Autoblog

Sales of the bulbous Lexus SC 430, one of the vehicles that kick-started the current hardtop convertible fad in the U.S., have slowed so significantly that Toyota's luxury brand has reportedly canceled its replacement. The four-place, V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive vehicle never fit well into any specific niche, as it boasted neither the sportiness of the ragtop Jaguar XK and Porsche 911, nor the snob appeal of the BMW 6 Series. Through the first six months of this year, Lexus sold only 1,230 SC's, down 40% from last year. What fans the Lexus sport coupes/convertible does have need not worry, however, as the brand will be launching the much more potent (and substantially more impressive) LF-A supercar at some point in the future.

According to Inside Line, the SC isnt the only Toyota product without a future. The Avalon entry-level Buick luxury sedan is also on the chopping block. Fans of the boring unpretentious Avalon can instead look forward to an extended-length version of the Camry sedan to take its spot in Toyota's U.S. lineup.


[Source: Inside Line]

Toyota is serious about the safety of its customers, and the Japanese automaker is thinking outside the box to keep its elderly drivers on the road. To help keep the AARP demographic up to the rigors of daily driving, Toyota has hooked up with Professor Ryuta Kawashima of "Brain Age" fame, to create a driving experience that helps sharpen the mind. Among the technologies being studied to help drivers is a system that recognizes driving characteristics and applies the brakes whenever erratic behavior is detected. Swerving and accidental accelerator jabs are among the potential driving behaviors being looked at, and an interface involving the navigation screen can assist drivers along the way. Kawashima wants to make driving a stimulating brain exercise, and Toyota is dropping coin in an effort to begin realizing the cranial activity within five years. It's hard to see how applying the brakes for you will sharpen your mind, but with five years until launch we're sure Toyota isn't keen to tipping its hand to explain.

Anything that can help keep drivers and pedestrians safe is a good thing, and Kawashima's brain-sharpening exercises coupled with top tech just may do the trick. If we are to be so bold as to suggest the first vehicle to showcase this new technology, we'd like to go on record as saying that the Avalon is a great choice. Or the Camry. Or any Lexus not named IS. Well, we're sure the execs from Aichi, Japan have a better idea which direction to take than do we.

[Source: International Herald Tribune]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in Arlington, Va. has just concluded testing on some 75 vehicles' head restraint systems and after performing a simulated rear-end impact of 20 MPH, only 22 of the systems received the top score of "good."

At the head of the class was Audi's A4, S4 and A6, along with the Chevy Cobalt, Ford Five Hundred (Taurus, whatever) and its Mercury counterpart, Honda's Civic, Hyundai Sonata, Jag S-Type, Kia Optima, Merc E-class, Nissan Sentra and its lesser sibling the Versa, Subaru's Impreza, Legacy and Outback, as well as Volvo's S40, S60 and S80 (no surprise).

The flunkees included the Acura TSX, BMW 5-series, Buick LaCrosse and Lucerne, Caddy CTS, DTS and STS, Chevy's Aveo, the Honda Fit and Accord, Infiniti's M35, the Jaguar X-Type, Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Galant, Pontiac's Grand Prix, plus the Toyota Avalon and Corrolla.

Considering that the IIHS estimates that the injuries sustained to the back and neck in these types of collisions costs insurance companies around $8 mbillion dollars per year, their interest in the matter is obvious. Whether or not consumers will include this in their purchasing criteria is another matter however.

[Source: IIHS]

Toyota's Kentucky plant is about to crank out Camry number five million. Toyota's manufacturing plant in Kentucky has been operating since 1988, and will be starting a new milestone this year when it begins to produce the Camry Hybrid. That's because after 18 years of producing the Camry, the plant will be the first in North America to produce a Toyota hybrid of any kind.

The employees of the Georgetown, Kentucky plant must all carry rabbits' feet in their pockets to have this kind of luck. Not only does their plant produce beaucoup Camrys and now the 2007 Camry Hybrid, but they also manufacture Avalons, Solaras, and engines. All of this activity at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky represents a $5.4 billion investment with an annual payroll of over $500 million. The Camry and its cousins are critical to Toyota's presence in North America, so it's no wonder this milestone is such a big deal to them.

[Source: Toyota]

Good things are coming in 'threes' for Toyota lately. Autoblog just hipped readers to the pending third birthday of its triumvirate of Scion offerings earlier today.

What's more, three of Toyota's American plants are reaching some milestones of their own this year. The plants include:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky (TMMK), celebrating its 20th year as the company's first U.S. plant. It currently manufactures the Avalon and Camry/Solara.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), which builds the Sequoia, Sienna, and Tundra, celebrates its 10th year.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia (TMMWV) is celebrating its 10th year as well. The plant provides engines and vehicles for a variety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Plant employees and management will be joined by officials from their hometowns (Georgetown, Princeton, and Buffalo, respectively) to commemorate the occasions. Toyota Motor Corp. currently employs over 38,000 workers in the U.S./Canada, and has created nearly 400,000 jobs in the U.S. according to the Center for Automotive Research.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

The cover of German magazine Autobild is plastered with a pair of pics showing what the next BMW 5-Series might look like. Codenamed F10, it appears to take some styling cues from the well received 3-Series, especially up front with those edgy headlights that flow around the hood and up the fenders. The vehicle's posterior (see after jump) is a little harder to pin down, with taillights that lean forward like those on the Toyota Avalon. Autobild's renderings, which appear to be based on actual spy shots, show a larger sedan than the current model.

[Source: Autoblog.it]

Edmunds has compiled what it considers the top ten best vehicles for senior citizens. Seniors, defined as those sixty-five and older, represent the fastest-growing segment of America's population. The article addresses the strengths and weaknesses of each vehicle as they relate to a senior’s perceived needs.

The list, in alphabetic order, includes :

• Audi A8
• BMW 7 Series
• Buick Lucerne
• Chrysler 300
• Ford Five Hundred/Mercury Montego
• Honda Civic
• Pontiac Montana SV6 (NOTE: The Montana is being retired by General Motors)
• Toyota Avalon (pictured)
• Toyota Prius
• Toyota Sienna

Are there other vehicles you think deserve the AARP seal-of-approval?

[Source: Edmunds]