2011 Lexus LFA is wicked and this way comes

It's taken nearly four days to wrap my head around the 2011 Lexus LFA, and if I'm honest, I'm still not halfway there. The combination of a decade-long gestation, a half dozen prototypes comprised of two different materials, a high displacement V10 that cuts fuel at 9,500 RPM and a $375,000 price tag has left me incapacitated and trembling in a caffeine and nicotine-fueled fetal position for the better part of a week. I can't make heads nor tails of Lexus' first foray into supercardom, simply because nothing exists in the four-wheeled world to put it into perspective. Judging by your comments, I'm not alone.

It's a front-engine GT, but its MSRP means it doesn't compete with the Ferrari 599. It's a technological tour de force nearly on par with the Bugatti Veyron, but its 202 MPH top speed doesn't come close to the V-max of Ferdinand Piech's quad-turbo masterpiece. It's lithe and nimble, but lacks the directness and tactility of the Lotus Elise. Its 3.7-second zero-to-60 time falls short of the GT-R, and it can't come close to the Nissan's point-to-point brutality. There's simply no frame of reference to apply, which begs the question: Why? Why has Lexus invested hundreds of million of dollars, ran a dozen races and developed nearly every single component in-house to build a scant 500 LFAs and offer them to the world's elite?

It's a mystery wrapped in an enigma coated in carbon fiber. And there's obviously more to this story than simply driving impressions and photos. So after last week's barrage of LFA news, it's time to take a step back... then get stuck right back in.

The general consensus is that Toyota built the LFA simply because it could. That's just a poor excuse to prevent your head from exploding. The LFA represents more than just a V10-powered, carbon fiber plaything; the investment in development, technology and manufacturing appears to be a cornerstone of ToMoCo's future products and Toyota President Akio Toyoda's vision for the automaker. But let's put the bird's eye view aside for the moment and revel in the details, beginning with the styling.

Compared to the concept that rolled out at the 2005 Detroit Auto Show, the production LFA bears more resemblance to Toyota's follow-up in 2007. The flat, pointed exterior has evolved into a scooped and ducted coupe that's far and away the best application of Lexus' L-finesse design language to date. But as everyone is quick to point out, the LFA is unabashedly Japanese. And that's only the half of it. Literally.

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2010 Toyota 4Runner makes auto show debut in Anaheim

Looks like Anaheim was the next stop on the wagontrain from the Texas State Fair this year, at least for a couple of 2010 trucks we had been waiting to see in person. At the 2009 OC Auto Show in Anaheim, we saw not just the 2011 Ford F-350 Super Duty pickup, but also the 2010 Toyota 4Runner. This wider and longer 4Runner offers a third row of seats inside and an optional 2.7-liter 4-cylinder underhood. Of course, you can always stick with the 4.0-liter V6, which pumps out a healthy 270 hp. We're not sure how many true SUV buyers are left given current economic condition and ongoing environmental debate, but the few who are out should probably keep this new 4Runner or their short list.

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Tokyo Debut: Toyota FT-EV II Electric Vehicle Revealed Ahead

Toyota released first details about the Toyota FT-EV II earlier today. The Future Toyota Electric Vehicle II concept is meant to be a daily driver capable of low-level highway speeds.Running on lithium-ion batteries, the vehicle is capable of taking passengers a distance of 90 kilometers on a single charge. Top speed is 100 km/h, which is just enough to stay in the slow lanes on the freeway.The manufacturer did not release details about recharge time and motor size. The weight of the FT-EV II was also not released.Its interior was designed to be "retro-futuristic," which seems like an oxymoran at first. However, taking a look at the provided interior picture, the car looks like something that could have been storyboarded in the late-1970s, or possibly earlier, as a "car of the future." It has no foot pedals or steering wheel. Instead, the vehicle appears to be controlled by two control levers when the car is not on auto-pilot.Auto-pilot functions are meant to go beyond navigation. The FT-EV II can automatically download audio/visual content specifically geared towards the individuals in the car. Once plugged in at home, the vehicle can upload its content to a central computer.
Meanwhile, the vehicle's exterior is very much an evolution on the first FT-EV. This car appears to give more headroom, and more space in the back. A shorter nose means the windshield is flatter, and less angled. The front bumper was also redesigned. No pictures of the new concept's rear were provided.
Toyota will debut the new Toyota FT-EV II concept at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of October.

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Toyota FT-86 Concept motor show later this month

Toyota and Subaru have been collaborating for some time on a jointly developed sport coupe model. Now, we get a preview of the FT-86 Concept, which is set to debut at the Tokyo motor show later this month.
The sport coupe's dimensions are fairly compact with a length of 4,16 meters and a height of 1,26 m (width and wheelbase are 1,76 and 2,57 meters, respectively) and a low center of gravity. The FT-86 was created by Toyota's Europe Design Development and it's objective was to fashion a car with a "functional utility" design theme.
Uncharacteristic for the times, this concept does not feature any new technology of the hybrid or electric kind. The goal for both Japanese automakers was to create a sports model that is simple, fun-to-drive and fuel efficient. The FT-86 will feature Subaru's 2.0 liter Boxer gasoline/petrol engine, which develops only 160 hp, although, there have been hints that it may be dialed up to about 200. It also uses a 6-speed manual transmission and ADVICS brakes.
We can only guess that the FT-86's agility and speed will come from a low curb weight. We will just have to wait for the numbers on that.

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Toyota Releases Pricing on New 4Runner SUV and 2010MY Cars

Just one day after the presentation of the all-new 2010 4Runner, Toyota released pricing on its truck-based SUV model as well as on four more 2010 model year vehicles including the Land Cruiser, Venza, Prius and Tacoma pickup truck. MSRPs for the new 4Runner (including an $800 destination fee) range from $28,300 for the two-wheel drive SR5 grade with a 157HP 2.7-liter four pot to $40,600 for the Limited grade 4x4 with a 270HP 4.0-liter V6. Toyota said that the V6 4Runners will begin arriving at dealerships in late October or early November, while the 4-cylinder SR-5 will go on sale in early January 2010.

As for the rest of the range, the 2010MY Venza crossover-thingamajig, which will begin arriving at dealerships in early November, carries a base MSRP (including a $750 destination charge) that ranges from $27,025 for the four-cylinder, front-wheel-drive model to $29,550 for the all-wheel-drive V6. That comes to an increase of $300, or an average of 1.1 percent over the 2009MY cars.

For 2010, the Venza adds a USB port for iPod connectivity, hands-free phone capability and music streaming via Bluetooth wireless technology as standard equipment on all audio systems.

Expected to arrive at Toyota dealerships in late October, the 2010 Land Cruiser will start from $66,770 (including destination fees), an increase of $1,215, or 1.9 percent over the 2009MY. Changes for the 2010MY include an upgraded audio system that adds a standard USB port for iPod connectivity, Bluetooth wireless technology, grey factory privacy glass tint to the rear hatch and rain-sensing windshield wipers.

While the 2010MY doesn't bring any upgrades for the Tacoma pickup truck, Toyota has announced a price adjustment increase of $175, or an average of 0.8 percent effective on November 2, 2009. MSRP's (including destination charges) range from $16,145 for the Regular Cab four-cylinder 4x2 with a five-speed manual transmission to $28,050 for the Double Cab long bed 4x4 V6 with a five-speed automatic.

Finally, Toyota has increased the base MSRP on the 2010 Prius II, III, IV and IV models that will begin arriving in late October by $400, or an average of 1.6 percent. Prices, again including destination fees, range from $23,150 for the Prius I model to $28,420 for the range-topping Prius V.

Toyota said that pricing for the Prius I model, which will be made available in limited numbers to fleet buyers, will remain unchanged at $21,750.

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Lexus HS250h use counterpart Toyota SAI

When the Lexus brand was finally introduced back in its homeland of Japan, it marked the end of the Toyota-badged Lexus products such as the Toyota Harrier, which was essentially a Lexus RX. The Land Cruiser and Lexus LX twins are still on though.

Or so we thought, because the new Lexus HS250h will be launched in Japan as a Toyota called the Toyota SAI, alongside the original HS250h which has already been launched in Japan, which isn’t really completely original at all, being a restyled Euro-market Toyota Avensis (platform also used for the Scion tC) with the Camry Hybrid’s gaso-electric powertrain. Boy, that was confusing!

Toyota will be positioning the Toyota SAI as a larger hybrid-only car compared to the Prius, though since they share the same 2,700mm wheelbase I don’t expect the interior space to be all that different, though rear headroom should be better.

In the HS250h, the chassis had to handle the naturally larger 2.4 liter Hybrid Synergy Drive hybrid system but some are saying that the Toyota SAI will use the 1.8 liter version thats in the Prius. There are of course also news that it will use the same 2.4 liter HSD engine as the HS250h. What it will have is a proper boot, while the Prius is a hatchback.

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Toyota Camry with Aerokit available in Malaysia

Toyota is now offering the Toyota Camry in a new colour and with a new aerokit, of which both is shown above. The new colour is called White Pearl CS (070), with CS being an acronym for crystal. The new colour is only offered on the Toyota Camry 2.0G and the Toyota Camry 2.4V. Specifying this colour will cost an extra RM800.

As for the new Toyota Camry aerokit, it can be fitted on all models and all colours, but only as a factory-fit. Aftermarket retrofitting for existing Toyota Camry owners is not possible as Toyota says it will tamper with the vehicle’s original specifications as approved by Toyota Motor Co Japan. The aerokit is optional and costs RM2,200. It consists of a front lip, a rear lip, side skirts and a trunk lid spoiler. Warranty for the aerokit follows the Camry’s 3 year or 100,000km warranty.

One more rear shot after the jump.

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Toyota Aurion facelifted - Camry

For fans of the new facelifted Toyota Camry, here are some new shots of the car from its Australian launch where it is called the Toyota Aurion. I don’t think any of the previous photos I’ve published so far had a shot of the car with its LED tail lamps lit up so for those who haven’t seen the new facelifted Camry in real life at night yet, here’s how it looks like.

The Australian Toyota Aurion also has a sporty version with a completely different aggressively-styled bumper and grille. This is different from the aerokit we can purchase with the Camry here in Malaysia. Younger Camry buyers will probably want to hunt for this or find out how to import the original bumper in.

Look after the jump for the full gallery.

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Update Office: Toyota Auris HSD Hybrid Fully Revealed, Features Prius' Hybrid Drivetrain

The new Auris HSD Full Hybrid is a thinly disguised concept model that will be launched at the Frankfurt show next week previewing the production model that is scheduled to go on sale in Europe sometime during the second half of 2010. According to Toyota, it marks a significant milestone in the firm's plan to equip its mainstream European models with full hybrid technology. As anticipated, the Auris HSD Full Hybrid shares its hybrid powertran with the thrid-gen Prius.

This means that it is equipped with a 1.8-liter Atkinson Cycle petrol engine with 98HP, a 60kW - 80HP electric motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The combined output of the hybrid system is 134 horsepower. Being a 'full' hybrid, the Auris can be driven on petrol engine alone, electric motor alone for up to 1.25 miles (2km) at speeds up to 31mph or combination of both.

Toyota says that the Auris HSD Hybrid accelerates from nought to 100km/h (62mph) in around 10 seconds, while returning a "class-leading" combined cycle fuel economy (no figures were released) and sub-100g/km CO2 emissions.

Compared to the conventional Auris that has replaced the hatchback versions of the Corolla in Europe, the hybrid model features some subtle styling changes to improve aerodynamic efficiency as well as to differentiate it from the rest of the range. These include the new front-end fascia with a different grille and LED headlights, the new bumpers with flat corners, the LED tail lamps, the addition of a rear diffuser and a larger rear spoiler.

Other changes include the 20mm lower ride height, the underbody panels and the bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels that are designed to cut air turbulence in the wheel arches and are shod with low rolling resistance tyres. These changes result to a drag coefficient of 0.28 - for comparison, the latest Prius has a Cd figure of 0.25.

The hybrid model has also been fitted with solar panels on the roof as well as on top of the dashboard that generate enough energy to recharge mobile phones or portable music plays mounted in purpose-designed charging trays.

Being a concept and all, the car's cabin gets a special makeover as the seats and upper dashboard are finished in blue Gaucholino leather with light blue accent stitching while the centre console and side air vents have a pearl white finish. Furthermore, the instrument cluster gets 'hybrid blue' illumination while other upgrades include the flat bottom steering wheel and ambient illumination of the footwells and headlining.

The Auris HSD Full Hybrid will be built by Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) at the firm's Burnaston factory, near Derby, with sales of the production model set to start across Europe in the second half of 2010.

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