Land Rover, Toyota Earn Top Honors in ALG’s Residual Value Awards

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — ALG, TrueCar’s analytics division, named Land Rover and Toyota as the top premium and mainstream brands during its 15th annual Residual Value Awards. The awards program looks at 26 vehicle segments and forecasts which will retain the highest percentage of MSRP value after a three-year period. The awards will be presented ... Read More »

Honda Heightens U.S. Response to Problems With Takata Air Bags

Honda Motor Co. said on Thursday that it is expanding its U.S. response to potentially explosive air bags made by Takata Corp. , adding a small number of vehicles in certain hot and humid regions and upgrading its previous action to an official recall, reported The WSJ. Honda’s move comes after rivals Toyota Motor Co. ... Read More »

Toyota Global Sales Rise 2.8% in Tight Race vs Volkswagen

Toyota Motor Corp. said global sales climbed 2.8 percent in the first nine months of this year as the carmaker battles Volkswagen AG for leadership, reported Bloomberg. Worldwide deliveries for Toyota, including its Hino Motors Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co. units, climbed to 7.6 million vehicles through September, spokesman Dion Corbett said by phone. Volkswagen ... Read More »

Toyota Confirms Sale of Part of Tesla Stake

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it has sold some of its stake in Tesla Motors Inc., days after German luxury car maker Daimler AG disclosed it had divested its Tesla shares for a sizable gain, reported The WSJ. The sale came “as part of our process of regularly reviewing our investment portfolio,” Toyota said in ... Read More »

Toyota Recalls 1.67 Million Toyota, Lexus Cars

Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday it would recall a total 1.67 million vehicles globally in a voluntary move to address three separate defects including a faulty brake master cylinder that could hinder the brake’s performance, Reuters. Toyota said in an email it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths resulting from ... Read More »

Court Upholds $15.6M Verdict Against Toyota Dealerships

HARRISBURG, Pa. — The state Superior Court upheld a ruling last week that awarded the driver and five passengers in a Toyota minivan $15.6 million from Center City Toyota and Ardmore Toyota. The plaintiffs alleged that the dealerships had failed to properly inspect the vehicle, which malfunctioned and careened into a ravine, reports The Legal ... Read More »

Former U.S. Attorney Monitoring Toyota ‘s Safety Efforts

Nearly five months after Toyota Motor Corp. agreed to a $1.2-billion settlement with the U.S. Justice Department the two sides agreed on a monitor for the Japanese maker’s safety compliance efforts: former U.S. Attorney David Kelley, reported The Detroit Bureau. In March, Toyota pleaded not guilty, but acknowledged wrongdoing in its handling of cases of ... Read More »

Toyota Dreams of Green Car Future, But Tied to Gas-Guzzler Present

Toyota Motor Corp is hitching its future to green cars, investing billions of dollars in gasoline-electric hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles, but for now its record profit performance is being powered largely by a gas-guzzling U.S. market, Reuters. In the United States, relatively cheap gasoline prices helped to spur brisk 9 percent growth in industry-wide light ... Read More »

Consumer Reports Wants Toyota to Recall Older Camry Hybrids

An influential consumer magazine on Monday called on Toyota Motor Corp to recall about 177,500 older Camry hybrid sedans to address potential power brake defects, reported Reuters. Consumer Reports, which many consumers use when studying what vehicles to buy, said the Japanese automaker’s decision to call for a service campaign or a warranty extension on ... Read More »

Leases Entice Drivers to Upgrade Cars as Often as IPhones