Toyota Hiace Multi Purpose Car

Common Name: Hiace
Driver: -
Make: Toyota
Model: Hiace Multi Purpose Car
Engine: I4 DOHC (2KD-FTV D-4D Turbo Diesel)
Drivetrain: FR
Horsepower: 102 hp / 3600 rpm
Torque: 260 nm / 1600-2400 rpm
Color: White
Dimensions: 4840 mm x 1880 mm x 2105
Wheel Base: 2570 mm
Weight: 1710 kg

Brand: Tomica
Year: 2005
Made In: China
Model Number: 048
Scale: 1/64

The Toyota HIACE Commuter lets you enter a world of your own. A world in which you set the priorities and decide what is really important in life. With a worldwide reputation for proven performance to back it, the HIACE Commuter is designed from the ground up to match today’s active lifestyles, and comes loaded with features to make driving more comfortable, more stylish and more enjoyable. 

The Toyota Hiace is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the Hiace has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan (MPV) and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, ambulance and motorhome. Its traditional competitor from Nissan is the Homy.

The fifth generation Hiace appeared in August 2004 as a wide long-wheelbase wagon, wide super-long-wheelbase high-roof “Grand Cabin”, long-wheelbase van, long-wheelbase high-roof van and a wide super-long-wheelbase high-roof van. In this generation the gear stick has been moved to the dash-board to enable easier movement in the cabin. Five speed manual and four speed automatic transmissions are available.

All of the models use a 4-cylinder DOHC engine, in a variety of forms, a 1TR-FE 2000 cc or 2TR-FE 2700 cc petrol engine or a 2KD-FTV 2500 cc or 1KD-FTV 3000 cc D-4D turbo diesel engine.

Two of these engines are available in Malaysia, the 2.5 L turbo diesel, offered in a choice of panel van or window van; and the 2.7 L petrol, that comes only in the window van option.

The 2.5 and 3.0 litre turbo diesel engines have a maximum output of 75 kW at 3600 rpm and 80 kW at 3000 rpm respectively and maximum torque of 260 Nm at 1600-2400 rpm and 286Nm at 1200-1600 rpm respectively. The 2.7 L petrol engine has a maximum output of 111 kW at 4800 rpm and a maximum torque of 241 Nm at 3800 rpm.

Currently on Japan’s list of the most commonly stolen vehicles the Hiace currently resides at #1. Because of a lack of a theft immobilizer, it is fairly easy to steal a Hiace, as opposed to much more valuable SUVs and sports cars, which have very technical theft deterent systems.

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

ข้อมูล Toyota Supra

Toyota Supra เป็นหนึ่งในรถยนต์ที่เคยยิ่งใหญ่มาจากประเทศญี่ปุ่นและได้รับการยอมรับในระดับสากลเป็นไอคอนรถกีฬา. ผลิตจาก 1,979 ถึง 2,001 ในญี่ปุ่น (ผลิตเพียง 1,998 จนกระทั่งในอเมริกาเหนือ), รุ่นจะมีอยู่ในแพลตฟอร์มเลือกสำหรับ tuners ทั่วโลก. ทุกรุ่นมาพร้อมกับ inline power ม้าสูงหกเครื่องยนต์ทั้งธรรมชาติ aspired, กังหัน turbocharged หรือคู่เรียก. Engines Toyota Supra ของรวม 5M-GE, 7M-GE, 7M-GTE,1JZ-GTE, 2JZ-GE และ 2JZ-GTE ฉาวโฉ่. วันนี้ก็ไม่มีรุ่นที่เป็นที่นิยมมากขึ้นว่าทุกคนต้องการ MK4 Toyota Supra แต่ MK2 และ Supras MK3 มีดังนี้มาก!

Supra MKII โตโยต้า
ผลิตจาก 1,982 ถึง 1,986 รุ่น โตโยต้า สอง Supra (เรียกยังคงเป็นเซลิก้า Supra) มาพร้อมกับ inline หก 5M-GE มี 175 แรงม้า. มันมีรูปร่าง boxy, พลิกค่าไฟและแผ่นบังโคลนรถกว้าง flares.

โตโยต้า MKIIISupra
Mark III Supra ถูกนำในกลาง 1,986. ในปีแรกก็สามารถใช้ได้กับเครื่องยนต์ 200HP 7M GE. ใน 1,987 โตโยต้า Supra ทำแบบ Turbocharged with 230HP 7M-GTE, รุ่นใหม่มาพร้อมกับป้ายกังหัน, R-154 ส่งการผู้ทำให้เสียหลังและอุปกรณ์อื่นๆ. ในปี 1989 Supra ได้กึ่งปรับปรุงด้วยกันชนหน้าใหม่ไฟท้าย 3 ชิ้นใหม่เล็ม, ผู้ทำให้เสียหลัง 3 ชิ้นและอุปกรณ์ย่อยอื่นๆ. ในญี่ปุ่นยัง 1,989 ปี R Twin Turboรุ่นถูกออกก็ sported เทอร์โบคู่ revving สูง 1JZ-GTE กับโรงไฟฟ้า 280HP. 1JZ ถูกลดลง 2.5L ที่ didn't ให้เป็นกำลังบิดมากอำนาจเป็น 7M ได้แต่ "การไฟฟ้าราบรื่น" สิ่งที่ได้รับรางวัลเจ้าของมันมากกว่า. วันนี้เป็น 1JZ แลกเปลี่ยนทั่วไป MK2 และ MK3 Supras เหมือนกันและจะเป็นมากขึ้นยากที่จะหานำเข้า 1JZ ดี. คือ MKIII Supra ทำ 1,986.5-1,992.

Supra MKIV โตโยต้า
โดยไม่ต้องสงสัย Mark IV โตโยต้าSupra เป็นหนึ่งถ้าไม่รถที่กำหนดคำว่า "ญี่ปุ่นกีฬารถ". มีลักษณะการควบคุมและ POWER. ใน 1,993 รุ่นล่าสุด Supra ถูกเปิดและได้รับรถตั้งแต่โปสเตอร์สำหรับฉากสูงชั้นนำเข้า. แล้วในภาพยนตร์อนันต์, ชนะลากมันชุดหลายเชื้อชาติ series แสดงความท้าทาย dyno และมีชีวิตของมันถูกขโมยจากเจ้าของรถกล้ามเนื้ออนันต์บนทางหลวง. ไม่มีศักยภาพในการปฏิเสธว่า powerplant 2JZ อยู่กับ 320HP หุ้นมัน – จำนี้ใน 1,993เมื่อรถยนต์มากที่สุดมาพร้อมกับการไม่ได้ครึ่งหนึ่งของที่! เทอร์โบคู่มักจะเป็นรายการแรกในรายการการปรับรุ่นสำหรับ tuners ที่สุดก็มีมากมายที่มีประสิทธิภาพ supras เทอร์โบคู่ออกมีแต่วิธีที่ง่ายที่สุดเพื่อให้อำนาจใน 2JZ อยู่กับ turbocharger เดียวใหญ่. งานมันค่อนข้างง่ายดึงออก 700 + HP ใน 2JZ-GTE และมีค่อนข้าง Supras น้อยกว่า 1000-1500 + HP. MKIV Supra ต่อไปในมูลค่าหลายคิดว่ามันไม่ยุติธรรมแต่เพียงวาง, SUPERCAR และสำหรับ 30K +ขโมยของ. Supra, เศร้าเห็นวันสุดท้ายในทวีปอเมริกาเหนือในปี 1998.

Supra ในอนาคต โตโยต้า
ชอบเล่นหลายคนได้รับการรอ MKV Supra มาจากปี. น่ากลัวว่าจะถูกเราต้องพิจารณาในเชิงลบ …. ว่าอย่างไร MKIV เป็นตำนานจริงและจะเก็บตลอดไปและหาก MKV ไม่ได้อยู่ถึงมาตรฐานเหล่า – โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งกับการเปิดตัวของใหม่นิสสัน GTR เดิมเกือบจะเก้อ. ฉันทั้งหมดสำหรับ โตโยต้า ไปให้ใหม่ไดรฟ์สูงขับเคลื่อนล้อหลังรถกีฬาแต่จะมันจึงไม่ดีถ้ามันเป็นภายใต้แบรนด์เล็กซัส?

[Via http://alltoyotareviews.wordpress.com]

Car Shopping

Test drove some cars today. my 2003 BMW 325i has had some expensive maintenance costs this year, and I’m beggining to consider buying something different.

After paying a large sum to fix the power steering, we got a large purchase phone call from Discover. When the discover car guide saw that the charge was from a BMW dealer he said, “yeah, I had a pretty German lady, but she became so high maintenance and expensive that I had to trade her in.”

I still really like my car and its sad to think about trading it in. I like the way it drives. It is very tight and responsive with a good kick of acceleration. It’s fun to drive, even after 6 years. I bought this car because I fell in love with it. I knew that it was not as reliable than the Honda Accord I was also looking at at the time, but it was much cooler and only a little bit more expensive.

Today, I test drove a Toyota Prius. this is a brain car, not a heart car. it drives like a go-cart. one way they could have increased efficiency would have been to cut out holes in the floor so you can use your feet, ala Fred Flintstone. The cool thing about the prius is geeky tech factor. it’s like playing a video game where the object is to get the lowest gas milage. I like the Prius, the dashbord is all techy and gadgetty. also, there is suprisingly a lot of room, both in the driver and the passenger areas. It is not spunky, especially in Eco mode.

I’m intrigued. I’m currently keeping an open mind and trying different things.

[Via http://looseassoc.wordpress.com]

Crystal Body Yokohama

A variety of images of CBY’s Ae86 that I’ve gathered.. from Speedhunters, CBY, Noriyaro and other misc sources.

In my eyes, this ae86 is almost perfect style wise. Would probably get rid of that wing and the rear bumper. Then again what do I know? It’s all function over form anyways.

[Via http://jaydeemmm.wordpress.com]

The Rise and Fall of the Toyotan Empire

Are we observing rise and (quick) fall of the of the Toyota?  The Economist had an interesting article about the recent issues at Toyota, saying that unless they can find a solution to their problems, their stint as the world biggest car maker may be short. (“Losing its shine”, December 2010).

The article makes several interesting points on the reason for the decline.  First, the competition is catching up:

For years Toyota has been the quality benchmark for every carmaker, but at the very moment it faltered, others were finally catching up. The truth is that although a few fail to make the grade—Chrysler still has a lot of catching-up to do—most cars these days are extraordinarily well-made. The quality surveys by which buyers used to set such store are now based on minute differences. This is the main reason why the manufacturers’ positions in the league tables have become increasingly volatile.

This is very related to an article Marty was discussing several months ago (“Southwest flies to Logan and a teaching cliché die“) discussing Southwest’s decision to fly from Logan: all airlines became discount airlines, and the field caught up with Southwest. Using the same methods that brought Toyota to the top, most car makers can manufacture well-made cars. The second reason for the (temporary?) decline of Toyota it not unrelated, and is the recent surge in quality issues plaguing the firm.  The reason is not unexpected:

People within the company believe these quality problems were caused by the strain put on the fabled Toyota Production System by the headlong pursuit of growth.

When we teach about lean operations and use Toyota as the poster boy (and the bedrock) of the method, we say that gradual and continuous improvements are the essence of the method. The key question we leave open is how to balance gradual improvement with quick growth that may hamper the ability to sustain the key drivers of the firm’s success. Mr Toyota has taken the first step always suggested in the Toyota Production system: he pulled the legendary Andon cord:

The test will be to keep the ingredients that have made Toyota great—the dependability and affordability—while adding the spice and the flavours that customers now demand. It will not be easy, and the competition has never looked more formidable. But by recognising the scale of Toyota’s problems, by proclaiming their urgency and then by drawing on the firm’s strengths to fix them, Mr Toyoda has already taken the first, vitally important, step towards salvation.

[Via http://operationsroom.wordpress.com]

Star Road - Rocky Auto

I forgot where these came from. 3 S30Z’s. One on Equip S1’s with an S20 motor, one with an Naturally aspirated RB with ITB’s, and one with a L series polished to death on some OG work’s.

Plannin on doin this headlight conversion, an maybe some S1’s. Possibly the NA powered RB.

[Via http://tailoutsx.wordpress.com]

Car of the Year Nominees

So then, you voted for Car of the Year awards, and we’re organizing them. There will be quite a few crummy prestigious awards: Worst Car of the Year, Tuned Car of the Year, Family Car of the Year, Cheap Car of the Year, Executive Car of the Year, Supercar of the Year, and of course, an overall winner, the Car of the Year. This has to excel in as many areas as possible. A car has to have been released, put on sale, or updated during 2009 to be eligible for any of the awards. We will release nominees 2 categories at a time, with the exception of The Car of the Year, which will get it’s own post after all the others are posted. So then, here are the nominees for the first two categories, Worst Car of the Year and Tuned Car of the Year.

Worst Car of the Year

Now this is one of my favourites and quite important – it’s the WORST car of the year. Yes, we save you the pain of searching through 2009’s pile of misery as we nominate those cars so awful they’d make you think the ZAZ 968 was a brilliant machine.

Scion xB Release Series 7.0: A dull box with a bodykit taped on and then painted in the most hideous shade of paint we’ve ever seen

Citroen C3 Pluriel Charleston: As if the C3 Pluriel wasn’t embarrassing enough, this one tries to be a 2cv. That’s like saying “I’m awful but I will try to be even worse!”

BMW X6M: A hideous and pointless disgrace to the M division

DC Designs Tata Nano: What they’ve done here is take a cheap, slow, ugly car, and glue on a plastic bodykit.

Tuned Car of the Year

Trying to improve a car is a disease which some of us have. We look for the men who did their job the best in 2009 trying to bring us the best Tuned Car of the Year.

9ff BT-2: A deadly GT2, but with added deadliness, and an awesome Gulf livery so you can go through the pearly gates in style.

Autodelta Alfa Romeo Brera S: The Brera looks beautiful, but always needed a bit more power, and this car fixes that.

MTM RS6 R: A sensible, German, family estate…with 730hp and 785nm of torque. A car good enough to scare your wife to death on a track day but take you comfortably to work every day is worthy of our call.

9ff GT9-R: A last minute entry in our nominations award, again from Porsche fanatics 9ff. These guys really know what they’re doing and now they managed to extract a truly massive 1120 bhp! The result is that this power monster will hit 414 kph.

That’s it for this time. More will be released later. Feel free to express your opinions on who should win each category and why. You may also suggest that certain cars aren’t eligible and we will look into it.

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

Speedhunter Awards, Part II

Voting has continued to take place for the best cars of 2009 on Speedhunters. Now that some new categories have been announced, let’s take a look at my votes.

Demo Car Of The Year

This was a really hard category with lots of great cars to choose from. For me the decision came pretty quickly once I saw the Ericsson M3 nominated. Ericsson’s demo car represents a scene that is fast-growing in Japan, imports. Many of the Japanese have moved on from their own domestic cars to European cars and with shops like Studie AG and Ruah-Welt, it’s easier than ever to build an import that’s just as powerful and stylish as the Japanese domestics. The Ericsson M3 has to be one of the cleanest Euros I’ve ever seen (JDM or not), love this car.

Professional Drift Car Of The Year

Above all else, drift cars have to be cool. It doesn’t matter how powerful they are, all that matters is how the look and sound going sideways. With competition littered in RX7’s and Silvia’s it’s so awesome to see a car like the Ridox Aristo competing. Even though Orido and his Toyota haven’t had the greatest season in D1, this remains one of my favorite cars in the series. A gigantic saloon like the Aristo really has no business going sideways, but that 2JZ power plant says otherwise. Orido is always in high spirits regardless of how well he’s doing and he definitely rocks his car harder than anyone in D1.

Time Attack Car Of The Year

I thought the demo car category was tough, that was nothing compared to choosing time attack of the year. This category was littered with absolutely insane cars from the US and abroad. A few years back it would have been limited to Japanese builds but recently the British and Americans have been building their own monsters that would definitely give the Japanese a run for their money. Typically with time attack, I get most excited about the Subarus. Maybe because I drive one, I have my loyalties. I decided to vote for the Team Tarzan Tomei/Cusco STi. Mitsubishi purists, don’t deny the badge, this thing is no slouch. When you have the best engine builder and aero companies in the world coming together to do a car, watch out. The Tomei/Cusco STi was built to be a Cyber Evo killer and even though it didn’t defeat it this time, Tarzan and his STi placed third overall at Tsukuba this month. Once all the kinks are worked out, I’d be willing to bet this thing could be the new king.

More to come.

[Via http://aclassblog.wordpress.com]

Why does my Toyota Highlander Hybrid in advertising .... PHEV turnaround SULEV

in hybrids use no fossil fuel during their all-electric range, if the batteries from nuclear or renewable energy sources will be charged. Other benefits include improved national energy security, fewer fill-ups at the gas station provide the comforts of home, recharging facilities for emergency backup power (at home V2H), and vehicle-grid (V2G) applications. [2] As of July 2008, plug-in hybrid cars are not yet in production. However, Toyota, [3] General Motors, [4] Ford…

Visit : Accommodation home diykitchens.wordpress.com interiordesigns.blogs.thaihealth.net

[Via http://diyhomessecurity.wordpress.com]

Toyota Megacruiser Patrol Car

Common Name: Megacruiser
Driver: -
Make: Toyota
Model: Megacruiser Patrol Car
Engine: I4 OHV (15B-FTE)
Drivetrain: 4WD
Horsepower: 155 hp / 3400 rpm
Torque: 391 nm / 1800 rpm
Color: White
Dimensions: 5090 mm x 2169 mm x 2075 mm
Wheel Base: 3396 mm
Weight: 2901 kg

Brand: Tomica
Year: 2002
Made In: China
Model Number: 003
Scale: 1/66

The Toyota Mega Cruiser is a large, heavy-duty sport utility vehicle introduced by Toyota in 1995. The largest SUV ever built by Toyota, it resembled the Hummer H1, and like the Hummer, was designed primarily for military use with the Mega Cruiser seeing duty as infantry transports equipped with mounted howitzers and mobile Surface-to-air missiles in the Japan Self Defense Forces.

Exclusively sold in Japan, the Mega Cruiser also was used by prefectural police and fire/rescue departments, although a limited number were sold to civilians. This vehicle was intended to test designs that would eventually make their way into mass produced Toyota SUVs (like the Land Cruiser), but was financially unsuccessful for Toyota.

The Mega Cruiser featured a 4.1 L turbodiesel I4 engine. The engine focused on producing high amounts of torque at low revs. The SUV featured front, center, and rear differentials, as well as four wheel steering.

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

New compact Toyota to debut in New Delhi

You are here: Home / Car News / New compact Toyota to debut in New DelhiNew compact Toyota to debut in New Delhi

December 11, 2009 by Tim Beissmann

5 Comments

Toyota has today announced that it will unveil a new compact concept vehicle at the New Delhi Auto Expo in January.

Toyota’s production and sales subsidiary in India – Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private, Ltd. (TKM) – is taking an aggressive approach to the booming industry, confirming that another 13 concept and production vehicles will join the new baby at the show.

Among those are redesigned models of the Prado and Fortuner SUVs and the Innova minivan, as well as concepts like the i-REAL personal mobility vehicle and the Fine-S fuel-cell hybrid.

TKM plans to start production of the new compact car in December 2010 at its soon-to-be-completed second plant in Bangalore, with manufacturing possibly expanding to Brazil by 2011.

The car, codenamed EFC for Entry Family Car, is expected to cost significantly less than $10,000 and will be targeted at the Indian market as well as Russia and parts of Latin America.

It is believed both a sedan and hatch version will be on show from January 5 in New Delhi and that up to 70,000 units may be produced in the first year.

Toyota will also display the Prius at the expo with ambitions to launch the car in India’s domestic market.

India’s new car sales of 133,687 in November pushed growth up to 61 percent over 2008 representing the biggest surge since February 2004.

[Via http://allcarnews.wordpress.com]

Toyota Hilux 4WD Bigfoot

Common Name: Hilux Bigfoot
Driver: -
Make: Toyota
Model: Hilux 4WD Bigfoot
Engine: I4 SOHC (22R-TE FI Turbo)
Drivetrain: 4WD
Horsepower: 135 hp / 4800 rpm
Torque: 234 nm / 2800 rpm
Color: Blue
Dimensions: 4435 mm x 1621 mm x 1709 mm
Wheelbase: 2616 mm
Weight: -

Brand: Tomica
Year: -
Made In: China
Model Number: 003
Scale: 1/62

The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The Hilux name was adopted as a replacement for the Stout in 1969, and remains in use worldwide. In North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck, until it was renamed the Tacoma in 1995. One popular option package, SR5 (Sport Rally 5-Speed), also became synonymous with the truck, even though it was used on other Toyota models as well. In 1984, the Trekker, the camper version of the Hilux, was changed to the 4Runner in Australia and North America, and as the Hilux Surf in Japan. The 4Runner is now a full SUV, and the more recent models do not resemble the Tacoma.

The 1984 redesign introduced the Xtracab two-row extended cab option. There was also a fuel injected model, the 22R-E. Two diesel engines were also offered, the 2L and the turbocharged 2L-T. The diesels were discontinued in the U.S. after the 1986 model year, this was due to higher performance expectations from customers and the wide availability of inexpensive gasoline. The next year saw the introduction of a turbocharged option, the 22R-TE. The solid front axle was swapped out for an independent front suspension/torsion bar setup in the 4×4 model in 1986, and optional automatic front locking hubs and an electronic transfer case was added as well. A V6 engine was introduced in 1988.

[Via http://jonleyrosdiecast.wordpress.com]

Mau Asyik? Kini Ada Toyota 2DIN Audio

Jakarta, 6 Desember 2009 - Sarana hiburan kini tak ada lagi batasnya. Guna memenuhi permintaan pelanggan yang beragam, PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) memperkenalkan Toyota 2DIN Audio untuk memperluas pilihan pelanggan akan fitur pendukung in car entertainment.

Mengadopsi fasilitas Radio AM/FM, CD, MP3/WMA untuk musik, serta konektivitas optimum melalui AUX in, USB dan iPOD, Toyota 2DIN Audio juga sangat nyaman dan mudah dioperasikan karena memiliki eksternal steering switch control, wireless remote. Plus fungsi suara spesial yaitu ASR (Advanced Sound Retrieving).

“Hadirnya Toyota 2DIN Audio ini akan semakin menjawab kebutuhan pelanggan dan tren musik digital, sehingga pada akhirnya akan meningkatkan kepuasan pengguna Toyota,” tegas Johnny Darmawan Presiden Direktur PT Toyota Astra Motor.

Dengan lebar 200 mm, Toyota 2DIN Audio ini bisa digunakan untuk semua produk Toyota yaitu Yaris, Vios, Innova, Corolla Altis, Camry, Fortuner, bahkan Hilux. Harganya? Cuma Rp 4,650 juta.

Nah, sebagaimana Toyota Genuine Accessories lainnya, Toyota 2DIN Audio juga dilengkapi garansi 1 tahun atau 20 ribu kilometer.

Bagaimana? Anda tertarik?

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]

Juara Seri I = Juara Dunia

Sembilan tahun belakangan ini (kecuali tahun 2003 dan 2005) sang juara dunia adalah pembalap yang memenangi seri pertama Grand Prix Formula 1 yang selama ini berlangsung di Australia. Sensasi kemenangan seri pertama tersebut merupakan formula mujarab penambah rasa percaya diri dan nilai plus seorang pembalap untuk terus berpacu meninggalkan lawan-lawannya diseri-seri berikutnya.

BrawnGP mencengangkan! Bagaimana tidak, tim baru muka lama tersebut dengan mantab merebut gelar juara dunia pembalap dan konstruktur justru ditahun pertamanya. Gelar Juara Dunia tersebut seolah-olah tidak bisa dielakan oleh tim tersebut hanya karena mereka menang di seri 1. Berlebihan? Tentu tidak karena sang dalang dibelakang layar adalah seorang maestro F1 Ross Brawn yang kita tahu kualitas dan determinasinya.

Bagaimana kisah ditahun-tahun sebelumnya? Kita ambil contoh tim-tim seperti Ferrari, Renault dan McLaren dari tahun 2000-2008 mereka selalu mendominasi seri pertama GP Australia dan menjadi Juara Dunia. Yang lebih menghebohkan adalah pada musim tahun 2007 dimana Kimi Raikonnen yang untuk pertama kalinya bergabung dengan tim Ferrari menjadi yang pertama melihat chequred flag di seri pertama dan diakhir musim menjadi juara dunia. Apalagi di tahun 2004 sang living legend Michael Schumacher mendominasi balapan dari seri pertama hingga kelima dengan kemenangan berturut-turut di lima Grand Prix tersebut (Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, San Marino dan Spanyol) dan tentunya menjadi juara dunia juga. Pada tahun 1998 juga kita bisa melihat Mika Hakkinen memenangi seri pertama Australia dan pada akhirnya keluar menjadi juara dunia 1998.

Kembali ke topik utama “Juara Seri I = Juara Dunia“ tampaknya sangat penuh sekali dengan kandungan tahayulnya alias kebetulan. Memang kalau dilihat secara langsung orang bisa mengatakan begitu tapi sesungguhnya kalau bisa dikaji lebih dalam lagi justru hal tersebut mungkin ada benarnya.

Kemenangan seri pertama bisa menjadi penambah keyakinan diri untuk seri-seri berikutnya. Dengan kata lain bahwa mereka sudah siap dari segala sisi, baik teknis maupun non teknis. Apalagi ditambah selama musim 2009 ini sesi testing ditengah musim sudah dihapus demi penghematan.

Jadi menurut hemat saya bahwa memang tidak ada waktu lagi bagi tim-tim untuk berbenah atau melakukan perubahan-perubahan yang signifikan ditengah-tengah musim.

Musim 2009 telah menjadi musim yang penuh hingar bingar dengan segala kehebohannya dari masalah double diffuser di awal musim, kejuaraan tandingan, kasus Renault, dan hal-hal kecil lainnya. Tapi salut dengan Formula 1 yang memiliki nyawanya sendiri dalam menyelesaikan masalahnya.

[Via http://deniscomm.wordpress.com]

It’s Not Just A Lexus Problem Anymore

Remember that fatal Lexus accident at the intersection of Highway 125 and Mission Gorge Road not too long ago? More information on the rental car came to light last night:

A San Diego County sheriff’s report says a customer complained of gas-pedal problems with a dealer’s loaner Lexus three days before the same car accelerated out of control and killed a California Highway Patrol officer and three family members.

The report obtained Friday by the San Diego Union-Tribune says the man told a receptionist at the El Cajon dealership that the gas pedal on the Lexus was sticking, the same problem that led to the deadly crash three days later on Aug. 28.

If the stuck gas pedal happened just once, on the day of the fatal accident, I would have blamed Toyota for the defect. Now that we know it happened twice with the same vehicle within a three-day period it’s a safe bet the blame will be shifted from the manufacturer to the dealer.

Am I surprised? Not really. Back when I owned a Chevrolet, the same dealership refused to repair a reverse clutch pack in a transmission that was literally 85 miles past its warranty and the staff was about as friendly as Sean Avery on game day.

I don’t want to go as far as saying the dealership will get what it deserves, but can you say “gross negligence”?

[Via http://greetingsfromsocal.wordpress.com]

Toyota Cut 500 Jobs In Cologne

Toyota have cut 500 jobs at their Cologne racing headquaters.

The factory in Germany was used mainly as their Formula One headquaters, and now the team have pulled out of F1 job cuts were expected.

Andy Fuchs of Toyota told DPA last night that the staff had to go but 150 would be kept on for sports tuning and non F1 projects.  The staff laid off will be paid some salary and given a good redundancy package.

Toyota announced they would not be selling their F1 programme as a package earlier this week, allowing Sauber to take the final available grid slot.

[Via http://f1fanatics.wordpress.com]

Warning: Toyota Recall Could Cause Accelerated and Justifiable Panic

Toyota’s fast track to mass confusion, mistrust and fear is attributed to a safety issue with some floor mats that cause sudden and possibly deadly acceleration. Or was it a drive by wire? An electric throttle control system?

Whatever the root cause, these runaway vehicles have consumers running scared. Just turn on the news. Multiple news stations and media outlets throughout the country are feeding the frenzy by running stories on potential other causes proposed by, wait what did they call them, experts, investigators, you get the idea.

My advice is go to the source (see contact numbers below), and if you still can’t get answers, go to your attorney. Here are the models associated with the dangerous accelerator pedal entrapment problems:

2007-2010 Camry
2005-2010 Avalon
2004-2009 Prius
2005-2010 Tacoma
2007-2010 Tundra
2007-2010 ES 350
2006-2010 IS 250
2006-2010 IS 350

If you own any of these you should have received a warning letting in the mail as late as last week. You’ll see that Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) still stand by their recommendation to remove the driver-side floor mats on the above models.

If you have questions, your best bet is to deal with Toyota directly. Call Toyota at (800) 331-4331. Or access the NHTSA hotline at (888) 327-4236.

[Via http://dailydmv.wordpress.com]

Toyota Pastikan Diri Ikuti Reli Dakar 2010

Tokyo, 03 Desember 2009 - Toyota Motor Corporation telah memastikan diri ikut berpartisipasi di ajang reli Dakar yang akan berlangsung 2-17 Januari 2010 mendatang. Dalam reli yang akan berlangsung di Argentina dan Chili dan akan menempuh jarak 8.600 kilometer itu, Tim Toyota yaitu Toyota Cooper Tire akan menggunakan Landcruiser KXR.

“Cooper Tire Team telah mempercayakan kepada Xavier Foj, pereli asal Spnayol yang telah berpengalaman turun di Reli Dakar,” ujar sumber Toyota seperti dikutip situs resmi Toyota.

Sementara pereli tuan rumah, Pablo Jaton dipercaya sebagai navigator yang akan mendampingi Xavier Foj. Jaton juga dipercaya menyeting Toyota Land Cruiser KXR sebelum berlaga di arena reli itu.

Dia dipercaya untuk menyetel tunggangan itu karena dinilai sangat memahami medan reli yang berada di negaranya itu.Sumber Toyota juga menyebut, tim reli ini akan menggunakan ban Cooper jenis Discoverer STT.

Ban tersebut diklaim mampu bertahan hingga 9.000 kilometer tanpa henti dan cocok dengan medan yang akan dilalui yaitu berupa trak dengan bebatuan tajam.

“Dengan performa mesin mobil dan ditunjang pilihan ban yang tepat, kami optimitis mampu menaklukan medan reli. Kami akan berusaha tidak terjebak dengan rintangan medan yang berat,” aku Foj.

Diperkirakan lomba akan menempuh jarak 8.600 km dan terbagi dalam 14 stages. Argentina dan Chili masing-masing mendapatkan jatah tujuh stages.

Sumber foto

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]

VW Polo, Mobil Terbaik Eropa 2010

Jakarta, 01 Desember 2009 - Volkswagen (VW) Polo dinobatkan sebagai Mobil Eropa Terbaik (European Car of The Year ) 2010. Mobil produksi pabrikan asal Jerman itu mengantongi nilai tertinggi untuk aspek keselamatan yaitu lima bintang.

“Polo memiliki fitur keselamatan yang komplit dan mesin yang modern,” tutur Hakan Matson, Ketua Dewan Juri, seperti dikutip autoworld, Selasa (01/12).

Varian hatchback itu dibayang-bayangi mobil produksi Toyota, yaitu Toyota iQ yang berada di urutan kedua. Seperti dikutip worldcarfans, dewan juri yang terdiri dari 59 orang wartawan senior dan reporter dan editor majalah otomotif di Eropa itu memberi nilai total 347, sedangkan Toyota iQ 337.

Di belakang kedua mobil tersebut, terdapat Opel Astra, Skoda Yeti, Mercedes E-Class, Peugeot 3008 serta Citroen C3 Picasso. Sejak diluncurkan pada 1975, Polo sudah diproduksi hingga generasi kelima.

Beragam pilihan mesin ditawarkan VW, mulai dari mesin bensin hingga diesel. Mesin bensin terbaru berkapasitas 1.200 cc dan 1.400 cc twin stratified injection (TSI) turbocharger,1.400 cc.

Selain itu terdapat pula mesin diesel 1.600cc Turbo Diesel Intercooler (TDI) common-rai Blue Motion dengan daya 90 daya kuda. Semua mesin bertransmisi manual dengan lima dan enam tingkat percepatan.

Sistem susupensi VW ini pada bagian depan menggunakan suspensi MacPherson strut type. Sedangkan di bagian belakang menggunakan suspensi semi-independen.

Untuk menunjang keselamatan dan kenyamanan berkendara, ban depan hatchback ini dibuat lebih maju lima milimeter sehingga tetap stabil kala pengemudi secara cepat berpindah jalur yang dilintasi.

Selain itu, Polo dilengkapi fitur Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP). Fitur lainnya Hill Hold Control dan penggantian booster rem berukuran 8,5 inci menjadi 10 inci, sehingga pengereman benar-benar pakem dan aman.

Sedangkan Toyota iQ adalah varian city car produksi Toyota Motor Corpoaration. Mobil yang mulai dipasarkan di Jepang pada November 2008 lalu itu, didesain di Pusat Desain Toyota yang berbasis di Perancis Selatan.

Toyota iQ memiliki panjang 2.985 milimeter (mm), lebar 1.680 mm, serta tinggi 1.500 mm. Di Eropa mobil ini ditawarkan dalam tiga tipe yaitu tipe mesin bensin dengan kapasitas 1.000 dan 1.300 cc, serta tipe mesin diesel dengan kapasitas 1.400 cc.

Sementara di Jepang, ditawarkan tipe mesin bensin dengan kapasitas 1.000 cc VVT-i tiga silinder. Dengan kapasitas sebesar itu, mampu menghasilkan tenaga 68 PS pada 4.800 rpm dengan torsi 9,3 kgm atau 90 Nm pada 4.800 rpm.

Di Eropa, Toyota iQ juga telah dinyatakan lolos dalam uji keselamatan standar benua tersebut. Bahkan, mobil ini meraih peringkat bintang lima di uji European New Car Assessment Programmed (Euro NCAP) tersebut. Di benua Eropa, mobil itu dibanderol sekitar Rp 350 juta

Ini dia nomine European Car of the Year 2010

Volkswagen Polo 02

Toyota iQ

Opel/Vauxhall Astra

Skoda Yeti

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Peugeot 3008

Citroën C3 Picasso

Foto Volswagen Polo 01 | Volwagen Polo 02 | Toyota IQ | Opel/Vauxhall Astra | Skoda Yeti | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | Peugeot 3008 | Citroen C3 Picasso |

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]

Toyota "Black Friday" Rebates and Incentives Expire Tonight

Last Chance Year-End Wrap Up Sale

Just a courtesy reminder.  All incentives for Toyota expire tonight.  If you were counting on 0.0% interest on one of the ten models currently advertised, it’s time to take action.  Please contact us beforehand so we can make sure we have what you’re looking for.

New Cars:  800-800-6730

Pre-Owned: 800-731-8869

North Hollywood Toyota.  4606 Lankershim Blvd, NoHo, CA 91602.  Open until 10pm!

[Via http://northhollywoodtoyota.wordpress.com]

Driving the Prius 2010 on a German Autobahn...

I have been driving from Munich to Offenburg yesterday, via Stuttgart. All in all 370km/230mi (90% highway) in about 4,5hrs, avg. speed 80-85km/h-(50-52mph) as reported by the computer (I don’t remember the exact value, sorry).

The traffic was really thick (Friday afternoon…) and because of the expansion of the Autobahn A8 from 2 to 3 lanes (yes, you read correctly, 3, not 6 or 7 – we are not there yet, but we are doing our best to copy the US, and filling those lanes with SUV like vehicles ). The whole of the A8 is hilly with steep declines (up to 6%) and inclines. There are simply no tunnels and it’s all up and down…not many flat sections…

About 1hr of the whole driving time, was spent in stop&go traffic jams, mainly due to roadworks and heavy traffic. The rest of the time I was driving as fast as I could: after all I live in Germany, let’s have fun sometimes and more over I wanted to see how the Prius was doing at high speeds. When no speed limit was given (typically there is a 120km/h-75mph limit over a good third of the way and 80km/h-50mph one in all roadwork sections), I was going anything slower than 150km/h-93mph and as fast as 190km/h-118mph.

The overall stability was good but not excellent – I am driving now with winter tires (195/55 R16), instead of the 215/45 R17 – so this is certainly one limiting factor. I have tried driving 190km/h already once with the 215 summer tires and the stability is excellent.

Acceleration is OK but not that exciting – but mainly I was chased from 2.0+L BMWs/Mercedes and the such with 150+HP at least. I was never chased by a Golf or other mid-sized car. Surely the Prius is not a Ferrari, but you need to push it to get juice out of it (at least at these speeds). Often you press the gas and “nothing” happens. The eCVT likely doesn’t help, but I cannot imagine shifting gears at these speeds, it doesn’t make any sense – you really need HP and torque (if any left….). The engine gets quite noisy and the HSI is no indication of what are the RPMs of the ICE and if you are melting it down The HSI bar might not be in the red PWR zone, you are doing 180km/h-111mph going uphill and the engine is roaring, but you have no clue whether you are in the red rpm zone….. Comically enough, I never really had to floor the accelerator, but honestly I was afraid of having the ICE jump out of the car…

I used PWR mode all the time, not because the car goes any faster, but simply because on German highway, people do drive fast – no only in terms of overall speed, but also in terms of reaction times. When there is a chance to go faster, they will do it. No grannies here! So you need to accelerate fast, and PWR Mode gives you better reaction to the foot. After arriving in Offenburg I had to keep the PWR mode on as my foot got so used to it, that normal mode felt like ECO!!!

What I noticed is that the battery charges continuously – the ICE is running so much and at max power that it can generate traction power, power for the generator and power for the electric motor. The batter was charging while the motor was driving the wheels at the same time. This has been the only time that I have ever seen the battery of my Prius fully charged, even if for just a short period of time. Most of the time it was 70%-80% full. Having a full battery was really helpful when stuck in a traffic jam or at lower speeds as I could coast in electric mode most of the time.

So now the main question is – what was the average fuel consumption, including 25km/15mi in town before leaving Munich???? 10L/100km-23MPG? No. 8L/100km-29MPG? No. It was just 6L/100km-39MPG. I am honestly impressed.

This also means that if I drive it more slowly (say 140km/h-87mph), I would probably get 5L/100km-47MPG. And that for a german autobahn *is* impressive. I would never get that on the Polo diesel I got before. I have also tested today going 150km/h-93mph more or less constantly, and you do get 7L/100km-34mpg average.

A good reason for driving slower though, is to reduce the stress on the suspensions and overall on the drive train. German highway are indeed flat and quite good taken care of, but any tiny bump at these speeds is truly heavy on the suspensions. The last thing I want is to change something in 4-5 years time due to fast driving. I wonder if I have not already compromised some mechanical part (I am already imagining cracks and mini-fissures crawling up metal parts in the suspensions…. my poor Prius!)

I will drive back this Sunday I will post my findings on this thread. So, overall good, not a Ferrari and certainly not an “easy/comfortable” german highway car. On more relaxed highway trips though (140km/h max), it is certainly a good comfort car with (likely) excellent fuel consumption especially if helped by some traffic jams…

[Via http://prius3.wordpress.com]

Again?

Yet another recall, and also another problem for Toyota. The 2000-2003 Toyota Tundras in the “Salt Belt” have been recalled due to rust issues.

There are 110,000 affected cars. There can be excessive rust on the rear crossmember, which could result in the spare tire falling off, or even failure of the rear brake line.

The states in the “Salt Belt” are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

Toyota dealers will inspect the cars and replace rear crossmembers if necessary. They will also apply a corrosion-resistant compound to it. If parts are unavailable, a temporary fix will be to remove the spare tire and tie it to the truck bed, though you still run the risk of rear brake failure in this case.

Also, Toyota has plans for the 2004-2006 Tundras as well. The investigation didn’t find any rust problems with them, but Toyota will be working on something to prevent any rust from occurring, so if you own one of those, there may be a recall or just an addition to one of your next maintenances coming up.

The recall will begin December 15th. If you own one of these cars, my own advice is to not drive it. Rear brake failure isn’t exactly safe. Toyota’s own advice though is to simply remove the spare tire, but you still run the risk of brake failure in that case. Contact your local dealership to arrange to get the fix done.

Source: Inside Line

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]

VW overtakes Toyota as world’s largest automaker

VW overtakes Toyota as world’s largest automaker.

 

 

I first heard this news at an event in Murfreesboro, TN on Monday and it took me a little by surprise.  EVERYONE knows that Toyota overtook GM in the not so recent past, but NO ONE knows that VW has surpassed Toyota during the first 9 months of 2009, selling 4.4 million vehicles worldwide to Toyota’s 4.0 million.

This really bodes well for VW as they agressively promote their Audi brand and move quickly along toward the opening of their production facility in Chattanooga, TN.

Congrats!

[Via http://danryansview.com]

J.D. Power Asia Pacific: Suzuki dan Toyota Raih Nilai Tertinggi

Singapura, 23 November 2009 - Kualitas awal secara keseluruhan kendaraan baru di Indonesia telah meningkat dari tahun 2008, menurut J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2009 Indonesia Initial Quality Study SM (IQS) yang diumumkan Senin (23/11) kemarin.

Studi yang berada pada tahun ketujuhnya ini menganalisa kualitas kendaraan baru dalam masa dua sampai enam bulan kepemilikan. Studi ini mengukur lebih dari 200 gejala masalah yang mencakup delapan kategori kendaraan: eksterior kendaraan; pengalaman berkendara; fitur, kontrol dan tampilan; audio, sistem hiburan dan sistem navigasi; tempat duduk; ventilasi dan pendingin (HVAC); interior kendaraan; dan mesin/transmisi. Masalah-masalah yang dilaporkan dirangkum dalam jumlah masalah per 100 kendaraan (PP100). Nilai PP100 yang lebih rendah mengindikasikan jumlah masalah yang lebih sedikit dan kualitas yang lebih tinggi.

Kualitas awal secara keseluruhan di Indonesia rata-rata 122 PP100 di tahun 2009, membaik 17 PP100 dari 2008. Diantara delapan kategori kendaraan yang dianalisa, jumlah masalah telah berkurang dalam enam kategori: eksterior kendaraan; pengalaman berkendara; audio, sistem hiburan dan sistem navigasi; tempat duduk; HVAC; dan interior kendaraan.

Hampir sepertiga (31%) dari seluruh masalah kualitas awal yang dilaporkan oleh pelanggan di Indonesia terkait dengan mesin atau transmisi kendaraan. Untuk tiga tahun berturut-turut, sulitnya memindahkan gigi adalah masalah yang paling sering dilaporkan oleh pelanggan.

Studi ini mengungkapkan bahwa 44 persen dari pelanggan yang melaporkan tidak mengalami masalah kualitas awal menyatakan “pasti akan” merekomendasikan model kendaraan mereka ke teman dan keluarga. Diantara pelanggan yang mengalami tiga masalah atau lebih dengan kendaraan mereka, hanya 27 persen mengatakan hal yang sama. Tingkat kecenderungan untuk merekomendasikan merek juga mengikuti pola yang serupa.

Studi ini juga menemukan bahwa 69 persen dari pelanggan mengatakan mereka menanyakan informasi merek dan model kendaraan kepada teman dan keluarga saat memilih kendaraan untuk dibeli.

“Mencapai tingkat kualitas awal yang tinggi dapat membantu pabrik kendaraan meraih kepercayaan pelanggan, yang bisa membuat produk mereka semakin diterima di pasaran,” menurut Rajeev Nair, senior manager J.D. Power Asia Pacific, Singapura. “Ini dapat memelihara kesetiaan pelanggan terhadap suatu merek dan juga mendatangkan pelanggan-pelanggan baru ke dealer melalui rekomendasi yang positif.”

Studi ini mencakup masalah yang dialami pemilik kendaraan dalam tiga kategori yang berbeda: masalah disain, kecacatan dan kerusakan, dan masalah lainnya. Lebih dari tiga dalam lima masalah-masalah yang dilaporkan pada studi tahun 2009 ini masuk dalam kategori kecacatan/kerusakan, dan hampir satu dalam empat berkaitan dengan masalah disain.

“Kegagalan disain dan kecacatan manufaktur berdampak sangat negatif pada persepsi pemilik terhadap kualitas keseluruhan kendaraan mereka,” kata Nair. “Pengertian atas masalah yang dilaporkan pelanggan dalam dua area tersebut dan mengurangi jumlah masalah dapat membantu suatu merek untuk unggul dari para kompetitor.”

Hasil yang Dicapai Model Berdasarkan Segmen

Suzuki SX4 meraih peringkat teratas untuk segmen premium compact car dengan nilai 72 PP100, diikuti oleh Toyota Yaris (85 PP100) dan Honda Jazz (87 PP100).

Toyota Rush meraih peringkat tertinggi di segmen entry SUV untuk tiga tahun berturut-turut dengan nilai 103 PP100. Isuzu Panther (126 PP100) dan Daihatsu Terios (143 PP100) mengikuti dalam peringkat segmen ini.

Dengan nilai 60 PP100, Toyota Fortuner meraih peringkat tertinggi di segmen SUV. Model tersebut dibuntuti oleh Nissan X-Trail (74 PP100) dan Honda CR-V (115 PP100) dalam segmen SUV.

Suzuki APV meraih peringkat tertinggi dalam segmen entry MPV dengan 131 PP100. Daihatsu Luxio (147 PP100) yang baru diluncurkan dan Toyota Avanza (150 PP100) mengikuti dalam peringkat segmen ini.

2009 Indonesia Initial Quality Study berdasarkan respon yang diberikan 2.034 pemilik kendaraan baru yang membeli kendaraan mereka antara Oktober 2008 dan Juli 2009. Studi ini mengevaluasi 33 model kendaraan penumpang dan utility vehicle dari sembilan merek kendaraan di Indonesia.

Indonesia Initial Quality Study adalah satu dari tiga studi yang berbasis konsumen yang dilaksanakan J.D. Power Asia Pacific di Indonesia. 2009 Indonesia Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, yang mengukur kepuasan pelanggan terhadap layanan purna jual, telah diumumkan pada bulan Juli 2009. 2009 Indonesia Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI)

Study, yang mengamati kepuasan pelanggan dengan pengalaman penjualan dan pengiriman kendaraan baru, telah diumumkan pada bulan September 2009.

[Via http://rajufebrian.wordpress.com]