Toyota Confirms Electric RAV4 Will Be Sold to General Public, Scion iQ EV to Fleets in 2012

July 19, 2011 at 3:42pm by Alexander Stoklosa

At last year’s Los Angeles auto show, Toyota showed off the electric RAV4 EV that it developed in collaboration with Tesla, and the company stated then that it planned to bring the electric crossover to market in 2012. Today Toyota confirmed that the RAV4 EV will definitely go on sale in 2012, and that it will definitely be sold to the general public. Note that Toyota explicitly says “sold,” which implies that getting your hands on one won’t be a lease-only affair, like, say, the Mini E. Toyota also will bring an electric Scion iQ to market in 2012, but the tiny runabout won’t be offered to private owners, instead being reserved for torture in vehicle fleets and via car-sharing operations. (The RAV4 EV also will be available to these clients.)

At the RAV4’s L.A. reveal, we described the rig’s 2012 on-sale target as “a bit nebulous” given the vagueness of Toyota’s business model for the battery-powered RAV4, but today’s confirmation means the automaker is apparently on track to meet its stated on-sale date.

Tags: Electric Vehicle, EV, Scion, Scion iQ, Scion iQ EV, Toyota, Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 EV |

View the original article here

Toyota Prices 2012 Yaris at $14,875, Confirms that “It’s a CAR!”

August 9, 2011 at 12:51pm by Alexander Stoklosa

Click to enlarge

Toyota has announced pricing and its social-media angle for the redesigned 2012 Yaris compact. Beyond that, though, Toyota declined to reveal little else about the car, although it did show it off at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival last weekend (see fuzzy inset photo; the car also has been revealed as the Japanese-market Vitz). Toyota’s social-media campaign is spearheaded by the catchphrase “It’s a CAR!”—we respect Toyota’s oneness with the Yaris’s appliance-like nature.

Prices for the 2012 Yaris will essentially hold firm relative to last year’s. Prices for the base L three- and five-door hatchback models start at $14,875, the same as 2011 models’ equipped with the optional Convenience package—the 2012 Ls get those bits as standard. The 2012 three-door LE hatchback will ring in at $16,385, and the five-door LE will set you back $16,860—increases of $145 and $140, respectively. Toyota did announce a new sporty SE model, which sits at the top of the Yaris range and will start at $17,160 with a manual transmission (a four-speed automatic is an $800 option). Toyota gave few specifics regarding the SE other than it will only be available in five-door guise and will feature an “enhanced tuned suspension.”

Toyota will release more information on the 2012 Yaris in the “near future,” which we assume will be before the car enters into production in three weeks. In the meantime, we will confirm that the Yaris is a car.

Tags: Toyota, Toyota Yaris |

View the original article here

Lamborghini (Mostly) Confirms Aventador Roadster in Statement After EPA “Leak”

June 1, 2011 at 3:33pm by Justin Berkowitz

With the EPA finally posting numbers for 2012-model-year cars, folks have begun scouring the listings for any hints about future models and powertrains. (This writer once, in a stroke of genius, used that very method to discover GM’s plans for the Pontiac G3 prior to any announcement that the “excitement” brand would be getting its very own Chevy Aveo.) A fuel-economy rating for the Lamborghini Aventador roadster is in the database, giving mostly reliable confirmation to the rather obvious speculation that Lambo would build a droptop version of its latest, greatest 12-cylinder monster.

There are instances, of course, when the EPA publishes fuel-economy estimates for cars that won’t necessarily exist or be sold in the U.S.—the 2006 Suzuki Swift x is just one example that still exists in the database—but considering that Lambo has offered decapitated versions of all of its models for the past two decades, an Aventador roadster is a sure thing. We spoke with Lamborghini, which supplied this statement essentially confirming that the car will at some point be built: “Naturally, an open-top version would bring an added dimension to the unique driving experience. Initially, however, we will focus on production of the hard-top Aventador.”

Bring it on! In the meantime, you can read our first drive of the newest V-12–powered Lambo right here.

Tags: Lamborghini, Lamborghini Aventador, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Lamborghini Aventador roadster |

View the original article here