Feds Expand Investigation of Toyota Models Over Fire Risk to 1.4 Million Vehicles

The U.S. government has added approximately 570,000 vehicles to an ongoing probe of a power window master switch located on the driver's door on certain Toyota models that could pose a fire risk, increasing the total number of vehicles investigated to a little over 1.4 million units.

In addition to the 830,000 Toyota Camry sedans, Camry Solara coupes and cabriolets and RAV4 SUVs from the 2007 model year, the probe now includes the 2007-2009MY Camry and Camry Hybrid, RAV4 and Yaris vehicles built from around September 2006 through August 2008, as well as all MY 2008 Highlander Hybrid vehicles.

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Toyota Begins Production of the Yaris Hybrid at French Plant

Toyota today announced that it has commenced production of the new Yaris Hybrid at its Valenciennes plant with the first vehicle to roll off the production line going to a customer in northern France.

The hybrid version of the third generation Yaris uses a new, more compact version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain that is demonstrated in the video that follows. The company claims that the HSD system does not impede on passenger or boot capacity, which are identical to the non-hybrid versions.

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Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera win 2012 European Car of the Year Award

The Chevrolet Volt and its sister model, the Ampera, which is sold as under both the Opel and Vauxhall nameplates, have won the 2012 European Car of the Year (COTY) Award with 330 points.

Coming into second place was the Volkswagen Up! city car with 281 points while the new generation of the Ford Focus finished third with 256 points.

The other cars that made it to the final round of the competition were the Range Rover Evoque (186 points), Fiat Panda (156 points), Citroen DS5 (144 points) and the Toyota Yaris (122 points).

The competition brought together votes from 59 automotive journalists in 23 European countries.

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New Toyota Yaris Hybrid Priced Under £15,000, Returns up to 80.7mpg UK

We will get our first opportunity to see the production version of the Yaris Hybrid at the 82nd Geneva Auto Salon in March, but prior to that, Toyota today announced pricing for the UK market and also gave out details on its fuel economy and emissions levels.

The new Yaris Hybrid is available for pre-order from Toyota showrooms in Britain now with an on-the-road price of "less than £15,000" with customer deliveries to commence from July 1.

In comparison, pricing for the regular, 99hp 1.33-liter gasoline powered Yaris ranges from £13,260 to £15,385, while the 90hp 1.4-liter diesel from £14,260 to £14,760.

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Karma is, Indeed, a Bitch: Toyota Yaris Driver gets what he Deserves

Don’t you just hate it when another driver won't let you merge into traffic or cross a road even though he or she won't move on more than a car's length? Of course you do which is why we're going to assume that you'll find the following video staring the driver of a previous generation Toyota Yaris hatchback extremely rewarding...

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Gazoo Racing Builds Toyota Yaris Turbo Concept with 180-Horses [Video]

While Toyota has no current plans to develop a performance version of its latest generation Yaris (marketed in Japan as the Vitz), the automaker's tuning and motorsports partner Gazoo Racing introduced an interesting concept model at this past weekend's Tokyo Auto Salon 2012.

The Vitz Turbo Concept is based on the three-door Yaris and comes with a raft of performance upgrades that may become available to the public in the very near future.

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New Toyota Yaris Hybrid Makes its First Appearance Online, Debuts in Geneva

While on one side of the pond (Detroit) Toyota was debuting the new Prius C subcompact hybrid, on the other side the Japanese brand was announcing the production version of its new Yaris Hybrid with the release of the first pictures ahead of the car's public debut the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The production model follows the presentation of the Yaris HSD Concept at last year's edition of the Geneva Salon.

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Toyota Celebrates Production of 2 Million Yaris Hatchbacks at its Vallenciennes Plant

Toyota has had more than its fair share of problems in 2011, from the devastating March earthquake to the rising yen and the recent Thailand floods that have curtailed the brand's production.

However, despite all these setbacks, the troubled Japanese carmaker still has a couple of reasons to celebrate these days. The first of course is the eagerly awaited FT-86 RWD coupe.

The second reason is that last Friday, October 28, the two millionth Yaris rolled off the Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) plant in Valenciennes, France.

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SEMA Preview: New Toyota Yaris Suits Up for Club Racing

The annual aftermarket extravaganza that is known as the SEMA Show will host the debut of Toyota Yaris B-Spec Club Racer that will compete in the SCCA B-spec class race category next year with Action Sports Star and BMX legend Jamie Bestwick behind the wheel. Read more »

Euro NCAP Announces the Results of the Latest Round of Crash Tests

The Ford Ranger's five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test was a surprise in the sense that it was the first time a pickup truck ever achieved such a high score not only for passenger but also for pedestrian protection as well.

The independent European safety organization also released the results for 11 more new models that were tested along with the Ranger. With the emphasis given these days on safety, the five-star rating awarded in all but one of the models was to be expected.

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Toyota Design Boss Says "Pump That Up," But the Company's Ads Say, "It’s a Car"

As we reported earlier this week, raffish-haired Akihiro Dezi Nagaya, Toyota’s global design chief, plans to implement a more aggressive design theme for the brand. “We have eliminated emotion. We need to pump that up” he said in an interview at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

Changing Toyota’s “quiet and non-offensive” image won’t be easy. Nagaya will be faced with challenges both from within Toyota, a company known for consensus-driven conservatism, and with the brand's consumer base. Nagaya recognizes that Camry buyers, for example, “don't want something too aggressive.”

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Ad Watch: Unboxing of a 2012 Toyota Yaris

If you're a gadget freak, then you're probably no stranger to "unboxing" videos made to showcase a variety of products and which are posted throughout the internet.

Toyota takes the same idea to a different level by applying the concept to a new commercial for its recently launched 2012 Yaris supermini, starring Gizmodo's Adam Frucci.

Those interested may watch the spot in the video after the jump.

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2012 Nissan Versa Sedan Outsells Competition in Sub-Compact Segment

While it may not be the car most dream to own, the low $10,990 ($11,750 including destination) entry level price tag of the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan seems to have piqued the interest of U.S. buyers looking for a cheap new ride.

According to data released by Nissan today, in August, the first full month of availability of the new Versa sedan, the subcompact model sold of 8,566 units beating all of its theoretical competitors, including the Chevrolet Aveo, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mazda 2 and the soon to be replaced, Toyota Yaris.

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2012 Toyota Yaris: New Photo Gallery of North American Hatchback

After the cagey release of the North American 2012 Yaris under a tent during the Lollapalooza annual music festival in Chicago earlier this month, Toyota officially revealed its revamped contender in the subcompact segment that rivals the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2.

The redesigned Yaris is available either as a three-door liftback or five-door liftback with power coming from a 1.5-liter gasoline engine producing 106HP at 6,000 rpm and 103 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 4,200 rpm. A five-speed manual gearbox or a four-speed automatic transmission drives the front wheels.

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Toyota Shows US Market 2012 Yaris Hatch at Lollapalooza Music Fest, Announces Prices

When an automaker is ready to launch a new model into the market, we usually receive a press release along with some initial or teaser photos before we see it in person at a major auto show.

But that's not the case with the U.S. market version of the 2012 Yaris as Toyota quietly unwrapped the car under a tent at the…Lollapalooza annual music festival in Chicago this past weekend while today, the Japanese company announced U.S. pricing without, however, releasing any photos or further details. Strange indeed.

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Double Standards, or how (Not) to Sell Cars to Women

In the 1950s, products for women were no doubt designed and marketed by men. Take for example the 1955 Dodge Le Femme, a truly absurd car (by today’s standards) that came with a matching purse, raincoat and umbrella as well as a bright pint interior with rose-patterned trim.

It’s the equivalent of offering a car today with a…tampon dispenser in the glovebox.

Across the pond there was the Daimler 104 Ladies’ Model with electric windows, a simplified gear change (no, I did not make that up), an umbrella and a vanity case under the dashboard.

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2012 Toyota Yaris: New Gallery with 86 Photos and UK Pricing

Toyota today announced prices for its next generation Yaris hatchback in Europe including the UK where the supermini is available for order now with first customer deliveries to take place in September.

The new Yaris is available in three- and five-door body styles with British buyers offered a choice of four grades (T2, TR, SR and T Spirit) and three engines including 1.0 and 1.33-litre petrol units and a 1.4-litre D-4D turbodiesel. On-the-road prices start from £11,700.

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New Toyota Yaris Wears a Sport Kit for its Australian Debut at the Melbourne Motor Show

After its world premiere in Japan last December as the Vitz, Toyota is gradually introducing the new generation of the Yaris in other markets around the world. Now, with the European version out of the way, it’s time for the Yaris to make its first appearance in Melbourne at this week’s 2011 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS).

Revealed in show car form, the Yaris is fitted with a TRD-like sports kit comprising of a honeycomb grille, a restyled front bumper with larger openings and a chrome trim around the lower grille, side skirts, chunky alloy wheels and a new rear bumper with a diffuser plus a roof spoiler.

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Toyota Europe Officially Presents 2012 Yaris, Sales Start this Summer

We first brought you news on the European version of third generation Yaris hatchback on Wednesday, but today, Toyota followed up with initial details on its VW Polo and Ford Fiesta rival.

Toyota’s newcomer in the European supermini segment will manufactured at the Japanese firm’s Valenciennes factory in France with sales to start before the end of this summer.

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All-new European Market 2012 Toyota Yaris Breaks Cover

Toyota has unveiled the European version of the new Yaris, its all-new supermini which will replace the model of the same name in the summer of 2011. The new Yaris is, quite predictably, based on the Yaris HSD Hybrid prototype that we saw last March in Geneva.

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.

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