Latest Car News
Toyota Announces Global Prius, Lexus HS Recall
Posted: Feb. 09, 2010 10:02:17 a.m.
After a week of discussion, Toyota has announced a worldwide recall of its 2010 Prius and Lexus HS250h hybrids in order to correct a braking defect.
The AP explains, “Toyota says it is recalling about 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles worldwide to fix brake problems -- the latest in a string of embarrassing safety lapses at the world's largest automaker.” The announcement means that “the number of vehicles recalled globally by Toyota Motor Corp. has ballooned to 8 ...
Toyota Resale Values Take Another Hit
Posted: Feb. 09, 2010 10:02:37 a.m.
“The Toyota in your garage,” ABC News reports, “Is losing value by the week.” In the wake of a series of high-profile safety recalls, the company’s public image has taken a hit – and sales of used Toyotas have slowed.
The used car value analysts at Kelley Blue Book “dropped the resale values of recalled Toyotas for the second time in four days Monday, leaving them as much as 4 percent or $300 to $750 lower than a week ago ...
Report: Toyota Dealers Pull Ads to 'Punish' Recall Coverage
Posted: Feb. 09, 2010 10:02:03 a.m.
Some Toyota dealers are not happy with heavy media coverage of the company’s recent reliability problems. The world’s largest Toyota dealership group is reportedly taking action by pulling advertising from media outlets that have given the company’s recent safety recalls heavy coverage.
Autoblog reports, “Southeast Toyota, which is the largest franchised distributor of Toyota vehicles in the world with 173 dealers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina & South Carolina, has reportedly pulled all of its advertising from ...
2011 Volvo S60: Swoopier, Sportier Midsize Unveiled
Posted: Feb. 09, 2010 10:02:41 a.m.
Entry-level luxury sedans are, increasingly, sport sedans. Cars like the Infiniti G37 and the Audi A4 combine sharp cornering prowess with understated sex appeal, giving those who need four doors a few pulse-quickening options. The last Volvo S60 couldn’t hack it. Volvo stopped building it altogether midway through the 2009 model year, and didn’t bother with a 2010 version at all.
For 2011, however, the Swedish automaker will unveil a new, sexier S60 aimed at making buyers forget ...
2010 Prius Recall Expected
Posted: Feb. 08, 2010 09:02:47 a.m.
It's not official yet, but 2010 Toyota Prius owners should prepare themselves for a recall.
The New York Daily News reports, "Toyota will announce recalls for 300,000 of its prized Prius hybrids in the U.S. and Japan, the company's home turf, Japanese newspapers reported Sunday."
The New York Times says the decision to recall the Prius came "after receiving a flurry of complaints about the vehicle’s brakes, a person briefed on the decision said late ...
Questions about Toyota's Response to Complaints Continue
Posted: Feb. 08, 2010 09:02:00 a.m.
As consumers deal with the fallout from the massive Toyota recalls, the company is dealing with questions about its response to consumer safety complaints.
USA Today reports, “As Toyota grappled Sunday with reports that it was recalling its Prius hybrids in Japan and may do so in the United States, evidence continued to beg whether the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration responded quickly enough to reports of sudden acceleration in some of its other models.”
The New ...
Heavy Hitters Missing from Super Bowl
Posted: Feb. 08, 2010 09:02:52 a.m.
Yesterday's game was all about the triumph of the underdog – on the field and during commercial breaks. If you tracked the Super Bowl ads from car companies, you probably noticed something interesting: most of the heavy hitters stayed home.
ABC reports, "For advertisers, the Super Bowl is still the biggest game of the year. But in today's marketplace, the buzz isn't surrounding the ads during the game, it's the advertisers opting to sit on the bench ...
Some Toyota Dealers Resume Selling Recalled Models
Posted: Feb. 05, 2010 10:02:29 a.m.
Toyota dealers have been unable to sell eight of their most popular models – representing nearly 60 percent of their usual sales – since the automaker halted sales and production of the cars on January 26. The company plans to tell dealers to resume sales on February 8, but according to reports this morning, some dealers have already begun selling the cars.
Toyota spokesman Mike Michels told the Los Angeles Times, “We now have more than enough parts at dealers to take ...
Toyota Mulling Prius, Lexus HS Recall
Posted: Feb. 05, 2010 10:02:44 a.m.
What’s going on at Toyota headquarters? Conflicting reports this morning say that the auto giant may have decided to recall its 2010 Prius hybrid in order to correct a braking defect.
ABC News says the recall decision has been made. Citing a report in the Japanese news daily Nihon Keizai, ABC claims, “Toyota will soon notify Japan's transport ministry and the U.S. Department of Transportation of the recall.”
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal reports ...
Ford to Correct Braking Issue in Fusion, Milan Hybrids
Posted: Feb. 05, 2010 10:02:46 a.m.
With all of the publicity surrounding Toyota’s internal debate over whether or not to recall its Prius hybrid due to a potential braking defect, this one almost slipped through the cracks: Ford has ordered its dealers to correct a very similar issue in its 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and its cousin, the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid.
Unlike the Prius, the Fusion and Milan hybrids don’t actually lose braking power while the driver is stepping on the brake pedal ...
