Engineerblogger
Jan 23, 2012

Modified Toyota 2000GT Solar EV

Toyota have developed a solar EV based on the 2000GT, its classic limited production grand tourer.

"There is a solar panel on the hood and a translucent solar panel on the rear window. Solar panels still have low charging efficiency, so they need about two weeks to charge fully from zero. But we've been particular about utilizing solar panels, to power this car without using any electricity from thermal plants, or emitting any CO2."

This car was built by the Toyota Automobile Association, which includes dealers, parts suppliers, and engineers as well as Toyota itself. It incorporates both traditional Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

This car was converted by members of the Crazy Car Project, which includes engineers from car dealers, parts suppliers, and car makers. It incorporates both traditional Japanese craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology.

"We created the interior together with a company called Hayashi Telempu, which supplied parts for the original 2000GT. The idea was to revive the original features using today's technology. By using artificial leather instead of real leather, we've given the interior an even smoother finish. For the wooden finish on the instrument panel, rather than the original brown, we've used Japanese black lacquer, with gold and silver accents. This was commissioned from artisans in Kaga, to create a traditional Japanese atmosphere. Another highlight is the seven-dial meter, a characteristic feature of the original 2000GT. We've kept the original arrangement unchanged, but now it shows EV readings, like the motor rate, battery charge, and battery temperature."

This concept behind this vehicle is a solar car that can carry two people at a top speed of 200 km/h. It has a 35 kWh battery from Panasonic, and uses the motor and inverter from the Lexus LS Hybrid.

"The sound of a gasoline engine in a race is exciting, and with a quiet EV, you can add the kind of sound you like. By making the pitch and frequency vary linearly when the accelerator is pressed, we've created a sound that simulates a race car very well."

"Imagine a parking lot in summer. The parking lot here in midsummer is full of cars, and they're not doing anything useful, just getting hot in the sun. If all cars had solar panels like this, they'd make a great mega-solar plant. If that could be achieved, automobiles, which are said to be unfriendly to the environment, could become good for it. They'd be useful even when they were parked. We've built this car in the hope that, one day, the world will be like that."




Source: DigInfo TV

Additional Information:

• Crazy Car Project

Toyota, BMW To Collaborate On Greener Car Battery

Engineerblogger
Dec 5, 2011

Auto giants Toyota and BMW said Thursday they have agreed to collaborate on research for cleaner, next-generation car batteries, underlining the growing push in the industry for green technology.

The agreement brings together Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's No. 1 carmaker and a leader in gas-electric hybrids, and BMW AG of Germany, a European maker that has a strong luxury brand image in both Japan and Europe.

"We are now joining forces to further develop environmentally-friendly technologies and to expand our innovation leadership in each of our segments," Norbert Reithofer, chairman of BMW, said in a statement.

The two automakers will also work on improving lithium-ion battery technology, typically used in batteries for electronic gadgets and relatively new to autos.

Toyota has struggled to find a good lithium-ion battery for its green cars and is using technology from Japanese electronics maker Sanyo Electric Co. in its latest plug-in hybrid, for which Toyota has recently started taking orders. Toyota had worked with Panasonic Corp. on a battery before the electronics maker acquired Sanyo, partly to get better lithium-ion technology.

"This collaboration will allow for the development of the next-generation battery faster and at a higher level," Toyota Executive Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada told reporters at a Tokyo news conference.

Toyota and BMW have been engaged in extended discussions on technology and plan to collaborate on other medium-term and long-term projects, he said.

BMW will also begin supplying "clean" diesel engines to Toyota in 2014 for models for the European market. Diesel engines for passenger cars are huge in Europe but have yet to take off in the U.S. or Japan, the two major markets where Toyota is strong. Toyota does not have enough clean diesel engines for its European offerings.

Under their agreement, BMW is supplying 1.6 liter and 2.0 liter fuel-efficient diesel engines for Toyota. They declined to give details on models.

The announcement was timed with the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public Saturday.

Competition in new batteries is expected to heat up in coming years amid growing concern about global warming. Governments around the world are offering tax breaks and subsidies to encourage electric cars and plug-ins.

BMW said it is entering its first collaboration with a Japanese automaker because of Toyota's prowess in hybrids.

Toyota has sold more than 3.4 million hybrids worldwide so far, including models other than the pioneering hit Prius.

Toyota does not have an electric vehicle in its commercial lineup, although it is planning one for next year, for commuting short distances.

Japanese rival Nissan Motor Co. has made EVs the pillar of its green strategy and has a head start, offering the Leaf electric car from last year.

But electric vehicles are still a fledgling technology, meaning the race has just begun and others like Toyota and BMW can play catchup.

Nissan has sold about 20,000 Leaf cars around the world so far.

Toyota and BMW executives said sharing research can speed up development.

"The agreement between our two companies marks a milestone for our future collaborations," said Ian Robertson, a BMW board member who oversees sales and marketing.

Source:  The Associated Press 

Toyota unveils high-tech concept car ahead of show

Engineerblogger
Nov 28, 2011

A presenter explains about Toyota Fun-Vii in Tokyo Monday, Nov. 28, 2011. Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled the futuristic concept car resembling a giant smartphone to demonstrate how Japan's top automaker is trying to take the lead in technology at the upcoming Tokyo auto show, which opens to the public this weekend. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Toyota's president unveiled a futuristic concept car resembling a giant smartphone to demonstrate how Japan's top automaker is trying to take the lead in technology at the upcoming Tokyo auto show.

Toyota Motor Corp. will also be showing an electric vehicle, set for launch next year, and a tiny version of the hit Prius gas-electric hybrid at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens to the public this weekend.

But the automaker's president, Akio Toyoda, chose to focus on the experimental Fun-Vii, which he called "a smartphone on four wheels" at Monday's preview of what Toyota is displaying at the show.

The car works like a personal computer and allows drivers to connect with dealers and others with a tap of a touch-panel door.

"A car must appeal to our emotions," Toyoda said, using the Japanese term "waku waku doki doki," referring to a heart aflutter with anticipation.

Toyota's booth will be a major attraction at the biannual Tokyo exhibition for the auto industry. Toyota said the Fun Vii was an example of what might be in the works in "20XX," giving no dates.

The Tokyo show has been scaled back in recent years as U.S. and European automakers increasingly look to China and other places where growth potential is greater. U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. isn't even taking part in the show.

Toyota's electric vehicle FT-EV III, still a concept or test model, doesn't have a price yet, but is designed for short trips such as grocery shopping and work commutes, running 105 kilometers (65 miles) on one full charge.

The new small hybrid will be named Aqua in Japan, where it goes on sale next month. Overseas dates are undecided. Outside Japan it will be sold as a Prius.

Japan's automakers, already battered by years of sales stagnation at home, took another hit from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which damaged part suppliers in northeastern Japan, and forced the car makers to cut back production.

The forecast of demand for new passenger cars in Japan this year has been cut to 3.58 million vehicles from an earlier 3.78 million by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Toru Hatano, auto analyst for IHS Automotive in Tokyo, believes fuel efficient hybrid models will be popular with Japanese consumers, and Toyota has an edge.

"The biggest obstacle has to do with costs, and you need to boost vehicle numbers if you hope to bring down costs" he said. "Toyota has more hybrids on the market than do rivals, and that gives Toyota an advantage."

Toyota has sold more than 3.4 million hybrids worldwide so far. Honda Motor Co., which has also been aggressive with hybrid technology, has sold 770,000 hybrids worldwide.

Toyota is also premiering a fuel-cell concept vehicle, FCV-R, at the show.

Zero-emission fuel cell vehicles, which run on hydrogen, have been viewed as impractical because of costs. Toyota said the FCV-R is a "practical" fuel-cell, planned for 2015, but didn't give its price.

"I felt as though my heart was going to break," Toyoda said of the turmoil after the March disaster. "It is precisely because we are in such times we must move forward with our dreams."

Source: The Associated Press

Toyota shows machines to help sick, elderly move

Engineerblogger
Nov 1, 2011

Eiichi Saitoh, a professor in rehabilitation medicine, steps down with an "independent walk assist" device as Toyota Motor Corp. displays experimental health care robots at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. Saitoh demonstrated the "walk assist" device on, strapping the computerized metallic brace onto his right leg, which was paralyzed by polio. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)



Toyota unveiled its ambitions for high-tech health care Tuesday, displaying experimental robots that the auto giant says can lift disabled patients from their hospital beds or help them walk.

The company aims to commercialize products such as its "independent walk assist" device sometime after 2013 — seeking to position itself in an industry with great potential in Japan, one of the world's most rapidly aging nations.

Eiichi Saitoh, a professor in rehabilitation medicine, demonstrated the "walk assist" device on Tuesday, strapping the computerized metallic brace onto his right leg, which was paralyzed by polio.

He showed reporters at a Toyota facility in Tokyo how the brace could bend at the knee as needed, allowing him to walk more naturally and rise from a chair with greater ease than the walker he now uses. Wearing a backpack-like battery, Saitoh walked up and down a flight of stairs, smiling with delight.

Saitoh said he had tried Toyota's machines with patients and was confident they helped people recover more quickly from strokes and other ailments that curtailed movement.

"It may be difficult to predict the future, but the era of an aging society is definitely coming," he said. "We need partner robots to enrich our lives."

Toyota also demonstrated an intelligent machine with padded arms that can help health care workers lift disabled patients from their beds and then carry them around. Another mobility aid worked like a skateboard to help people relearn balance.

Toyota officials said technology for autos such as sensors, motors and computer software are being used in such computerized gadgets to help people get around, and what they learn about mobility for people will likely be of use in future cars.

Prices and overseas sales plans of all the machines are still undecided, according to Toyota.

General Manager Akifumi Tamaoki said more tests were needed on more people to insure safety and reliability, and gain user feedback, but the commercial products in the works were going to be smaller and lighter than the prototype versions shown.

"We define gentle and smart machines as partner robots," he said.

Toyota has previously shown human-shaped robots that played the trumpet and violin, and those that move around and talk about Toyota cars at showrooms.

Rival Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. has developed a sophisticated humanoid robot called Asimo, which can run, talk and dance. But Asimo has been limited to showrooms and labs and has yet to enter any hospital or home.

Toyota faces competition from other manufacturers that are all working on gadgets to tap into the health care business. Honda also has demonstrated machines worn on the legs that help people move, as have some universities.

Hirohisa Hirukawa, a robot exert at the government-backed National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, said more time would be needed to see the full busineses potential of the Toyota machines but was upbeat.

"I feel that the walk-assist device has real potential to sell to consumers," he said in an email.

Tamaoki said Toyota is keeping its offerings simple, compared to those from Honda, so they can enter everyday life easily.

Source: The Associated Press

Toyota to make key hybrid parts in China

AFP
Sept 4, 2011

Toyota Motor will manufacture the Prius hybrid and its key parts in China in a bid to boost sales in the world's largest car market, a company spokeswoman said Sunday.

This will mark the first time the Japanese automaker has produced key components such as motors and batteries for the petrol-electric hybrid in a facility outside Japan.

Toyota manufactured the second model of the Prius in China, with key components exported from Japan, but stopped the operation in 2009.

"The company has a business policy to expand sales of environmentally friendly cars in China," said Toyota spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto, adding production of the car in the country had been approved by Chinese authorities.

The Nikkei business daily reported that production of the third Prius model is set to begin in China at 2012 at the earliest.

The Nikkei said that it will be a joint venture with China FAW Group Corp, a major Chinese automaker.

The car's major components will be produced at the company's research and development facility in Changshu, in eastern China, but the Toyota spokeswoman would not say where in China the car would be assembled.

Toyota would also not disclose which parts would be made in China.

Volkswagen and General Motors plan to produce environmentally friendly vehicles in China, but are reluctant to talk about local production of key parts due to concerns over technology leaks, the Nikkei said.


Related Articles:

• Toyota: To Halt Camry Exports To North America

Toyota debuts new Camry amid tough competition

Engineerblogger

Aug 23, 2011

The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for nearly 15 years, its reputation for reliability keeping it on top even when the carmaker was hurt by major safety recalls.

But its lead has shrunk dramatically. Feeling the pressure, Toyota unveiled the 2012 Camry on Tuesday, its first redesign of the sedan in five years. While Toyota hopes to create buzz by lowering the Camry's price, improving its fuel economy and adding new features, it may not be enough to keep the Camry No. 1 in the increasingly competitive market for midsize sedans.

"The Camry is not a slam-dunk by itself anymore," says Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for car pricing site TrueCar.com.

Toyota showed off the new Camry on the Web and at events in California and elsewhere. It has given the car a sharper, more pointed hood, a quieter and roomier interior and more trunk space. It's also offering Entune, a system that lets drivers access internet services like Pandora from their mobile phones using voice commands or an in-dash touch screen.

But critics say the styling is bland compared with edgier rivals like Nissan, Hyundai and Kia, and that Toyota saved money by using cheaper interior materials.

"There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it, but is that good enough nowadays? No, it's not," Toprak says.

The new Camry is due to arrive at dealerships in early October. A basic version will cost just under $22,000 and get 35 mpg on the highway.

Toyota has sold more than 15 million Camrys worldwide since it introduced the car in 1983 to compete with the Honda Accord. It quickly became a big seller in the U.S. because of its reputation for reliability and good gas mileage. The Camry outsold the Ford Taurus in 1997 and has been the best-selling car in America every year except for 2001, when it was eclipsed by the Accord. Even Toyota's embarrassing series of safety recalls last year and earthquake-related shortages this spring didn't knock it down from No.1.

Toyota's U.S. sales chief Bob Carter says the company aims to keep things that way, in part by being aggressive on price.

A basic Camry will now start at $21,955, which is $710 more than the current model. But most other versions will cost less than current ones. The top-of-the-line version, for example, will start at $24,725, or $2,000 less. The hybrid Camry, which starts at $25,900, is $1,150 less.

At that starting price, the Camry will cost a little more than some of its competitors, such as the $19,200 Kia Optima. But Carter says the car includes a lot for the price, including the most air bags — 10 — in its class.

Toyota has also tweaked the Camry's engines to get better fuel economy. The four-cylinder engine, which makes up the bulk of Camry's sales, will get 35 miles per gallon on the highway, up from 32 in the 2011 Camry. The hybrid version will get a combined 41 miles per gallon in city and highway driving. Those numbers make the Camry one of the most fuel efficient sedans among its competitors.

But it remains to be seen whether Toyota can draw back buyers who started shopping other brands after Toyota was hit by huge recalls that involved sticky accelerators and floor mats that trapped gas pedals. Customers also ran into shortages this summer after Japan's earthquake disrupted production.

Toyota's lead has been slipping the last four years. In the first seven months of 2007, the company sold more than 282,000 Camrys, trouncing what was then its closest competitor, the Honda Accord, by more than 62,000. Camry sales were more than double the Nissan Altima's, and more than three times those of the Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata.

Now the Camry's top five rivals are within striking distance. The Altima was only 21,000 behind through July, and the Fusion just 23,000 back.

Toprak and others say the Hyundai Sonata is most worrying to Toyota. Its fuel economy equals the 2012 Camry but it has more horsepower, and its styling is more daring. Its starting price is also $2,300 lower than the Camry's. Camry sales were down 8 percent through July, while the Sonata's were up 21 percent.

Aaron Bragman, an analyst with IHS Automotive, thinks the new Camry will probably win over many of the 6.8 million people already driving the car in the U.S. But he's unimpressed by the vehicle's cheaper looking hard plastic surfaces and knobs, and he thinks some shoppers will be, too.

"I don't think it's going to bring anybody new to the brand," he says.

But Camry has proven its staying power before. And while analysts also criticized the cheaper materials used on the new Volkswagen Jetta sedan, Jetta sales were up 75 percent through July.

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda visited the Georgetown, Ky., plant where the Camry is made Tuesday, underscoring the car's importance. Toyoda said he personally tested the new car until he was satisfied that it outperforms its competition.

"This car has become a symbol of Toyota's success," he said. "This is an opportunity to show the world again what Toyota is all about."

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Ford and Toyota Team on Hybrid System

Engineerblogger

August 22, 2011

You might think that automakers always have one another in the crosshairs. But it turns out there can be opportunities for collaboration, especially when it comes to advanced technology and bringing it to the public sooner and more affordably than one automaker could do alone. Case in point? Ford and Toyota, the two leading manufacturers of hybrid vehicles, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the intent to jointly develop a hybrid system for light trucks and SUVs.



The two will potentially bring the best of their independently developed hybrid powertrain technology and knowledge to a new co-developed hybrid system, which may be used in rear-wheel-drive light trucks. Ford and Toyota have been working separately on similar new rear-wheel-drive hybrid systems aimed at delivering higher fuel economy in light trucks and SUVs. When the two companies began discussing this potential collaboration, they discovered how quickly they were able to find common ground.

While the proposed rear-wheel-drive hybrid system may share significant common technology and components, Ford and Toyota will individually integrate the system into their own vehicles. Each company also will determine the calibration and performance dynamics characteristics of their respective light pickups and SUVs.

“This is the kind of collaborative effort that is required to address the big global challenges of energy independence and environmental sustainability,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.

In addition, as telematics plays an increasingly more important role in the in-car experience, both companies have also agreed to collaborate on standards and technologies needed to enable a safer, more secure and more convenient in-car experience for next-generation telematics systems. The telematics collaboration relates only to standards and technologies, and each company will continue to separately develop their own in-vehicle products and features.

“We have unique and very good solutions today with SYNC® and MyFord Touch™. Working together on in-vehicle standards can only enhance our customers’ experience with their vehicles,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development.

Source: Ford Motor Company

Toyota's new pre-crash technology directs steering

AP

July 21, 2011

Toyota is developing a safety technology that takes control of the steering so the vehicle can veer away when it isn't able to stop before impact.

Toyota Motor Corp. showed some of its up and coming safety innovations in a demonstration to reporters Thursday at its facility in this town, west of Tokyo, near Mount Fuji.

All the world's automakers are working on special safety technology in an effort to woo customers, as competition intensifies among manufacturers already neck-and-neck in delivering the regular features for their products.

Cars that stop or slow down automatically before an object or person in anticipation of a possible crash are not new. But Toyota's latest pre-collision system adds a steering-control feature.

In the new system, Toyota uses cameras and a super sensitive radar called "millimeter-wave," both installed in the front of the vehicle, to detect possible crashes such as a pedestrian crossing the road.

The vehicle calculates how braking and steering must be applied to avoid a crash, said chief safety technology officer Moritaka Yoshida.

"We must learn from accidents and keep making improvements in safety features," he said.

The Japanese automaker declined to say when the feature may be offered on a commercial model, or in which markets, but officials hinted it was ready to be offered soon.

Toyota said it was aiming for zero fatalities and injuries, although it did not say when that goal would be achieved.

Fatalities have been declining in auto accidents, because of better safety features, but deaths among pedestrians in traffic accidents have not gone down in Japan.

Protecting pedestrians is increasingly key, according to Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models.

Toyota showed what is called a pop-up hood, which rises slightly in a crash, to mitigate the impact of a pedestrian getting hit by a car, similar to features offered by European makers.

It also showed how parts of the rays from high-beam headlights could be blocked so that drivers could still see clearly what was ahead while headlights would appear to be on low beam to the driver in a car coming from the other direction.

Toyota also showed a steering wheel in development that measures the heartbeat of the driver to prevent crashes that can happen when drivers suffer heart attacks.

Toyota utilizing hybrids to help with power crunch

AP
July 19, 2011

Toyota's electric-gasoline hybrid car technology will be utilized to help ease power shortages in Japan's disaster-struck northeast, part of a set of measures the automaker hopes will underline its commitment to the region.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will donate emergency power supply systems linked to its Prius hybrid cars to prefectures (states) in the Tohoku region ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

The systems will be fitted to about 40 of the automaker's Prius hybrids. Hybrid vehicles can be used to store and generate electricity because it is partly an electric vehicle that runs on a high-quality battery.

Toyota's hybrid technology has already been helping in quake-affected areas, which suffered massive blackouts, as an emergency source of electricity.

The automaker said the positive reviews for its Estima hybrid minivan, which comes with regular electrical outlets to plug in and run household appliances for up to two days, are prompting it to make it available as an option for the Prius within a year.

Toyota also announced Tuesday that it will set up a manufacturing training school in the northeast, hoping to send home the message it remains committed to making cars in Tohoku and Japan overall despite mounting obstacles.

Fears are growing that Toyota and other major manufacturers may move production abroad after the tsunami and earthquake left key suppliers in a shambles, disrupting production.

Another setback are the meltdowns at a nuclear power plant, which is crimping the electricity supply and forcing manufacturers to cut back on electricity use.

Recruiting for the new technical school for high school graduates and employees of Toyota affiliates in the northeast will start in July next year. The first class for 10 to 30 students will begin in April 2013, the world's largest automaker said in a statement.

Toyota also said it will donate 300 million yen ($3.8 million) for educational help for children, many who lost their parents in the disaster, and another 3 million yen ($38,000) to support the arts in Tohoku.

Last week, Toyota announced it was consolidating its operations among Tohoku group companies, and strengthening research and development in the region to make it Toyota's third production center in Japan — after its headquarters in central Japan and Kyushu, southwestern Japan.

One vehicle set to be produced in northeastern Japan is a small hybrid that's a key part of Toyota's lineup of green vehicles, according to the automaker.

Other Japanese automakers are also eyeing renewable energy as a business opportunity, taking advantage of the power-generating feature of green cars.

Nissan Motor Co. is testing a super-green way to recharge its Leaf electric vehicle using solar power. Honda Motor Co. already has solar panel and home power generating businesses that it is planning to strengthen as interest grows in renewable energy because of the nuclear crisis.

Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Toyota takes steps to beef up Japan production

AP
July 13, 2011

Toyota is making two group auto-assembly companies in Japan into wholly owned subsidiaries and will start talks on a merger of three group companies in an effort to strengthenJapanese manufacturing.

Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda made the announcement Wednesday from Nagoya, central Japan, in a news conference, shown on a screen at the automaker's Tokyo office.

Toyoda believes the moves will help keep auto production in Japan and quicken product development to remain globally competitive despite unfavorable conditions such as the strong yen and a growing power crunch.

Toyota Adopts Renewably Sourced DuPont™ Sorona® EP Polymer For New Hybrid ’Prius α’ Vehicle

Dupont News Release
July 7, 2011

Toyota’s new hybrid vehicle, “Prius α” (Prius alpha), features automotive interior parts made of DuPont™ Sorona® EP polymer, a high-performance, renewably sourced thermoplastic resin, contributing to the advanced interior design while also reducing the environmental footprint.

Toyota launched the “Prius α” in Japan in May 2011.

Developed in close collaboration with DuPont Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Motor Corporation, Kojima Press Industry Co., Ltd. and Howa Plastics Co., Ltd., the parts are used on the instrument-panel air-conditioning system outlet.

Sorona® EP was selected for this precisely engineered, functional component for its heat resistance and durability required to control the intensity and direction of the air blowing out of the outlet.

DuPont™ Sorona® EP polymers contain between 20 percent and 37 percent renewably sourced material (by weight) derived from plant sugar. The new material exhibits performance and molding characteristics similar to petroleum-based, high-performance PBT (polybutylene terephthalate).

To read more click here...

Microsoft, Toyota team up on digital auto network

Reuters
April 6, 2011

Microsoft Corp and Toyota Motor Corp unveiled a plan on Wednesday to work together on bringing Internet-connected services to Toyota's cars across the world.

To read more click here...

Toyota’s New Thing: An Electric Scooter?

Wall Street Journal
March 8, 2011

After last year’s bumpy ride Toyota Motor Corp. could be forgiven for looking ahead. And while its prowess in environmentally friendly hybrid technology is legendary – step forward the Prius, now Japan’s biggest seller ever here’s something new: Toyota is currently developing an electric kick, or push, scooter, as favored by kids and urban hipsters, that’s powered by a technology known as “all-solid-state battery.”
To read more click here...

Toyota's New IQ Electric Car Prototype

Physorg.com
Feb 15, 2011

The Toyota Motor Corporation is set to show off its EV car, an electric-car prototype version of Toyota's iQ model, at the Geneva auto show next month.
To read more click here...

Toyota Outpaces GM to Remain World's Largest Automaker for a Third Year

Bloomberg.com
Jan 25, 2011

Toyota Motor Corporation was the world’s largest automaker for a third year in 2010 as a recovery in global vehicle demand outweighed a decline in U.S. sales.
To read more click here...