Heyward Allen Toyota

Carscoop reader Nick K. had an opportunity to snag what may very well be the first spy photos of the long-anticipated minivan version of the Prius, rumored to be called the Prius Alpha.

Spotted out in California following a new Lexus CT200h with its logos covered, the camouflaged minivan seen here - said by Nick to be "about the size of a Mazda 5" - appears to be wearing a Prius-esque front fascia and doesn't look to fit anywhere else in the lineup.

As you can see in our photo gallery, the minivan and the Prius also seem to share a similar design for the windshield, front window line and tail lamps.

If earlier reports from Reuters and Japan's Nikkei daily are correct, the Prius MPV will end up housing three rows of seats with space for up to seven passengers and be powered by in-house developed lithium-ion batteries (which may later be manufactured with help from Panasonic).

Toyota Executive VP Takeshi Uchiyamada hopes to launch six new hybrids worldwide by 2012 (two Lexi and four Toyotas) on top of its current hybrid offerings. That means the Lexus hybrid family - LS, GS, HS, and RX - will likely gain another crossover of some sort and probably an IS hybrid.

Toyota - currently at three hybrids in the U.S. with the Prius, Camry, and Highlander - will likely get at least one more variant of the Prius, as well as three other models.

As we have suspected for some time now, Toyota will update its popular mid-size crossover for the upcoming model year, and now we have the details about what's in store. The 2011 Toyota Highlander, and Highlander Hybrid, are getting a plethora of updates inside and out to completely freshen up the vehicle.

First seen at August's Moscow Motor Show, the 2011 Highlander has been updated thanks to an all-new hood, fenders, lights and front fascia. The hybrid features additional exterior elements, such as a unique grille and front bumper, which help set it apart from the standard Highlander.

On the inside, the Highlander now features three-row seating as a standard feature while amenity and tech options have been expanded throughout the lineup. SE and Limited trims will henceforth come standard with Bluetooth connectivity, a USB port and XM radio while these features are available optionally on the base model. The base Hybrid Highlander can now be outfitted with a Leather Package boasting heated front seats and a power moonroof.

Under the hood, the base 2.7-liter engine four-cylinder engine is now also available on the SE model, and it churns out 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque - good enough for highway fuel economy figure of 25 miles per gallon. The uplevel 3.5-liter six-cylinder has been tuned to deliver 270 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, but both the I4 and the V6 still make do with five-speed automatic transmissions. Interestingly, the Highlander Hybrid gets an all-new 3.5-liter V6 engine to replace the older 3.3-liter unit, and it's the most powerful powertrain in the range. The combined output of the new engine with the electric motor is 280 horsepower, yet the hybrid is expected to return 28 mpg in the city and on the highway.

Pricing for the 2011 Toyota Highlander lineup has also just been announced. $27,390 gets you the base four-cylinder front-wheel drive model; the SE V6 FWD will be $33,150, while the Limited V6 with all-wheel drive will list for $36,345. The MSRP for Highlander Hybrid will range from $37,290 for the base model to $42,945 for the Limited model.

Toyota is top of the class based on results from the 2010 Motorist Choice Awards, a consumer-driven study developed by Intellichoice and AutoPacific. Offerings from Toyota and Lexus were named winners in nine out of the 30 available award categories.

The Motorist Choice Awards has now entered its fifth year and the categories are more refined and easier to understand than in years past. Instead of having consumers select makes and models simply based on size and price, award categories were transformed into lifestyle concepts such as High Tech, Fun to Drive and Value Car. Each category was further broken down into Popular Brand and Premium Brand.

Toyota received awards for Eco Friendly (Toyota Prius and Lexus RX Hybrid), High Tech (Lexus RX Hybrid), Youthful (Lexus IS), Kid Friendly (Toyota Sequoia), Road Trip (Toyota Sienna), City Car (Toyota Yaris and Lexus LS) and Value Car (Lexus RX Hybrid).

The winners were selected by pooling data from over 42,000 consumer surveys. "From an emotional standpoint these awards are a reflection of how cars fit into people's daily lives, the tasks they fulfill on a day-to-day basis and the image people have of their vehicles," says Charlie Vogelheim, Executive Editor of IntelliChoice.

With the venerable Ford Crown Victoria  on its way out, cabbies all across the country are being forced to come up with all kinds of solutions to their passenger-hauling needs. The Toyota Camry  has a bit of favor with this crowd thanks to its roomy back seat, efficient drivetrain and inexpensive MSRP. Of course, all of that goes out of the window when you start talking about the NASCAR  interpretation of the sedan. Red Bull recently decided to put one of its tri-oval terrors to work on the streets of Chicago as a cab, complete with none other than Scott Speed behind the wheel.

With a few additions like real headlights, brake lights, turning indicators and a license-plate bezel, the Number 82 Camry was handily transformed into a street legal machine. Speed spent the better part of a morning shuffling people around the streets of the Windy City in a blaze of tire smoke and V8 glory. It looks like plenty of fun, and we're guessing there will never be another cab ride quite like it.

The number of vehicle models slated to cruise past the magic 100,000 mark this year is up. In a big way. According to Wards, there are around 39 percent more nameplates expected to clear the six-digit hurdle in 2010 compared to 2009. So far, sales-trends point to 32 cars and trucks expected to meet or exceed the goal, compared to 23 last year. So which models are the winners of 2010?

For the first time ever, vehicles like the Kia Sorento, Chevrolet Traverse and Nissan Versa are aiming to close out 2010 with more than 100,000 units sold. They join the ranks of mainstays like the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado - two trucks that have already well-exceeded the 100k line, even with another full quarter left in the year. In all, a total of 16 cars and trucks have already performed similar feats of sales wizardry.

And who's the fairest of them all? That honor goes to the Toyota Camry. The Japanese automaker has already delivered a total of 220,061 units through August, putting it well ahead of any competition. That pace doesn't look to be slowing anytime soon, either.

Mercedes-Benz is getting hot and heavy into hybrids, and parent company Daimler AG might be looking to a familiar name for help. Reports out of Tokyo indicate that Daimler is in talks with Toyota about getting "motors and batteries in addition to technology" to supply its hybrid needs.

The discussions have gone on for a year now, and have come to the point of detailing exactly which components Toyota will supply. Apparently, the pact could also include fuel cell technology sharing. Assuming a deal gets made, Daimler will join Ford, Nissan and Mazda on the list of Toyota partners when it comes to some aspect of hybrid tech. And if that isn't what you call "hybrid synergy drive," we don't know what is.

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Heyward Allen Toyota in Athens Georgia announces new special lease programs for the month of September. Consumers who are looking to obtain a new Toyota Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Venza or Tacoma can now take advantage of incentivised leases offered from Toyota Finance.

 

Toyota shoppers from all over Athens, Atlanta and all of Georgia can now get the Toyota car, truck or SUV of their dreams for substantially less than previously thought. The lease specials are being subsidized by Southeast Toyota Finance and are available with only the first payment due at signing!

 

That's right! Make only the first month's payment at signing and you can drive off in the brand new Toyota Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra or Venza of your dreams!

 

Example -  A new 2010 Toyota Corolla LE, equipped with automatic, CD player with iPod interface, power windows, locks, mirrors and lots more can be had for only $212 per month, plus tax for 36 months with only the first payment due at signing! How about a Camry LE with power drivers eat, alloy wheels and CD player for only $259 per month? Even the all new 2011 Toyota Sienna, named the "best minivan on the road" by Car and Driver for only $323 per month with only the first payment due at signing!

 

Heyward Allen Toyota will only be able to extend these specials through September 30^th. Please contact the store directly at 888-777-0611 or visit their website at http://www.heywardallentoyota.com/specials/lease.htm for additional details.

 

2910 Atlanta Hwy
Athens, GA
888-777-0611
http://www.heywardallentoyota.com

This is interesting. The JDM-obsessed crew over at 7Tune seem to believe that Toyota is planning a more sports-oriented version of the 2011 Scion tC. At first blush, the car reads like little more than a best-of list of parts from the TRD catalog. The word comes courtesy of none other than Toyota's Chief Engineer, Masayuki Nagai, who says that the car will boast all-new bodywork, a revamped suspension and a free-flowing exhaust for a little more pep. Supposedly the whole package will hit the wallet at a little more than $18,000. If that's true, the new package could be a performance steal.

Unfortunately, this rumored sharper tC isn't slated to hit showrooms until the 2012 model year, which means that buyers will be only have its more prosaic iteration to pick over for a full year before its meaner brother comes along.

That's what the crew at Car Guide would have us all believe. According to the website, Toyota is looking to hedge its bets by producing a second model on the same platform as the upcoming FT-86. As the theory goes, If the two-door doesn't find the kind of favor the company is hoping for, it will at least have a four-door version to pick up a few sales. The site points to a shadowy Toyota executive as the source of the information, and it's even worked up a rendering to show the world exactly what the sports sedan could look like.

Akio Toyoda may want to bring driving excitement back to Toyota, but he and his team have two major hurdles to overcome: The brands's limited enthusiast base and the fact that Japan's youth have very little interest in cars.

To combat both fronts, Toyota plans to launch a new line of budget-oriented vehicles that offer a modicum of sport. But so far, things don't look too promising.

Despite debuting an FT-86-based concept at this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, Toyota's G Sports line of products have mainly focused on the Voxy and Noah minivans, while a "sports" version of the Prius is apparently in the works.

More interestingly, the Mainichi Daily News reports that a version of the GRMN sports car concept has been given the greenlight, meaning a mid-engined hybrid successor to the MR2 is in the works.

All these developments come after Toyota established a sports vehicle management division in January, which now has a hand in the brand's overall product planning. We should get a look at the fruits of their labors during next year's auto show season and could see this new breed of budget sports vehicles on the market - at least in Japan - within the next few years.