The new Toyota Yaris recorded an overall 72.29mpg at the ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, giving it the No. 1 spot in its class for petrol cars that emit less than 120g/km of CO2. This average consumption figure is nearly 23% higher than the model’s official combined figure of 58.9mpg. In this event that took place on Oct. 5-6, 38 cars and vans competed in five classes through a combination of A and B roads and motorways. When the debut test of the Yaris ended upon completing the 350-mile route, it only had 23.2 litres. More...

Toyota Motor Corp.’s earnings are dropping as the yen gets stronger, pushing the automaker to expand production outside Japan. Chief Financial Officer Satoshi Ozawa said this is a difficult time for the company. Toyota will have to cut production costs to compensate for the currency problem. He said that the company may even have to transfer shifting manufacturing from Japan "to some extent." More...

The all-electric variation of the Toyota Rav4 will be put up for sale by 2012, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed. The baby SUV was first seen at the LA motor show in 2010. It is equipped with a Tesla electric powertrain. Musk trusts that it will be the "the best small electric car on the market" once it goes on sale. The CEO further disclosed that the partnership between the two companies was progressing well, pointing out that Toyota is a "great supporter and advisor" for Tesla, especially when it comes to manufacturing.  More...

For those who don’t remember, Lexus introduced the LS 460 Sport package on the 2010 model year and this was a premiere for the LS because the car received a sporty look thanks to the new exterior styling. Today Lexus announced the new LS 460 Sport Special Edition, which will be available only for the 2012 LS 460 Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) model. Priced at $77,000 (processing and handling fee of $875 is not included), the new 2012 Lexus LS 460 Special Edition will be manufactured in a limited edition of just 250 units and will feature an Obsidian exterior as well as plenty of features.  More...

If you don’t like the 2012 Lexus LS 460 Special Edition or the 2012 ES 350 Touring Edition, we have another proposal for you: the 2012 Lexus CT 200h F Sport Special Edition. As expected, the CT 200h F Sport Special is also the cheapest special edition, with a price tag of $37,995 plus the $875 processing and handling fee. The new special edition of the Lexus CT 200h production will be limited to 900 units, each available for only the Premium model and in three colors: Nebula Gray Pearl, Starfire Pearl and Tungsten Pearl.  More...

Besides the 2012 Lexus LS 460 Special Edition, the Japanese manufacturer also unveiled today the 2012 ES 350 Touring Edition. According to Lexus, the 2012 ES 350 Touring Edition is priced at $40,475 (processing and handling fee of $875 not included) and the production will be limited to 2,000 units. The 2012 ES 350 Touring Edition will only be available in two colors, Stargazer Black and Starfire Pearl.  More...

Toyota has upgraded the Venza crossovers for the 2012 model year. In terms of styling, no upgraded to the exterior or interior were made – however, the 2012 Toyota Venza gets a new three-grade model line including LE, XLE and Limited Grades. The Toyota Venza LE and XLE models are available with all powertrain combinations: 4-cylinder, V6, front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD); the Venza Limited comes with the V6 engine only, in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive configurations. Click here for more news on the Toyota Venza. The 2.7 liter 4-cylinder in the 2012 Venza produces 182-hp at 5,800 rpm and 182 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 rpm. EPA rated fuel-economy for the 4-cylinder 2012 Toyota Venza comes in at 21/27 mpg (city/highway) for the FWD model. The 3.5 liter V6 powertrain makes 268-hp at 6,200 rpm and 246 lb-ft of torque at 4,700 rpm. EPA rated fuel-economy comes in at 19/26 mpg for the FWD model. Prices will be announced shortly. Check out the press release after the jump for more details.  More...

Once the sales of Toyota's new Prius Plug-in begin in the first half of next year, it will cost less than £31,000. This price does not consider the Government funding through the Ultra-Low Carbon Vehicle grant scheme, which could decrease the cost to customers by as much as £5,000. The company has qualified for the grant by meeting the requirements for plug-in cars.  More...

Toyota’s 2012 Scion xD has a starting price of $15,345 for the model that has a five-speed manual transmission and its usual 1.8-liter engine. The base price of the new model makes it $235 more expensive than the 2011 model year. However, the xD now offers more features as standard. It is equipped with streaming audio, Bluetooth, and HD radio – awesome features for a car that has a price tag of just above $15,000.  More...

As Toyota Motor Corp.’s production recovers and as Camry deliveries continue to grow, the automaker expects to begin reversing the decline in U.S. sales that is the result of the earthquake in Japan. In an interview, Bob Carter, group vice president for U.S. sales, said that wholesale orders for Toyota brand cars and trucks have normalized this month. He also said that vehicle inventory is growing. The last month that Toyota’s monthly sales had increased was last April. Toyota’s market share in the U.S. through August dropped from 15.2% to 12.7%.  More...