Toyota cars

Toyota and BMW to Tie Up for a New Sports Car and Hybrid Technology

Back in June, we brought you the first rumors related to a possible collaboration between BMW and Toyota. Now, those rumors have become reality, as BMW has dropped the first official details on this upcoming partnership.

It looks like Toyota fell in love with these types of collaborative projects after the GT 86 sports car, developed in cooperation with Subaru went so well. This new partnership with BMW will add a yet another new sports vehicle to its lineup.

According to the new agreement signed between BMW and Toyota, the two companies will join forces to develop a new fuel-cell system, as well as new architecture and components for a sports vehicle concept that is set to be completed by the end of 2013.

Along with the new sports car, the two companies will join forces in their attempt to develop zero-emission technology. They are talking about a fundamental fuel-cell vehicle system, including not only a fuel-cell stack and system, but also a hydrogen tank, motor and a lithium-air battery. This new system is aimed for completion in 2020.

Super Bowl Ad: Toyota Teases Kaley Cuoco Super Bowl Commercial

Only during the Super Bowl will you see commercials - yes, commercials - have their own teasers. But that’s how lucrative that precious airtime is during the big game; the idea of teasing your million-dollar commercials with separate and cheaper spots leading up to the Super Bowl has kind of become an industry norm.

This year, Toyota is taking that route with the release of a teaser for their Super Bowl commercial(s). We already know that Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco will be the face of the commercials, but what we don’t know is the direction the campaign is going. In the teaser, Cuoco is strutting her stuff to “I Wish” by Skee-Lo – a song that hit No. 13 on the charts in 1995 – where he sings about wishing to be taller and wishing to be a baller. As these wishes are laid out, the passersby get these wishes – a short man grows taller, a delivery-truck driver dunks a basketball and a normal guy gets a good looking woman to call.

The part of the song that is the strangest is when Skee-Lo says “I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat in a ‘64 Impala.” We get the ’64 Impala, but the “rabbit in a hat with a bat?” What the??? Well, your wish is Toyota’s command, obviously, as waiting in Cuoco’s car is just that.

Stay tuned for the rest of Toyota’s Super Bowl commercials; they are bound to be sweet. We’ll have them all here following the game!

Click past the jump to see the original Skee-Lo video to see where this all stems from.

2013 Toyota Mark X G Sports Carbon Roof Concept

The Toyota Mark X G Sports Carbon Roof Concept is a car that we probably won’t ever get to see on these shores. Having said that, it’s a pretty popular ride in Japan and Toyota is doing its part to drum up even more interest on the sedan in its homeland.

At the Tokyo Auto Salon, the Mark X G Sports Carbon Roof Concept was displayed. For this model, though, the Japanese automaker decided to introduce a carbon-fiber roof that not only looks pretty cool, but also shaves off 6 kg (13.2 pounds) of fat from the sedan. With the new roof, Toyota was also able to lower the car’s center of gravity by 3.5 mm (0.137 inches), which is always a good thing when trying to improve handling. The carbon-fiber weave pattern on the roof is an unmistakable reminder of the material’s high-quality characteristics.

Add that to a 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces 318 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and mates to a six-speed automatic transmission, and you have a car that’s poised to be a hot ticket in Japan. Wish we had this baby stateside because it would get considerable interest here too.

2013 Toyota GT 86 "N086V" by TOMS

At only 200 horsepower, the Toyota GT 86 is one of those sports cars that are just ripe to be modified. That’s probably the reason why the GT 86 has become an aftermarket favorite and rightfully so because it’s one sick ride.

Racing outfit TOMS has been involved with Toyotas since the 70’s so it’s no surprise that with the `Yota getting back into the world of sports cars, TOMS has taken the task to build their own take on it. That’s how the N086V was born.

There are some aesthetic and aero changes done on the car, including a new front bumper, new wheel arch extensions, and a new set of 18-inch TOM Igeta wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires. The interior also received its share of carbon parts, which offers a more luxurious feel to the car.

But the main event of this program is undoubtedly under that hood, or to be exact, what was taken and out and what was put in. See, the GT 86’s stock 2.0-liter engine has been replaced with a 3.5-liter 2GR-FSE V-6 engine that you’ll typically find in a Lexus GS 350.

With that powertrain in tow, the N086V produces up to 395 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Do the math and that’s almost twice as many ponies lurking inside the sports car, waiting to be unleashed at the slam of a pedal.

To accommodate the dramatic increase in output, TOMS’ installed a reinforced clutch, high-performance brakes, and a new coil-over Advox suspension just to make sure the handling of the car can be kept in check.

Toyota Original Accessory’s Toyota 86xStyle Cb Takes the GT 86 Retro

If there was a way to properly comprehend the custom work done on this Toyota GT 86, we don’t get it. We suppose Toyota’s Original Accessory division had an idea what it wanted to build to display at the Tokyo Auto Salon, but this custom-tuned GT 86, dubbed the 86xStyle Cb, is something that leaves us more confused than anything.

The rationale behind this project appears to be the collaboration of classic and modern design elements for the GT 86. The new snout on the car completely changes the GT 86’s look, ridding the front of all the aggressive styling elements that make it popular. To be fair, the rear end of the car looks pretty good, thanks in large part to the addition of new taillights, a duck-bill spoiler and a modified bumper housing with new exhaust pipe outlets.

Rounding out the exterior modifications is a set of 18-inch BBS wheels wrapped in 215/45 and 225/45 tires on the front and rear, respectively. Also added in is a performance brake system upgrades courtesy of Brembo.

There are not many interior mods done on the 86xStyle Cb, apart from dressing it up in dark-brown leather and the installation of illumination on the dashboard.

All in all, this custom tuned GT 86 is something that doesn’t really move our awesome meter. The front end looks like it was transported back from the past to combine with a more modern rear. As far as we’re concerned, somewhere along the line, that transformation hit some bumps.

Toyota to Resurrect SUV-Coupe Concept

After standing back and watching their sworn rival Nissan grab all the sales in the small SUV market with its Juke, Toyota has finally decided to build such an SUV to rival the Nissan and broaden its range of vehicles. The development isn’t going to start from scratch, as Toyota bosses have stated that the SUV will draw heavy inspiration from the Toyota RSC — Rugged Sports Coupé — that was announced way back in 2001.

Sadly, the market then wasn’t looking for an SUV-Coupe concept as opposed to today’s market where an example like the Range Rover Evoque drives the segment with positive sales figures. So, the project was canned, which was a safe move by Toyota.

With the small SUV market emerging, thanks to the likes of the Nissan Juke and the Dacia Duster, Toyota is considering to join the bandwagon with their rumored SUV. The idea is yet to receive a green light, but if it does, the SUV will sit on either an extended version of the Yaris platform to compete with the Versa based Nissan Juke or the Auris platform for some extra space in the rear — an aspect blatantly ignored in the Juke.

With Toyota enjoying the title as the "World’s Largest Auto Manufacturer,” It is clear that they will build a rival to any car that enjoys a positive feedback in the market, as long as they stay No. 1 in the market.

Image shown is of the 2001 Toyota RSC

2013 Toyota Aqua G Sports

Toyota will offer proof that the hybrid technology is "no barrier to creating eye-popping custom concepts" at the 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon the. It will achieve this with the unveiling of the Aqua G Sports — a concept car based on the Prius hatchback — a model that quickly become one of Japan’s best-selling cars since its launch last year.

The new Aqua G Sports concept adds a more aggressive appearance to the exterior and interior, plus a re-tuned suspension and body-reinforcing braces to strengthen its sporting character and handling. Despite these updates, the Aqua concept keeps the usual hybrid powertrain found in the Prius. This means the new Aqua concept will be powered by a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 99 horsepower combined with an electric motor that adds another 82 horsepower.

Full details on the new Toyota Aqua G Sports concept will be unveiled during its official debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

2013 Toyota 86 Modellista

Toyota will come to this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon with 10 updated models and four of them are based on the road-going GT86 — known as the "86" on the Japanese market. The four 86 concepts to be displayed in Tokyo will be the 86 x style Cb, 86 Modellista, 86 TRD Griffon and TOM’S N086V.

The standard GT 86 has attracted worldwide praise for its sporting looks and character, but it is only the start for some of the world’s top design houses. For example, the one developed by Modellista features a very aggressive body kit, a carbon-fiber hood and a new set of wheels.

No other details have been provided just yet, but the first image we have reveals a concept car painted red combined with numerous black elements. Full details will be unveiled during the car’s official debut in Tokyo. We’ll bring you all of the details once Toyota and Modellista release them.

Toyota Drops Teaser No. 2 of Furia Concept

Toyota has never been the flashy type when it comes to developing concept cars. Quite frankly, it’s been a while since a Toyota concept really caught our attention. There is, however, a modicum of interest on our part with the Furia Concept that the Japanese automaker has prepared for the Detroit Auto Show.

Toyota appears to really be hitching a lot on this concept because we’ve already seen a number of teasers based on it. Whether its photos or videos, the Japanese automaker has really put serious time and effort to drum up the hype for the Furia concept. It’ll be interesting to see what this concept is going to look like, but rumors are already flying that this concept is going to be the kind of cutting-edge model that Toyota isn’t really known for.

The Furia Concept is scheduled to make its debut on Monday, January 14th. If its expected debut is any indication — the use of 30 custom 46" transparent LCD screens — we’re definitely for a pretty interesting spectacle.

Video: This Is How You Wrap A NASCAR Race Car With Sponsorship Logos

One of the really cool things about watching NASCAR races, at least for those who are more into the aesthetic side of the proceedings, is checking out the sponsors for each team.

So, if anybody has ever wondered how these teams dress up their cars, Joe Gibbs Racing is here to provide you with the answer.

The solution is a vinyl wrap, which has been used by a growing number of racing teams to emblazon their respective sponsors’ logos. In the case of Kyle Busch and his No. 18 Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup race car, the sponsor is M&Ms, and if you didn’t know, the chocolate maker employs colorful branding.

So, the Joe Gibbs Racing Team decided to show us how they were able to turn the Camry from a bland matte black stock car to a certifiably colorful, ready-to-race machine. Check out the time-lapse video and watch how the magic unfolds. A normal procedure takes a little less than two hours. This video lasts for just over three minutes.

Well worth the watch.