Autoblog

High horsepower trucks have come and gone. The SVT Lightning and Ram SRT10 are but two examples, but we miss the GMC Syclone something fierce, as well. Toyota is readying its TRD supercharger for the Tundra, which should help sate those who hunger for extra horsepower in their truck. An employee of Toyota of El Monte, California and member of TundraSolutions.com revealed on his forum that TRD reps brought a Sequoia to his dealership equipped with the TRD supercharger mounted on the large SUV's 5.7-liter V8 – the same V8 in the Tundra. Not only did he say that TRD claimed a rating of 504 horsepower, an increase of 123 over the stock engine, but he also got the opportunity to ride shotgun while one of his fellow employees took it for a road test. He even brought back the above picture as proof. Visit the Tundra Solutions forum to see the details of the kit and read about the test drive.

[Source: Tundra Solutions via PickupTruck.com]

Although the Yaris hasn't piqued the interest of small car enthusiasts Stateside as much as Honda's Fit, there is a large contingent of tuners in both Japan and Europe that have turned their attention to Toyota's sub-compact three- and five-door hatch.

For the Tokyo Auto Salon, Modellista and TRD wanted to tap into that enthusiasm and teamed up to create the Modellista Concept. Based off the standard Yaris (or Vitz if you hail from the Land of the Rising Sun), the two in-house tuners strapped a turbo to the 1.5-liter engine to produce 150 HP and 144 lb.-ft. of torque.

To handle the added oomph, they equipped the Yaris with a limited slip differential, as well as a new suspension setup that drops the hatch down about 20 mm. The 17-inch OZ wheels and four-piece body kit, complete with intercooler-friendly front fascia, accentuates the new stance.

According to AutoExpress, a version of this Yaris will go on sale in Japan within the next few months, although nothing was mentioned about European or American offerings.

Make the jump for a couple more pics.

[Sources: AutoExpress, Toyota, Modellista]

In 2007, Toyota will be bringing to market a Limited Edition model of its popular FJ Cruiser, complete will all the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) goodies.

First off, the limited edition version will be sprayed down head-to-toe, in black paint, nixing its trademarked white roof. The wheels will be coated in an anthracite finish and wrapped with uprated BF Goodrich All-Terrain rubber. To complete the exclusive look, expect the prerequisite "TRD Limited Edition" badges adorning as many surfaces as possible.

Appearance is one thing, capability is another and TRD recognizes that the base model could benefit from a few staple mods to make it a more competent off-roader. The stock suspension will be tossed and fitted with TRD/Bilstein shocks, developed for dirt duty and covered in a red finish. The new shocks are claimed to reduce squat and dive, as well as increase straight-line stability. Another mod includes mating the locking diff with the Active Control computer, which will aid the FJ when rock crawling is the activity du jour. The package will also include a TRD performance exhaust and "rock rails."

The interior will benefit with an array of airbags, including both seat-mounted and side curtain, along with a "multi-informational display" that comes equipped with a temp. gauge, compass and inclinometer.

A total of 3,200 vehicles will be made, with a $7,265 increase in MSRP on manual models and a $7,250 increase on automatic models. The $15 premium on the manual-equipped FJ is purportedly due to the "quick shifter" option.

If you want to see the new FJ in person, it'll be prominently displayed during this year's SEMA show in November.

In the following press release, Toyota also snuck in a $300 increase on its Camry Hybrid, effective October 30th.