, nudge bar and rear bumper with towbar  all from high gloss stainless steel. Legend 40 decals and a special tonneau cover are also included.

- Very high level of interior specification include Legend 40 carpet set, full leather trim (including doors, steering wheel and gear knob), sound system, electric windows and alloy wheels.

- Range expanded to include two single cab models and seven double cab models. The Legend 40 range also covers 4×2 and 4×4 models.

- A limited production run will ensure the exclusivity and collectability of the Legend 40.

The Hilux Legend 40 builds on the success of the Hilux Legend 35, which appeared halfway through the first decade of the new millennium. The Legend 35 celebrated 35 years of Hilux market dominance and it carried those achievements proudly as a badge on its bull bar, roll bar and rear load bay.

Five years on, and forty years since first introduction, the Hilux remains the most popular and one of the toughest bakkies in the business. To be exact it ended 2009 as the country’s most popular vehicle choice, bar none. Built to the highest standards at Toyota’s Prospecton plant in KwaZulu-Natal it also represents South African build quality in other parts of the world.

Retail pricing

Single Cab

3.0D-4D 4X4 Raider R 334,900
3.0D-4D Raised Body Raider R 288,600
2.7 VVTi Raised Body Raider R 314,400
2.7 VVTi Raised Body Raider R 359,500

Double Cab

3.0D-4D Raised Body Raider R 406,600
3.0D-4D 4×4 Raider R 370,900
3.0D-4D Raised Body Raider AT R 417,900
4.0 V6 Raised Body Raider AT R 366,300
4.0 V6 4×4 Raider AT R 434,100

Source: Toyota

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) today announced the vehicles to be included in its recall service campaign to correct the accelerator mechanism in these cars.

The list of affected vehicles is the result of an exhaustive technical study which covered all Toyota vehicles on sale in South Africa. The affected passenger vehicle models are:

Toyota Corolla (February 2007 to January 2010) – 45 040 vehicles

Toyota Auris (June 2006 to January 2010) – 6 665 vehicles

Toyota Verso (October 2008 to January 2010) – 841 vehicles

This equates to a total of 52 546 Toyota vehicles that will form part of this campaign.

Recall service campaign – Corolla, Auris and Verso

The Corolla, Auris and Verso will be recalled as part of a service campaign to correct a potentially faulty accelerator pedal mechanism. This is done as a pro-active precaution and is based on the fact that the mechanism is similar in operation to those which have proven faulty in other regions.

In these regions the mechanisms, in severe circumstances, have deteriorated and become harder to depress, slow to return to idle or have, in just a handful of cases, become stuck in a partially depressed position.

In more detail the problem relates to the operation between the mechanism’s friction shoe that provides pedal feel and ensures pedal stability, and the adjoining surface.

The corrective action will take the form of a small precision-cut steel plate that will be placed in the assembly to alleviate the friction between the friction shoe and adjoining surface. This will prevent the problem from surfacing in vehicles equipped with this steel bar for the life of the vehicle.

Toyota will start contacting customers of the affected vehicles immediately. All Toyota dealers in South Africa and the countries that TSAM serve will be involved. These include Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.

Reasons for the recall service action in South Africa

Toyota South Africa Motors chose to participate in this worldwide recall service action as a precautionary measure. The action will take place despite the fact that the problem has not surfaced to the same effect in the hot and dry climate of South Africa.

TSAM has, since the first announcement of its participation, received a small number of requests from concerned owners and will study each individual instance to understand whether the problem has indeed surfaced locally.

“We would like to apologise to all Toyota vehicle owners for the uncertainty and inconvenience that this process may have caused. We value the trust and confidence that Toyota owners have put in our brand over the past five decades and we will do everything in our power to honour that,” says Dr Johan van Zyl, President and CEO of TSAM.

Actions taken

Toyota South Africa Motors and its nationwide dealer network will immediately start contacting owners of the identified vehicles to inform them of the recall service action. Owners will be given the opportunity to contact

their nearest Toyota dealer at their convenience and schedule a time for the insertion of the steel bar. Repairs will start from 23 February 2010.

The corrective action should take less than an hour, but could take longer if the dealer is experiencing very high levels of service calls. It is important to note that the full cost of the corrective process will be borne by Toyota and that no owner will be required to pay, regardless of the state of his or her service plan, warranty or the ownership status of the vehicle.

As further support to the campaign concerned customers can visit www.toyota.co.za or phone the

Customer Contact Centre on 0800-139-111 for up to date information on the recall service campaign.

Source: Toyota

DETROIT, January 11, 2010—Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A, Inc., today unveiled the FT-CH dedicated hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.  The FT-CH is a concept that would address Toyota’s stated strategy to offer a wider variety of conventional hybrid choices to its customers, as it begins to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets.

“Within the next 10 to 20 years, we will not only reach peak oil we will enter a period where demand for all liquid fuels will exceed supply,” said Jim Lentz, TMS president.   “A century after the invention of the automobile, we must re-invent it with powertrains that significantly reduce or eliminate the use of conventional petroleum fuels.  One of many alternatives is through what is commonly called the electrification of the automobile.  By far, the single most successful example of this has been the gas-electric hybrid.

The CH stands for compact hybrid as in compact class and it’s a concept that can best be defined by comparing it with the mid-size class Prius.  The FT-CH captures the spirit and functionality of a car that thrives in the inner-city environment; sized right to be nimble, responsive and maneuverable.

Source: Toyota