Toyota is playing the crisis very aggressively and I’m seriously hoping a lot of car manufacturers will follow in the next couple weeks/months when they see sales drop further due to the credit punch.
Here’s an excerpt from the Toyota Car Fans:
[Toyota is] giving away $2,000 to $4,000 dealer cash or customer rebates for units like Tundra pickup and 2008 Tundra. Hybrid cars will have dealer cash of $750 on its hood. For Corolla, the manufacturer is putting in $1,500 as cash rebate for customers for both its base and the LE trim levels. The rest of its trim levels will have $1,250. The trim levels of Camry will also have a customer cash of $1,000. Its dealer cash will be at $500.
Source:Toyota Turns to Cash Rebates to Perform
23 | posted at February 23rd, 2009 in Economic Crisis, Toyota
There have been a lot of rumors and speculations about the new sports coupe brewing between giant automakers Toyota and Subaru, but not much has been said about the car’s availability in the United States. According to early press releases, both the Toyota and Subaru versions will be sold in the U.S. but there have been new speculations that only the Subaru version will be released for U.S. consumption.
The guessing game ended when a new report said that both Toyota and Subaru will be marketing in the U.S. but the new sports coupe will not be wearing the Toyota badge.
According to CarScoop, the new sports coupe will be sporting the Toyota’s Scion emblem and will be released in the U.S. as the new Scion tC—a compact car introduced by Toyota in 2004, which is specifically designed to appeal to the Generation Y.
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19 | posted at January 2nd, 2009 in Scion, Toyota
Korean automaker, Kia, revealed its latest fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) system at the Los Angeles Auto Show held last November 2008. Earlier FCEVs were constructed into Sportage sport ute, which is relatively smaller compared to the larger Borrego, which Kia chose to use for its latest technology.
Remarkable advantages and improvements as compared to the previous system were noted. These include the added 47 hp—boosting fuel-cell performance to 154 hp—and a new 450-volt super capacitor, adding another 134 hp. The super capacitor increases the system’s driving range and allows the model to jumpstart in subzero temperatures, making it a green car that can be used all year round.
The new Borrego FCEV has a maximum speed of 100 mph. The Korean automaker boasts of a top of the line system efficiency of 62 percent, which is equivalent to a collective EPA rating of 54 mpg. Borrego can be equipped with two or three hydrogen tanks with a top range of approximately 426 miles.
Kia ensures that that even for its size, the new Borrego FCEV models remain lightweight by using aluminum die casted body components. It weighs in at 4,960 pounds and has 0-60 mph time of 12.8 seconds.
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14 | posted at December 3rd, 2008 in Green Cars, KIA
I realize this isn’t a real budget car, but hey, I like it! 
The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series was a hit and car manufacturer Volkswagen has decided to expand next year’s series to ten races. Another good news from the car company
is that non-race, everyday drivers may enjoy the diesel car used to live the racing track dreams.
The diesel engine vehicle that will be put into production will look very similar to the Jetta TDI Cup Edition Street concept unveiled in the recent SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The production car will have the same looks of the cup edition VW Jetta TDI’s bumper, skirts, and rear configurations. The car will also be enhanced with brakes, sway bars, and suspension following the footsteps of the GLI sedan prowling in the European market today.
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10 | posted at November 24th, 2008 in Volkswagen
Car manufacturers feel the pressure of the global credit crunch as they review their figures for October. The monthly sales are considered to be the lowest performance of the auto industry in almost 25 years.
The numbers are not for the weak hearts as Toyota sales have declined by as much as 23%. Ford experience a year to year drop of 45% as its October sales took a nose dive down by 32%. Honda and Daimler AG sales were also a lack luster with a 24% drop.
Other car manufacturers like Isuzu, Suzuki, and Porsche suffered a 45% decline.
The drop in sales of the automotive industry is on its 12-month straight, and is consistent with the projection of analysts who viewed businesses highly dependent on financing to suffer a great deal.
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3 | posted at October 30th, 2008 in Ford, GM, Honda, Toyota
