It adopts Toyota’s new design language, with more angular headlights and more prominent creases in the body, although the general shape does not stray too much from the previous generation model.
A variety of factors, including an economy still reeling from the Global Financial Crisis, high gas prices and the TÅhoku earthquake, are thought to be responsible for the massive price rise.
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In a statement that Nissan issued before its annual meeting on June 29, average salary, including bonuses, for 14 executives was 126 million yen, or $ 1.6 million. In comparison, Toyota paid its 38 directors and auditors an average of about 41 million yen per executive.
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By acknowledging that wind resistance is one of the key factors in improving vehicle economy, Leong’s Prius III hybrid is extremely slippery. Described by the designer as moving, “through [the wind], not into it”, this design study channels air over its surface through a series of vanes.
The man behind this feat (if you can call it that) is 25-year-old pro drifter Derek "Buttsy" Butler from Ireland. Buttsy performed the…gutsy drift stunt around the exotic 1,001-horsepower supercar in a heavily modified Toyota Supra during this year’s Gumball 3000.
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According to the results, the Honda FR-V, a compact 6-seater minivan marketed in Europe and Japan from 2004 to 2009, topped the list with 2,529 owners of the model making 466 accident claims in the past five years, which is equal to a claim rate of 18.4 per cent, or close to one in five.
Most of our readers will know by now that the Cygnet exists purely to counteract the 120 grams of CO2 per kilogram EU carbon restrictions to be introduced in 2012. With a combined CO2 g/km rating of 400, Aston Martin’s current fleet of high performance vehicles could never match this.
The numbers for U.S. auto sales for the month of May are out and as expected, Japanese automakers continue to be hit hard by the ongoing production disruptions caused by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in their home market. As a result, Toyota’s sales plunged 33.4% over the year-ago month to 108,387 units, while rivaling Honda saw its sales fall 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles, Nissan recorded a 9.1% drop to 76,148 units and Mazda 17,875 vehicles, down 20.9%.
General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,192 vehicles in May posting a decline of 1%, while the Ford Motor Co. said its sales decreased by 0.1% to 192,253 cars, trucks and SUVs.
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“If the steering wheel is repeatedly and strongly turned to the full-lock position, there is a possibility the nuts securing the pinion shaft in the steering gear box assembly may become loose,” Toyota said in a statement. The company added that if the owner leaves the condition uncorrected, over time they will gradually notice significant increased steering effort when making a left turn.
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Event Data Recorders (EDRs) are the automotive equivalent of an aircraft’s FDR. These devices record acceleration and deceleration forces, engine RPM, temperature, oil pressure and a host of other things. After a crash, the information can be recovered and studied, aiding investigators.
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Additionally, the Land Cruiser’s 3.0-liter D-4D diesel engine has been revised for the 2011MY and is now capable of 188bhp (+11bhp) and 420 Nm (310 lb-ft) of torque (+10 Nm/+7 lb-ft), while achieving the same fuel economy. A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is also available, making the oil-burning powerplant Euro 5 compliant.
The base price for the Land Cruiser 60th Anniversary is £49,950, while the Land Cruiser V8 60th Anniversary carries a price sticker of £61,950. The anniversary models are available now.
Last but not least, Toyota is once again selling a three-door version of the Land Cruiser, available in a single trim level (LC3) and with a manual transmission only. The standard equipment list includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with Active Traction Control (A-TRC), climate control, smart entry and start system, Bluetooth, six-speaker audio system and front fog lamps. The “on the road” price is £30,395.
The Land Cruiser’s history began in 1951, when Toyota launched the truck-derived BJ, initially for military service. It was the first vehicle to reach the sixth hill station on Mount Fuji, located at an altitude of 2,500 meters. Impressed by its off-road capabilities, the Japanese police added it to its fleet, practically jumpstarting the model’s long-term success.
The Land Cruiser nameplate was first used in 1954, as a generic designation for the new Type 25 BJ, while the forerunner of the Land Cruiser V8 was the 1966 Land Cruiser Station Wagon, introduced in the U.S. as more refined version of the standard model.
Since then, Toyota has continuously improved the Land Cruiser “recipe”, selling more the five million units worldwide.
By Csaba Daradics
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As you can see in the photo below, the NGTC specification Avensis was joined in the MIRA wind tunnel by a road-going model equipped with a rear wing as the TOCA technical staff wanted to establish a baseline for the car’s aerodynamics.
“We needed to fix a position for the rear wing, based on the aerodynamics of the road car, which gave the levels of downforce we were looking for,” said the championship’s technical director, Peter Riches. “I am pleased to say that this was quickly achieved, and it means that we now have a base line for all cars built to the NGTC regulations and have saved a lot of development time and potential expense for the teams.”
The Japanese firm is not competing in the series with a works team, but does supply the donor cars and body shells to GPR Motorsport. Up until now, two private teams - Dynojet and Speedworks - have taken up the challenge to run in the Avensis, but the company said it hoped that their example will be followed by others "looking to take advantage of the reduced costs of development associated with the new car".
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Aside from the shocking styling, nothing else has been done to the car which continues to be powered by the MR-2's standard 1.8-liter four-pot churning out 140HP. Scroll through our high-res gallery below to see the Dragstar F1 Dragon for yourself.
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