Toyota asks the question, "What is a suitable sports car for the 21st Century?"

At next week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit, MI, Toyota will debut a hybrid-electric sports car combining high-output drivetrain performance with ultra-low emissions and exemplary fuel efficiency. Thanks to a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine and a "sports hybrid system," the rear-wheel-drive Toyota FT-HS is projected to develop 400 horsepower good for zero to 60 mile-per-hour runs in the four second range.

Several aerodynamic and weight saving measures have been employed to improve performance and efficiency. Sharply designed "Aero-Corners" lessen turbulence and improve airflow. The "scooped-out" roof maximizes passenger headroom while reducing aerodynamic drag. That roof panel is made of carbon fiber Kevlar and is capable of retracting into the rear seat area to allow open top cruising. A speed-senstive rear wing and carbon fiber diffuser precisely direct air out back to maintain stability. Throughout the car, body material has been removed around critical components to reduce mass but maintain functionality. Massive 21-inch carbon fiber wheels reside in 245/35-series front and 285/30-series rear tires.

"Drivers today are not satisfied with cars that are simply fast," said Kevin Hunter, vice president of Calty Design Research, Toyota's Newport Beach, CA design center. "In addition to driving enjoyment, today's drivers are concerned about safety, ecology and social responsibility."

Source and images: Toyota pressroom

?Green Car of the Year? goes to Toyota Camry Hybrid

The editors of Green Car Journal, along with other outside judges, have awarded the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid the distinction of ?Green Car of the Year.? Toyota?s hybrid-electric Camry has been extremely well received this year, also earning the coveted Motor Trend Car of the Year honor.

Among the other vehicles judged were the Honda Civic GX (natural gas powered), Lexus GS450H hybrid-electric, Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTec diesel and Saturn VUE Green Line hybrid-electric. Upon being presented the award, Ed La Rocque, Toyota?s national car marketing manager, dedicated the prize to Dave Hermance, a lead Toyota hybrid technology engineer who died tragically last week in a private airplane crash.

Last year was the first time Green Car Journal award the prize, with the Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV triumphing.

Source: Autoblog

Image: Toyota press

Toyota Camry earns Motor Trend?s ?Car of the Year? distinction

The coveted ?Car of the Year? title offered by Motor Trend magazine each year has been awarded to the redesigned sixth-generation 2007 Toyota Camry, including the Camry Hybrid model. Twenty-six other competitors challenged the Toyota Camry, including nine cars from Japan, six from the United States, five from Korea, four from Germany, one from Sweden and one from the United Kingdom.

Toyota Camry was recognized for its ?performance, efficiency and roominess? and ?price point most Americans can afford.? According to Angus MacKenzie, Motor Trend editor in chief, ?The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build.?

Eligibility for Car of the Year consideration requires a vehicle be fully redesigned or brand new, and released in the calendar year 2006. Other cars in competition this year were the Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Honda Fit, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Entourage, Infiniti G35, Jaguar XK, Jeep Compass, Kia Optima, Kia Rondo, Kia Sedona, Lexus ES 350, Lexus LS 460, Mercedes-Benz S-class, Nissan Altima, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Versa, Porsche Cayman, Saturn Aura, Saturn Sky Redline, Suzuki SX4, Toyota Yaris, Volvo C70 T5, Volkswagen EOS and Volkswagen Rabbit.

Source: Business Wire

Image: Toyota press

Toyota FJ Cruiser tackling Baja 1000

This year?s Baja 1000, the quintessential off-road race from Ensenada to La Paz on Mexico?s Baja California Peninsula, will feature a modified Toyota FJ Cruiser in the Mini Stock Class piloted by Rod and Ryan Millen, a father/son team. The 38th annual Baja 1000, from November 15-18, 2006, represents the FJ Cruiser?s first official racing venue.

Toyota?s racing truck is based on the special edition FJ Cruiser TRD (Toyota Racing Development) model reaching showrooms this week. Only 3,200 units of the TRD variant will be produced, whose equipment includes off-road tuned Bilstein shocks, a synchronized locking differential with Active Traction control, unique 16-inch alloy wheels, an all-black exterior paint scheme, high-performance exhaust, rock rails, a multi-informational display (compass/inclinometer/temperature) and, to maintain occupant integrity during an unlikely rollover, curtain and side-impact airbags as standard.

Special Baja 1000 safety equipment includes a two-inch diameter roll cage, 22 gallon fuel cell, Beard Ultra Pro racing seats with quick releasing five-point harnesses and a heavy duty interior air filtration.

Off-road performance is augmented via BFGoodrich LT285/75-series with two spares, Donahue Racing front coilover springs/shocks, Fox Racing rear shocks, upgraded brake master cylinders, two-inch exhaust without a catalytic converter and 4.88:1 front and rear axle ratios.

Source and images: Toyota press

Toyota plans alternative energy full-size Tundra pickup models

Toyota is reportedly planning a Tundra full-size pickup model that runs on E85 ethanol and is scheduling the vehicle?s North American debut as early as 2008. Production would occur at either Toyota?s existing Indiana plant or the new San Antonio, Texas facility currently under development and scheduled to open sometime this month.

Toyota has yet to deliver an E85-capable gasoline engine, as all of their offerings run properly with a maximum 10 percent ethanol (E10). Unlike the American manufacturers who are embracing E85 in their large trucks and passenger cars, Toyota has perfected its Hybrid Synergy Drive gas-electric system and benchmarked it hybrid standard. Naturally, a hybrid-electric Toyota Tundra pickup is also in the works, perhaps coming to fruition in North America by 2010.

Source: Green Car Congress

Image: Toyota press [2007 Toyota Tundra Double Cab]