Toyota is the latest company to experience a major security breach, leaving an important access key on GitHub for five years.
According to BleepingComputer, source code for Toyota’s T-Connect software was left online for roughly five years. T-Connect allows users to connect their smartphone with their cars. The feature integrates phone calls, navigation, notifications, music, and vehicles status information.
Unfortunately, the source code also contained an access key to the server storing customer data, including both email addresses and management numbers. Fortunately, Toyota says customer names, phone numbers, and credit card information were not stored in the same database and remain secure.
The company also claims there is no evidence anyone accessed the data that was stored in the compromised server, but cannot be sure.
“As a result of an investigation by security experts, although we cannot confirm access by a third party based on the access history of the data server where the customer’s email address and customer management number are stored, at the same time, we cannot completely deny it,” explains the company, machine translated by BleepingComputer.
Automakers around the world are rushing to transition their lineups to electric vehicles (EVs), but Toyota’s President is not a fan of an EV-only approach.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda believes EVs are overhyped and that a wholesale transition to EV-only lineups will cause more problems than it will solve, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In particular, Toyoda called out the environmental impact of charging EVs. The executive believes Japan’s current energy grid would collapse under the weight of charging vehicles if the country’s entire fleet of cars was EV-only. He also took aim at the environmental impact of charging EVs since the energy source used to generate electricity still produces carbon.
“When politicians are out there saying, ‘Let’s get rid of all cars using gasoline,’ do they understand this?” Mr. Toyoda said at a news conference while serving in his capacity as Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Chairman.
Toyota also expressed concern that such a transition would result in the loss of millions of jobs, saying “the current business model of the car industry is going to collapse” if the government is premature in its efforts to ban gasoline vehicles.
While Toyoda raises valid concerns, he is in the minority of auto execs, or at least in the minority of those that have publicly weighed in on the transition to EVs.
Toyota is planning on a massive cut to its production, reducing production in June by 100,000 vehicles as a result of the semiconductor shortage.
The semiconductor shortage has impacted industries around the world since the early days of the pandemic. The auto industry has been particularly hard hit, with many automakers resorting to shipping vehicles without their full suite of electronics.
According to Reuters, Toyota is now forced to reduce its June production by 100,000, bringing the total number of vehicles slated for June to 850,000. The recent COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai has also impacted the company, causing additional supply issues.
This isn’t the first time Toyota has had to cut production as a result of supply chain issues. In September 2021, the company had to cut production by 40%.
Interestingly, the company has not altered its plan to produce 9.7 million vehicles globally by March 2023.
Toyota is reconsidering a controversial decision to charge for keyless remote entry after backlash from owners and non-owners alike.
Toyota ignited a firestorm in mid-December when The Drive broke news the company planned on disabling key fob remote start unless customers were enrolled in a monthly subscription. Rather than announcing the change only for upcoming models, Toyota said it would apply to models sold from 2018 forward.
At the time the news broke, Toyota was less than forthcoming with details, but the company has since provided The Drive with more information. Evidently, the remote start functionality — activated by pressing the lock button three times — was never advertised in official Toyota materials as a feature, and was something many dealers simply told customers about.
Toyota says the issue comes from software logic related to the data communication module (DCM), which checks for the presence of a subscription before allowing certain feature. The remote start is one such feature, even though the functionality is handled locally, between the fob and the car.
“The subscription truly is for the app,” a Toyota spokesperson told The Drive. “The key fob remote start was never intended to be a cost item either at the time of purchase or through subscription.”
The company claims it never anticipated the pushback it received, although it’s hard to imagine how a company with the marketing resources of Toyota managed to miss such an obvious conclusion, especially given the “subscription fatigue” many customers feel. It’s also not clear how or why the company did not realize dealerships were telling customers about the remote start, or that it would be such a loved feature — one customers would not want to give up.
Either way, Toyota says it is reevaluating the situation and trying to determine if the functionality can be left as-is.
Toyota has revealed that customers will need to pay a subscription fee to use the remote start functionality of their key fobs.
Remote start is a popular add-on feature for many vehicles, and can be a life-saver in cold or extremely hot weather. Unfortunately, Toyota customers who thought their vehicles came with remote start are in for a bit of a surprise: They’ll need to pay a subscription fee to continue using it.
Subscription-based services have become incredibly popular in the tech industry, with everyone from enterprise software providers to shareware authors opting for the licensing model. That model seems to be making its way into the automotive industry, with luxury manufacturers turning to subscriptions to unlock high-end features.
In a turn of events, however, the world’s largest automaker appears to also be embracing subscription-based services. According to The Drive, 2018 and later Toyota models with a key fob that includes remote start will require a Remote Connect subscription in order to continue working.
If more automakers embrace Toyota’s position, it’s a safe bet the demand for aftermarket remote start kits will skyrocket.
Toyota is ramping up its electric vehicle (EV) battery production with plans to build a multi-billion dollar plant in North Carolina.
Despite helping to create the market for hybrid vehicles, Toyota has been noticeably behind other manufacturers in committing to an all-electric lineup. In fact, the automaker has even been accused of working to delay climate legislation and opposes a fast transition to all-electric vehicles.
Whatever the company’s plans, it appears to be investing more in EV battery production, building a North Carolina plant that will be operational by 2025, according to Raleigh’s The News & Observer.
“North Carolina’s economic story — from the Wright brothers first in flight, to life-saving medicines at Research Triangle Park — we have been a state of firsts, partnering with industries to develop new ideas that really do change people’s lives,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.
The plant will eventually account for 1,750 jobs in 2029, with a minimum average salary of $62,234.
On the heels of news Toyota would cut September production, Ford’s F-150 plant in Kansas City will shut down as a result of the semiconductor shortage.
The semiconductor shortage has been impacting automakers around the world, with many forced to close plants, cut back production or ship vehicles without their full compliment of chips.
Ford is currently being impacted, and will halt production at its Kansas City F-150 plant for one week, according to Reuters. The shutdown will begin August 23.
Toyota is the latest automaker to experience issues as a result of the semiconductor shortage, cutting production 40% in September.
The global semiconductor shortage has impacted a variety of industries, but the automotive industry has been hit particularly hard. Toyota is the latest company to have to alter its plans as a result.
According to BBC, Toyota initially planned on producing 900,000 vehicles in September, but is scaling that back to a mere 540,000. Toyota had been relatively insulated from the shortage, compared to its rivals, as a result of its decision to take more proactive steps to stockpile components and protect its supply chain. The decision was made in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.
It would seem Toyota may have exhausted, or be close to exhausting, its stockpile of semiconductors. With COVID cases experiencing a resurgence, the pandemic is putting renewed strain on companies and manufacturers, and would seem to indicate there is no immediate relief in sight.
Lyft has announced Toyota subsidiary Woven Planet is acquiring its self-driving division, Level 5.
Autonomous driving is widely considered to be the next major evolution of the auto industry. Unfortunately, autonomous driving has been a difficult technology to crack for companies of all sizes. Tesla recently was called out by Consumer Reports for self-driving tech that’s easily fooled.
Meanwhile, Level 5 was launched in 2017, with the goal being to have a majority of rides happen in self-driving vehicles by 2021. Instead, Lyft is now selling off its self-driving division after failing to meet those goals. Woven Planet, Toyota’s autonomous driving division, is buying Level 5 for $550 million.
“Today’s announcement launches Lyft into the next phase of an incredible journey to bring our mission to life,” Lyft Co-Founder and CEO Logan Green said. “Lyft has spent nine years building a transportation network that is uniquely capable of scaling AVs. This partnership between Woven Planet and Lyft represents a major step forward for autonomous vehicle technology.”
“This acquisition assembles a dream team of world-class engineers and scientists to deliver safe mobility technology for the world,” James Kuffner, CEO of Woven Planet said. “The Woven Planet team, alongside the team of researchers at Toyota Research Institute, have already established a center of excellence for software development, automated driving, and advanced safety technology within the Toyota Group. I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Level 5’s world-class engineers and experts into our company, which will greatly strengthen our efforts.”
GM is joining the list of companies, including its biggest competitor Ford, in embracing remote work.
The pandemic has upended many industries, with remote work becoming an important element in keeping many businesses operational during lockdowns and quarantine. Remote work has been so successful that many in the tech industry have opted to embrace remote and hybrid work permanently. Companies outside the tech industries have started doing the same, with Ford making headlines in March with its decision to allow 30,000 employees to work from home permanently.
GM has now joined that growing list of companies, with its “Work Appropriately” approach, unveiled by CEO Mary Barra in a LinkedIn blog post.
The learnings and successes of the last year led us to introduce how we will manage the future of work at GM, called “Work Appropriately.” This means that where the work permits, employees have the flexibility to work where they can have the greatest impact on achieving our goals. The notion behind this approach – that our employees are capable of making smart decisions without overly prescriptive guidance – is the same notion behind our dress code, “Dress Appropriately.”
Barra frames the decision in the context of attracting top talent. Numerous studies have shown that remote and flexible work options have become so important to many employees, that 29% would rather quit their jobs than go back to the office. More than 50% would be willing to trade vacation days for the ability to continue working remotely.
GM recognizes the importance of flexible work options in the context of attracting the top talent needed for it to reach its long-term goals.
Achieving our all-electric future will require attracting and retaining top talent, and we are excited to focus our employee engagement and hiring on the work, and not the where in many cases. We’re already adapting our recruitment efforts to include hiring positions that are designated specifically as remote.
GM’s decision, along with Ford’s, will put further pressure on Toyota and other manufacturers to follow suit.
Toyota is partnering with Aurora and Denso to develop autonomous vehicles, rather than going it alone.
Autonomous vehicles are widely seen as the next big step for the automotive industry. Whether it be a personal vehicle, mass transportation or rides-sharing, autonomous driving promises to usher in an era of safer, less distracted driving.
Automakers are taking different approaches to autonomous driving. Some, like Volkswagen, are developing their software in-house. Toyota, on the other hand, has decided to work with partners and industry leaders.
Akio Toyoda, Toyota President, outlined the company’s goals:
Rather than conduct development on our own―without friends and partners―we can partner and collaborate with others who share our aspirations. Rather than keep our patents to ourselves, we can open them up and create more new friends. Rather than sell only cars, we can provide various services in which vehicles are incorporated into a system and focus more broadly and openly on contributing to the improvement of society.
The company is partnering with Aurora and Denso to begin developing autonomous ride-sharing vehicles, starting with the Sienna. The goal is to design, build and be testing a fleet of the minivans by the end of 2021. Once testing is complete, the vehicles will be built and supported for various ride-hailing companies.
“Toyota has an unparalleled legacy, engineering expertise, leadership, and ability to deliver high-quality, affordable, and reliable vehicles,” said Chris Urmson, Aurora CEO. “They’re also the preferred vehicle brand for transporting riders on ride-hailing networks, so we’re excited and honored to work with them to unlock driverless mobility services with the Aurora Driver. Our development work on highway driving to support our first commercial product, a driverless truck, will also be critical for safely moving people, as a significant fraction of ride-share bookings today require the ability to drive over 50 mph.”
“Toyota is dedicated to creating and realizing mobility for all by focusing on technology that will move people safely and responsibly, a vision Aurora shares with us,” said Keiji Yamamoto, Operating Officer of Toyota and President of Connected Company. “By combining our expertise and know-how in vehicle control systems, mass-production, Connected Car technology, and our advanced safety support systems with Aurora’s industry-leading approach to self-driving technology, we aim to commercialize and deliver safe, high-quality, and affordable autonomous ride-sharing vehicles and services.”
BP has reduced its oil exploration to 100 members, down from 700, as it focuses on renewable energy.
With climate change headlining the agendas of many countries, companies around the globe are taking drastic action to adapt and prepare for an economy based on renewable energy. Nowhere is that transformation more drastic than the very industry that has provided the fossil fuels the world has depended on.
BP is among those energy companies leading the charge, thanks to CEO Bernard Looney. Under Looney, the company has been aggressively pivoting to renewable energy and scaling back its oil exploration efforts, according to Reuters. The company is using its existing petroleum business to help fund the transition.
“We are in a harvest mode and what isn’t being said is that BP is going to be a much smaller company without exploration,” a source in BP’s oil and production division said told Reuters.
The company has been hiring staff from Silicon Valley, Toyota, Uber and more in an effort to better understand electric vehicles and other key parts of the renewable energy industry in an effort to help it better compete.
Looney’s efforts are not without risk, however, as some worry the company may prematurely slash its oil income before its investments in renewable energy pay off.
“There is so much internal change that it will be a big job to pick up the organisation and get things going,” a senior employee in the exploration division told Reuters.
There’s no doubt the company is experiencing challenges with its transformation, with the stock at its lowest point in 25 years. Looney is adamant, however, that BP must change in order to remain relevant.
“Everywhere I have been, inside BP as well as outside BP, I have come away with one inescapable conclusion, and that is that we have got to change,” he said in a webcast.
If Looney can pull off his vision, BP will be far better positioned than competitors who are trying to hang on to a dying industry as long as possible.
Pony.ai has announced that it has secured $400 million in funding from Toyota to help develop its autonomous driving tech.
Pony.ai claims it is “developing the safest and most reliable autonomous driving technology globally. Having accumulated millions of kilometers in autonomous road testing in the most complex scenarios, we have a solid foundation to deliver autonomous driving systems at scale.”
The investment comes as virtually every major automaker, and numerous technology companies, are pursing autonomous driving tech. So far, Toyota has kept most of its plans under wraps, especially compared to some of its rivals.
Based in both the U.S. and China, Pony.ai’s technology is designed to meet the challenges of roads and driving conditions in vastly different and unique circumstances. A key element to that approach is the company’s Perception module.
“Our Perception module combines the strengths of a heuristic approach and deep learning models to boost performance, while ensuring the safety and operational redundancy of our vehicles,” says the company’s website. “Performance capability is further enhanced by our multi-sensor fusion technology, which intelligently leverages the most reliable sensor data depending on different environmental or driving scenarios.”
Pony.ai’s technology should go a long way toward helping Toyota meet its autonomous driving goals—whatever they may be.
Tesla may not have nearly the size or market penetration of its more established rivals, but the company is years ahead of them in electronics technology.
Nikkei Business Publication did a teardown of the Tesla Model 3, giving engineers from competitors the opportunity to examine the electronic components. In particular, the teardown looked at the integrated central control unit, the brains of the car. Tesla created the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Computer, or Hardware 3, after finding there were no existing solutions available.
According to Nikkei, “one stunned engineer from a major Japanese automaker examined the computer and declared, ‘We cannot do it.’”
As electric vehicles and self-driving cars become the standard, FSD-type hardware will be in high demand and be one of the single most critical components of such vehicles. As Nikkei highlights, however, industry experts don’t expect the technology to be widely used until 2025, giving Tesla a six-year head start.
Nikkei’s sources claim companies such as Toyota and VW have the technological ability to roll out similar hardware, but feel indebted to the supply chain they have spent decades building up. That supply chain will be devastated by FSD-style hardware that will greatly simplify the electronic design of vehicles, cutting down the number of components needed.
Tesla has already been credited with a significant advantage in its battery technology, allowing it to spend roughly $50 per kilowatt hour less than competitors. Now with it having an equally significant advantage in its electronics tech, competitors will have to play catchup on multiple fronts—whether for technical reasons or not.
Citing Cairn Energy Research Advisors, CNBC is reporting that Tesla has a significant advantage in electric battery technology.
The electric vehicle pioneer is facing more and more competition from startups and established rivals. Rivian has made headlines as a more traditional-looking electric vehicle manufacturer, while Ford has also had its fair share of news for an all-electric Mustang Mach-E and upcoming F-150. GM, Toyota, Subaru and others are all planning to roll out all-electric lineups, with Subaru committed to producing only electric vehicles by the mid-2030s.
According to Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors, despite the competition, Tesla still has a major advantage in the battery tech it uses. While most automakers use battery packs that have pouch or prismatic cells, “Tesla is the only automaker to use cylindrical battery cells in its battery packs.” In the last four years, the cost of cylindrical cell battery packs has dropped over $100 per kilowatt hour (kWh), hitting $158.27 per kWh last year. In contrast, the cost of the competition’s battery packs is still running over $200 per kWh.
While a difference of less than $50 per kWh may not seem like a lot, as manufacturers ramp up production and begin mass-producing electric vehicles, that expense will add up quickly. In addition, Jaffa says Tesla also has an advantage not only in its more advanced cylindrical battery cells, but also in its battery management system.
“Tesla has really revolutionized that part of the battery pack and made it much more sophisticated, and it gives them the competitive advantage,” said Jaffe, according to CNBC.
According to Reuters, Toyota is applying big data in an effort to prevent unintended acceleration, especially that caused by driver error.
It happens every decade or so: A major auto manufacturer is sued for unintended acceleration, only to have studies show that many cases are the result of driver error. It happened in the 1980s with Audi, and more recently in the 2000’s with Toyota. In each case, investigations showed that many unintended acceleration cases were caused by drivers accidentally activating the gas pedal.
Now, Toyota has “unveiled an emergency safety system on Monday that uses big data to ignore the accelerator if it determines the driver steps on the pedal unintentionally.” Toyota is calling the feature it’s “accelerator suppression function,” and it will roll out first in Japan.
While the company’s first-generation Safety Sense package was implemented in 2015, this new version was developed using data from its connected vehicles already on the road. Unlike Safety Sense, this version does need to encounter an obstacle to engage and activate breaking.
Toyota’s move comes as auto makers are building increasingly intelligent vehicles that significantly improve driver safety.
Toyota and Weathernews have announced a partnership to improve weather forecast accuracy and driver safety.
The two companies will use data derived from Toyota’s connected vehicles, such as windshield wiper operations. The data will then be visualized as a map, showing where there are pockets of vehicles with running wipers. These areas of activity can be compared with data provided by Weathernews. Since precipitation does not always show up on radar, this will help Weathernews improve the accuracy of the data it has.
“It is said that the rate of accidents during rainy weather is four times that of sunny days, so the presence of precipitation has a large effect on safe driving for vehicles. However, raincloud radar, which is often used to detect and predict rainy areas, has the disadvantage of being unable to detect rain resulting from rainclouds in the lower layer of the troposphere (an altitude of 2 km or below) or small raindrops such as those that form during drizzles. In such cases, it has been difficult to accurately determine areas where it is raining.
“In the verification test that begins on November 1, as part of Toyota’s and Weathernews’ joint research initiatives, the wiper operating status of Toyota’s connected vehicles being driven in the designated regions is visualized as a map and compared with actual weather data. In past cases where low rainclouds produced rain that did not show up on raincloud radar in the Kanto area, rain was instead reported by users of the ‘Weathernews’ app. The user reports received matched closely with the areas where wipers were being operated, showing that wiper data can detect rain that cannot be detected using raincloud radar. We will also perform a detailed analysis of the relationship between the wiper data and weather data, and in addition to accurate detection of rainy areas, we plan to make efforts to estimate the strength of the precipitation based on the power at which the wipers are being operated, and consider using wiper data for weather forecasting.
“By using wiper data to accurately ascertain the conditions of roads and their surroundings, such as precipitation and actual precipitation strength, undetectable using radar, we aim to contribute to driver safety by issuing warnings to drivers according to the situation.”
Yum Brands which owns Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and other restaurant brands are at the forefront of technological innovation. Yum also isn’t afraid to experiment with seemingly outlandish ideas either such as their announcement of the Toyota Tundra Pie Pro which makes pizza on the go.
“We love our relationship with Grubhub, it’s a great partnership,” says Yum Brands CEO Greg Creed. “By the end of the year in the U.S., we’ll have about 2,000 KFC’s and probably close to 4,000 Taco Bell’s delivering. In the stores that are already delivering we’re getting check increases and incremental sales that are coming from it, so we’re very excited about this partnership. We think it obviously bodes well for the future sales growth for both KFC and for Taco Bell in the U.S.”
Driverless Cars and Robots Making Pizzas is Our Future
Pizza Hut has partnered with Toyota to develop a zero-emission Tundra PIE Pro, a mobile pizza factory with the ability to deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes. The full-size pizza-making truck was introduced at Toyota’s 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show presentation.
“I love our partnership with Toyota,” added Creed. “This is really about technology, this is about robotics, this is about what the future is envisioning. Driverless cars, robots making pizzas, this is all in our future. Is it in our future next week? No, but is it in our foreseeable future, absolutely. Everything that we can do to make the brands more relevant, make them easier to access and more distinctive, that’s what will lead to continued success, not just for Pizza Hut but also at KFC and at Taco Bell.”
Pizza Hut Partners with Toyota on the Tundra PIE Pro
Pizza Hut has partnered with Toyota to develop the one-of-a-kind, zero-emission Tundra PIE Pro, a mobile pizza factory with the ability to deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes. The full-size pizza-making truck was introduced at Toyota’s 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show presentation.
“Nothing tastes better than a fresh Pizza Hut pizza straight out of the oven,” said Marianne Radley, Chief Brand Officer, Pizza Hut. “The Tundra PIE Pro brings to life our passion for innovation not just on our menu but in digital and delivery in order to provide the best possible customer experience.”
Toyota has introduced the hybrid P4 concept car that includes increased accident protection that is much “smarter” than its predecessor. Toyota says that with greater computing power, its systems can operate more machine learning algorithms in parallel for faster learning. They say it can process sensor inputs faster and react more quickly to the surrounding environment.
The technology was created by the Toyota Research Institute (TRI) as part of their autonomous vehicle R&D. P4 adds two additional cameras to improve situational awareness on the sides and two new imaging sensors – one facing forward and one pointed to the rear – specifically designed for autonomous vehicles.
Toyota Research Institute Rolls Out P4 Automated Driving Test Vehicle at CES.
Additionally, the imaging sensors feature new chip technology with high dynamic range. The radar system has been optimized to improve the field of view, especially for close range detection around the vehicle perimeter. The LIDAR sensing system with eight scanning heads carries over from the previous test model, Platform 3.0, and morphs into the new vehicle design.
“If we are able to reduce technology that theoretically can reduce fatalities by ten-fold or perhaps even a hundred-fold we can make consumers and society safer,” says Bob Carter, Toyota North America Executive Vice President.
Bob Carter, North America Executive Vice President of Toyota, discussed the new Guardian technology at length on Fox Business:
Toyota P4 Concept Car With Guardian Technology
This is I believe our fourth or fifth year where we’re introducing our newest technology, particularly in the autonomous driving area, here at the Consumer Electronics Show. The vehicle we are introducing today is a concept car called P4. It’s our fourth platform. We are introducing what we call our Guardian technology. Guardian is considered the co-pilot sitting in the passenger seat for you.
We are going to demonstrate to the media today where we actually experience an accident on Interstate 80. What the Guardian technology does, it’s an offshoot of development for fully autonomous, is it monitors all the conditions around the car all the time. In the example of this one unfortunate accident that nobody was hurt in one car drifted into its lane into another car and then pushed it into the guardrail. This is a very typical situation.
Guardian Technology Takes Control Prior to Accidents
Our Guardian technology senses that and then momentarily takes the controls from the driver. This includes acceleration, braking, and steering. It can navigate the car out of the area of the accident and then immediately hand back the controls to the driver. The end result is that the driver is still in control of the car. He has the enjoyment of driving, yet in in unforeseen circumstance, technology can take over to avoid the accident.
It was developed by the Toyota Research Institute that we have in the Silicon Valley. They’re working on a number of different technologies for the future that we believe are really going to enhance the safety of society in the future. Unfortunately, it’s are something that does happen. In North America last year there were 40,000 fatalities on our roads.
Guardian Technology May Reduce Fatalities by Ten-Fold
If we are able to reduce technology that theoretically can reduce fatalities by ten-fold or perhaps even a hundred-fold we can make consumers and society safer. In fact, we are so convinced that this technology is the correct path for the future that we are opening up to other auto manufacturers. We would love to see every vehicle on the road today have this sort of technology available for consumers.
Last year, there were 17.2 million vehicles sold. Approximately one percent of those were full battery electric vehicles. We have a very robust system we use with hybrids which is a combination of our gasoline engines and electric. These have been on the market since 1997. We think it is going to take some time for the market to advance but later on next decade we believe electrification will become mainstream in the North American market.
The Toyota Tacoma has become Back to the Future-ized. Toyota announced this week that it would celebrate October 21, 2015 – the date introduced in Back to the Future Part II – by recreating Marty McFly’s dream truck with a concept based on the new 2016 Toyota Tacoma, which went on sale last month.
Toyota showed off the model in New York and Dallas on Wednesday. Modifications (per the press release) were as follows:
Custom 1985 Toyota Truck Exterior Paint
Off-road Suspension
Toyota Racing Development (TRD) Wheels
BFGoodrich Tires
Custom front and rear Tubular Bumpers
Custom Light Bar
KC HiLites Gravity LED G46
KC HiLites Daylighter Gravity LED
Custom “D-4S” Fuel Injection Badging
Custom Tailgate with Iconic “TOYOTA” Logo
Custom Vintage Headlight and Taillight Design
Mud Flaps 1985 Toyota Truck
Toyota has really gotten into the Back to the Future thing:
The Toyota Prius is one of the best hybrid vehicles on the market today. Going into 2015, Toyota hopes that those who haven’t jumped on the hybrid bandwagon will finally do so with its latest model.
Toyota unveiled the Prius c and its many configurations this week. Those looking to buy the hybrid will have their choice of the Prius c One, c Two, c Three and c Four. As you can imagine, each tier adds a number of features that ups the price. Regardless of tier, Toyota boasts that you’ll get an average of 50 MPG with the new 2015 Prius c.
So, what does each tier get you? The Prius c One costs $19,540 and comes with Entune audio, USB port, 3.5-inch information display and a 6.1-inch touchscreen display that controls radio and entertainment.
The Prius c Two ups the price to $20,340 and adds fold-down rear seats, cruise control and an engine immobilizer. For $21,765, the c Three adds smart key system on front doors, a touch tracer display and navigation apps for the touch display. To be more specific, these apps allow you to track traffic and weather.
Finally, the c Four goes for $24,475 and adds LED fog lights, a moonroof, a backup camera, heated front seats and color-keyed heated power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators.
For more info, be sure to check out this video from TestDrivenTV:
