Toyota Prius

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Don't Fear Those Computers Inside Your Car
Don't Fear Those Computers Inside Your Car
opinion

Don't Fear Those Computers Inside Your Car

Software is buggy, but then, so are we

(Newser) - The latest Prius recall isn’t over a mechanical failure, but a software one. Most cars these days are no longer run mechanically, but by computers loaded up with as much software as the average desktop PC, explains Farhad Manjoo of Slate , and that’s pretty dang terrifying. Software is...

Toyotas Linked to 34 Deaths Since 2000

Total complaints grow by 1,000 in one week

(Newser) - Complaints of deaths connected to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles has surged in recent weeks, with the alleged death toll since 2000 reaching 34, according to new data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While the government typically receives a surge in complaints following a recall, reports about...

Toyota Announces Worldwide Prius Recall

Braking issues force recall of nearly 500K hybrids

(Newser) - Toyota president Akio Toyoda apologized to customers as he confirmed the widely expected worldwide recall of 437,000 Prius and other hybrid vehicles today. "We sincerely acknowledge safety concerns from our customers," he said at a press conference in Tokyo. "We have decided to recall as we...

Brakes Force Prius Recall in Japan

Toyota's action affects new model, two other hybrids

(Newser) - Toyota says it is recalling the new Prius in Japan for braking problems. Toyota says it will inform the Transport Ministry later Tuesday it is recalling the gas-electric hybrid that went on sale last year. The recall will include two other hybrid models—the Lexus HS250h sedan and the Sai,...

Toyota Boss Apologizes for Recalls

Says company will announce steps soon on the Prius

(Newser) - Toyota's president apologized today to customers for the massive recalls and safety concerns about his company's cars. “I deeply regret that I caused concern among so many people,” said Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder. "We will do our utmost to regain the trust of our...

Toyota Recalls 270K Priuses
 Toyota Recalls 270K Priuses 

Toyota Recalls 270K Priuses

Some 2010 models have a potential brake defect

(Newser) - Toyota's troubles deepened today as it plans to recall 270,000 Priuses in the US and Japan over a potential brake defect, says a report in the Nikkei news service. The development comes just hours after the Transportation Department announced its own investigation into the glitch affecting 2010 models. The...

US Opens Inquiry Into Prius Brake Problem

Yet another recall may be coming, as customers report failures

(Newser) - Toyota has yet another problem on its hands; the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching its own investigation into complaints of brake failures in the 2010 Prius. Toyota has already admitted there’s a “design flaw” in the model, and made changes to the braking system last month,...

Toyota Waffles on Prius Brake Recall

Automaker's woes keep mounting; $2B pricetag likely

(Newser) - Toyota has yet to decide whether to issue a recall of Prius hybrids over potential trouble with the car's brakes, but it's just the latest snag to hit the automaker. The company acknowledged yesterday that the brakes can stick briefly in certain circumstances, generally on bumpy or slippery roads, reports...

Toyota Plans Smaller, Cheaper Hybrid

It's expected to go on sale in early 2012

(Newser) - Toyota will introduce a new hybrid next month that is smaller and more affordable than the Prius, reports the Detroit News . The hybrid-only subcompact is expected to go into production in 2011 and be in US showrooms by early 2012. Toyota, which will offer a peek Jan. 11 at the...

Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius
 Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius 

Toyota Rolls Out Plug-In Prius

Available for corporate/gov't lease today; on sale in 2011

(Newser) - Toyota will begin leasing the plug-in version of its Prius hybrid to large government and business clients today, and plans to sell tens of thousands across the globe when it starts retail sales in 2011. The new vehicle, which charges from a regular household electrical outlet, can run about 14....

Most Replaced Clunker With ... Another Guzzler Like This

Most common trade was old pickup (15-17 mpg) for new (1-3 better)

(Newser) - Think most who traded in a clunker under the government’s fuel-efficiency incentive program are now driving a hybrid? Guess again: The most common swap was an old, gas-guzzling pickup for a new, just-slightly-less-gas-guzzling pickup, AP analysis finds. Ford’s F150 is a prime example—it gets 1-3 mpg more...

Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game
 Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game 

Nissan Leaf Wins Name Game

Not dirty, sexy, or violent, brand is 'a minor miracle'

(Newser) - Nissan already had its work cut out in designing a hybrid—whatever it made had to measure up to Toyota’s hugely successful Prius. Then it needed a name, which came at the end of a process blending business, culture, and the law. Possibilities must be cleared in hundreds of...

Why This Hot Rod Is Greener Than a Prius
 Why This Hot Rod Is Greener 
 Than a Prius 
WHAT'S IN YOUR GARAGE?

Why This Hot Rod Is Greener Than a Prius

You'll drive less frequently but enjoy it more

(Newser) - So, conventional wisdom tells us, if you want to help the environment, ditch those dreams of a hot-rod, get a hybrid, and commute knowing you’ve done your part to save the environment. Nonsense, writes Joe Eaton , who did precisely the opposite. “Giving up your Prius and putting a...

Toyota Will Recall 3.8M Vehicles in Floor Mat Danger

Company fears accelerator pedal in Camry, Prius, others can become trapped

(Newser) - Toyota will issue a recall next week on 3.8 million vehicles—including many popular Camry, Prius and Lexus models—over fears that accelerator pedals can become stuck under floor mats even after drivers take their feet off. In the meantime, a company rep tells Automotive News, owners should remove...

GM Longs to Build Electric Cadillacs

Car could boost brand's image but hurt automaker's bottom line

(Newser) - Old dreams apparently die hard at GM. For months, the automaker has been yearning to build a gasoline-electric luxury Cadillac, but the Treasury Department and naysayers within the company say the price tag would be too high. Now, with the company dramatically reorganized, the Cadillac Converj could be coming to...

Hybrid Owners Have More Accidents, Get More Tickets

Environmentally-conscious motorists also drive more, study says

(Newser) - Owners of hybrid vehicles tend to drive more, have higher repair bills, and get more tickets than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the Car Connection reports. A study of the behavior of 360,000 motorists found insurers pay 17% more for comprehensive coverage of hybrid owners compared to owners of conventional models....

Prius Owners Sue Over Faulty Headlights

Owners suing Toyota over expensive repair

(Newser) - Toyota’s Prius, now in its third generation, remains the dominant hybrid car. But an increasing number of older Prius owners are finding that the autos have a potentially dangerous flaw—failing headlights. What's worse, the so-called high-intensity discharge lamps, which are optional ugrades, can cost more than $1,000...

GM's Car of the Future Sparks Doubt in the Present

Even top exec fears hybrid will fail to herald new start for automaker

(Newser) - Success has many fathers, and for the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, paternity claims could stretch from Detroit to Washington. But if the GM hybrid turns out to be an orphan, it could be because many of its backers, including a top GM exec, are ambivalent about its potential to rejigger the...

Honda Ready to Take On the Prius
 Honda Ready to 
 Take On the Prius 
AUTO REVIEW

Honda Ready to Take On the Prius

Insight cheaper, simpler than Toyota's hybrid king

(Newser) - Honda is rolling out a fresh—and worthy—competitor to Toyota’s Prius, king of the hybrid market, writes Joseph P. White in the Wall Street Journal. The 2010 Insight will sell for just under $20,000, some $2,000 less than the most popular Prius model, and gets “...

Price War Heats Up Hybrid Market
Price War
Heats Up
Hybrid Market

Price War Heats Up Hybrid Market

Toyota and Honda square off with dueling technologies, too

(Newser) - Toyota and Honda have begun waging battle in the hybrid market, and a price war is bound to speed conversion by consumers—the Prius is expected to dip below $21,000 in order to compete with the $19,000 Insight in Japan. But the two aren't just versions of the...

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