LAcarGUY Supports Heal The Bay’s “Bring Back the Beach” Fundraiser (And you should too!)

Posted on: May 10, 2012

Toyota Aims For North American Prius Production by 2015

Posted on: May 4, 2012

by: Zack McDonald – HybridCars.com

Toyota says it has plans to begin manufacturing the Prius in the United States for the first time. Last year, the carmaker recorded its 1 millionth Prius sale in the U.S., and despite supply shortfalls in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, sold more than 136,000 Prii here for the full year. By 2015, the company expects annual North American Prius sales to reach 200,000 units, with total North American hybrid sales projected to hit 400,000 vehicles by that time.

Mike Sullivan To Be Awarded With Community Environmental Leadership Award From Global Green USA

Posted on: April 30, 2012

LAcarGUY‘s Mike Sullivan will be honored at the 16th Annual Millennium Awards Gala in Saturday June 2nd at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica with the Community Environment Leadership Award.

This honor recognizes Mike’s personal commitment to supporting so many important local environmental organizations and for actively promoting community projects from beach cleanups to creating school gardens. When Global Green needed hybrid cars for their Red Carpet – Green Car campaign (i.e., taking stars to the Oscars in fuel efficient cars), Mike provided them.

The Sensational New 2013 Toyota Avalon Makes World Debut at the 2012 New York International Auto Show

Posted on: April 5, 2012

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. revealed the all-new 2013 Avalon premium mid-size sedan today at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. The new Avalon is re-conceived for the premium mid-size sedan segment with a progressive and emotionally styled exterior design.

When it arrives to dealerships late this year, the new Avalon will offer improved dynamic performance, a greater degree of refinement, and a highly spacious, comfortable interior experience with an abundance of outstanding convenience technologies.

LAcarGUY at LA Weekly’s Gold Standard Event

Posted on: March 23, 2012

Earlier this month, LAcarGUY proudly sponsored the 4th Annual Gold Standard Food & Wine Event that featured a diverse selection of LA’s best restaurants, hand picked by Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, Jonathan Gold.

The event was held at the Peterson Auto Museum, and as he is known for his unprecedented taste and appreciation of the varied and diverse cuisines in the area, Jonathan brought together some of his favorites. And the reviews are in! From the Huffington Post to LA Mag to local blogs like Chowhound, they all agree that the Gold Standard is the best food event in LA! On the hottest day of the year so far, 2000 attendees ate and drank their way through the best that LA has to offer.

Toyota Produced 1,255,635 Vehicles In North America During 2011

Posted on: March 21, 2012

After a tragic year in Japan and a strain on the parts supply chain, Toyota still managed to find a way to produce over 1.25 million vehicles and 1.14 million engines in North America alone, along with completing three major expansion projects in the United States.

In total, Toyota produces 12 models in North America: Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma, Tundra, Lexus RX350 and Venza. What’s more, the following United States expansion projects were completed in 2011:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia completed an expansion resulting in increased 6-speed automatic transmission production bringing the plant’s total employment to approximately 1,100.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama began 4-cylinder engine production in the fall, resulting in 240 new jobs.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi began Corolla production in the fall, adding 2,000 jobs.

Looking forward, Toyota expects to assemble its 25 millionth vehicle in North America this year (2012), and will begin producing its all-electric RAV4 at its Woodstock, Ontario facility.

2012 Toyota Tacoma Wins Pickuptrucks.com Midsized Truck Shootout

Posted on: March 20, 2012

In the mid-sized pickup truck market, there’s one and only one truck that completely dominates the segment. And that title belongs to the Toyota Tacoma. And with major contenders like Ford withdrawing from the niche, the Tacoma stands out even more as the clear winner. But even though the Tacoma is the undisputed sales leader year-in-and-year-out, is the truck really that much better than the competition? The experts at pickuptrucks.com have the answer. The verdict: the Toyota Tacoma lives up to every ounce of its reputation as a dependable mid-sized truck, finding itself ahead of the pack when it comes to off-road ruggedness and is an overall standout in real-world performance.

Mark Williams, editor-in-chief of Pickuptrucks.com and his team pitted seven trucks in a free-for-all comparison test in multiple categories. The lineup included the 2012 Chevy Colorado, 2011 Ford Ranger, 2012 GMC Canyon, 2012 Honda Ridgeline, 2012 Nissan Frontier, 2012 Suzuki Equator, and the 2012 Toyota Tacoma. The trucks were thrashed, beaten and bruised on the dynamo, on the drag strip, in the desert, and on the highway — all to find out which truck is worthy of winning the high-budget, high-stakes comparison test.

To begin with, let’s have a look at the Tacoma on paper. With a starting price of just $22,100-$29,900, depending on the model, this purpose-built truck has the option of a 2.7-liter inline-four cylinder gasoline engine that puts out 159 horsepower with fuel economy rated at 10.0 L/100 km in the city and 7.7 L/100 km on the hwy. Upgrade to the 4.0L V6, and the output is bumped up to substantial 236 horsepower. Transmission offerings are diverse, with a 4-speed automatic, a 5-speed automatic, a 5-speed manual, and a 6-speed manual. Some rugged options include mud-guards, skid plates for the underbody, Hill Start Assist Control (HAC) and Downhill Assist Control (DAC). As a result, the Tacoma was given 372 points out of 400 in value judging and 142 points out of 160 in expert impressions as tallied by Williams and company. And while the Honda Ridgeline and Nissan Frontier came close to the Tacoma’s overall score of 514, the Toyota Tacoma won outright.

EPA Rates Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid at 11 Miles of Electric-Only Range

Posted on: March 7, 2012

As the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in begins to arrive at U.S. dealerships, Toyota wants potential buyers to be aware of the fact that the plug-in Prius is eligible for the State of California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP). Designed to promote the use of clean vehicle technologies, the $1,500 CVRP incentive is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and is in addition to the $2,500 federal tax credit offered on the 2012 Prius Plug-in hybrid. The Prius Plug-in is eligible for the State of California’s green HOV sticker, allowing it access to the carpool lane during rush hour―a distinction other Prius hybrids no longer share.

Now that the Prius Plug-in is officially in the U.S., Toyota has also released its EPA-confirmed fuel economy numbers. According to Toyota, the Prius Plug-in has an EPA-rated electric-only range of up to 11 miles. Additionally, during “EV Mode” driving, the Prius Plug-in is rated at 95MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). In hybrid mode, the plug-in Prius returns an EPA combined mileage rating of 50 mpg. Total driving range for the plug-in Prius is listed at up to 540 miles.

Toyota Confirms Prius Plug-In’s Eligibility for an Additional State of California Consumer Incentive and Its EPA Mileage Rating

Posted on: February 27, 2012

As the 2012 Prius Plug-in models begin to arrive at Toyota Santa Monica and Toyota Hollywood, Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. announces that it has been approved for the State of California’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program (CVRP).

Designed to promote the use of Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) and related clean vehicle technologies, the CVRP is a consumer incentive made available in addition to the $2,500 Federal Tax credit¹ offered for qualified vehicles (more information available at: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/article/0,,id=219867,00.html). The 2012 Prius Plug-in also offers consumers eligibility for the State of California’s HOV lane sticker (information found here).

First Drive: Toyota Prius c

Posted on: February 23, 2012

It’s been twelve years since the Toyota Prius first came on to the American stage. Thought of as a science experiment then, and in many ways it was, now in it’s third generation the Prius Liftback IS the face of Toyota.

While the hybrid and plugin electric market may only be 2.5% of all vehicle sales in the U.S., the Prius accounts for more than 50% of those sales. The most shocking statistic is that 96% of all Prius’ sold, are still on the road today. Looking to expand the sales of the Prius, Toyota have expanded the sub-brand of Prius into four models, with the goal of the Prius family of vehicles surpassing Camry in sales.