Autoblog

Being Toyota doesn't grant you any additional immunity from simple global economics. Word from Tokuichi Uranishi, executive vice president of Toyota, is that one of the world's largest automakers is going to miss its sales target of 9.85 million vehicles for 2008.

Toyota execs cite slowing sales in the United States, Europe, and Japan as a primary factor. In addition, rising raw material costs are hurting the global automaker, which assembled 9.37 million vehicles in 2007. To top it off, a yen that hit a 13-year high against the dollar at the beginning of this week is cutting profits on exports from Japan.

It may be up to China, Russia, and Korea to pick up some of the slack. Those emerging Asian markets are active, and Toyota is looking at them for future growth. In a move towards achieving that goal, the Prius, Camry, and RAV4 sports-utility will be introduced in South Korea shortly. Sales are expected to be just 500 units per month initially, and then increase to upwards of 1,000 a month.

[Source: Automotive News, subs req'd]

What was wrong with Toyota's popular little SUV the RAV4? Not enough seats apparently, so Toyota have heeded their customers' cries with this, the 7 seat Vanguard. Based on a stretched RAV4 floorpan, even some of the body panels come from the '4.

Launched today in Tokyo, the Vanguard comes with a choice of familiar engines: the 2.4liter 2AZ-FE or 3.5liter 2GR-FE, with a 7-speed "Super CVTi" attached to the former and "5 Super ECT" to the latter. Makes sense to us, as the extra torque and power of the V6 should dispense with the need for the pseudo-7-shifter's annoyingly frequent interventions.

Toyota says, "The Vanguard is a new luxury-class mid-size SUV with a high degree of mobility and power to spare." Follow the "read" link for more marketing guff, but make no mistake, they're on to another winner here, no matter how cramped that third row may be.

Prices start at around 2.7million Yen (US$23,000) rising to almost 3.5million.(US$30,000) The suits aren't saying if or when it's heading overseas though. Considering it's been labeled as a "luxury-class" model, one wonders if a glitzed-up Lexus version might be under consideration to be an Acura RDX and Infiniti EX competitor.

[Source: Toyota]

As Audi's relentless quest to fill every conceivable automotive niche continues, the folks of the interlocking rings plan to unveil the Q5 at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

According to AutoExpress, the Q5 will share its underpinnings with the recently released A5 and will draw on the styling cues forged by its big brother, the Q7 and the Cross Coupe quattro unveiled in Shanghai. Naturally, the Q5 will get Audi's trademark goatee, along with LED headlamps, all-wheel-drive and a commanding stance. Inside, Audi's entrant into the highly competitive cute 'ute segment will come complete with seating for five and the multi-rail system, originally employed in the A6 Allroad, that prevents parcels from shifting under load.

Power is expected to come in both diesel and gas-powered flavors, possibly including the 4.2-liter FSI V8. Strap a few turbos onto that mill and we may even get a RSQ5. We doubt it, if for no other reason than that badge may be a bit awkward on the boot.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Sometimes news is just too good to keep to yourself. Just ask GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. With his company supposedly claiming 13 spots on Edmund's Consumers' Most Wanted list, Lutz just had to brag a bit on the corporate blog before the winners were made public.

And he should brag. Most other car of the year awards are chosen by us automotive writers who usually prefer horsepower over hip room. As the name implies, Edmund's CMW awards are chosen by the car-buying public. And despite not voting with their wallets, the car-buying public who visits Edmund's really like their GMs.

The GMC Acadia got Most Significant vehicle of the year, beating out Honda's Fit, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Ford Edge and the Toyota Tundra.

Click through to see Edmund's press release as well as the other category winners.

[Source: Edmunds, GM FastLane Blog]

Well, $3,295 to be exact.

The base price of the new and greatly improved Vue will come in at $21,395 (with shipping), placing it squarely in the same pricing segment as the Honda CR-V ($21,195) and Toyota RAV4 ($21,595).

According to Robert Reuter, GM's chief engineer for compact and crossover vehicles, the price increase is justified, consider that the new model gets a larger, 169 HP 2.4-liter inline four and an automatic transmission, where before a manual used to reside. Additionally, 16-inch wheels are included, along with a bevy of standard safety equipment including ABS, collapsible pedals, side curtain airbags and stability control.

Since the new pricing puts the Vue up against some of the biggest players in the burgeoning crossover segment, it should be interesting to see how well Saturn's second highest selling model will fare when it's thrust into the marketplace.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Some cloaked shots of the production version of Ford's newest cute ute have surfaced. First shown as the iosis-X concept in Paris, this C-segment crossover features that same "kinetic design language" we see in Ford of Europe's S-MAX and C-MAX, in a size that slots between the two. This small crossover would compete head-to-head with the Toyota RAV-4 and Honda CR-V, among others.

Just when we thought the CUV/SUV market couldn't get any more crowded, this would be the eleventieth UV in the Ford lineup alone. But it's a looker, this one. Using spy photos of a heavily disguised prototype, the artist created a rendering that looks athletic and stylish but functional, sort of like a scaled down Mazda CX-7, which is a good thing. Our previous spy shots of this productionized iosis-X looked markedly different, but it's likely the older pics were of a test mule. As this vehicle gets closer to it's early 2008 launch and Frankfurt debut, the shape seems to be taking its final, more stylish form.

[Source: drive.com.au]

This just in from the Department of Mundanity: Toyota hikes prices on seven models in their 2007 lineup.

Overall, it's nothing spectacular, with MSRPs rising just 0.7-percent or $136 on average. The vehicles included in the price increase are the Yaris, with a bump of $100, the unchanged and much-maligned Corolla up another $100, the other unchanged, Corolla-based Matrix MSRP moves north an additional $150, the FJ Cruiser gets another $200 tacked onto its sticker, the four-wheeled appliance known as the Camry has another $200 affixed to its bottom line (hybrid not included), the RAV4, cutish-ute comes in at another $200 higher and the Tacoma will cause you to haul in an additional $200 if you want to drive off in Toyota's entry-level pickup.

Yawn. We're going out for a cup of coffee and we'll be back with more exciting news later in the day.

If you care to endure the press release, follow along below the fold.

[Source: Toyota]

In addition to the recalls announced by Volkswagen today, we should all tell you about a recall Toyota issued on Wednesday for check engine lights in some 60,700 Highlanders built from 2001 through 2003 and 159,100 RAV4s built in 2001 and 2002. The Malfunction Indicator, as it's called by sticklers, can light up when there's no underlying problem with the vehicle due to an issue with the software on the ECM. There have been 80 reported cases of this happening.

Of course, recalls don't exist in Toyota-land. Here they're called Special Service Campaigns, a description that must've been invented by a suit in marketing because it sounds like something fun to do, like a Jeep Jamboree or something. Nevertheless, a recall is what Toyota announced on Wednesday, even if it is for something as minor as a wonky check engine light.

Full press release can be found after the jump.

[Source: Toyota]

Honda's new CR-V is all about satisfying your CRaVings, or so we're all about to be told. Rubin Postaer & Associates (RPA) is behind the new sport ute's $50 million advertising push, which lauches September 28. The ads draw upon the animation and fun reminiscent of Civic and Fit commercials, showing how the CR-V can help satisfy cravings for things like coffee and the beach.

In the beach commercial, the CR-V "tans" into each of its various available exterior colors. While in the coffee commercial, the CR-V becomes a big mug of coffee. Yum. The commercials end with the tagline, "Something new to crave. Presenting the all-new CR-V from Honda."

Look for Honda's "CRaVe" campaign in broadcast commercials, billboards, in movie theaters and on Honda's web site near the end of the month. You have until then to develop a CRaVing.

[Source: Automotive News]

Germany's own Autobild magazine printed the above rendering of what may be BMW's attempt at crashing the ever-competitive small SUV segment. Although Toyota and Honda have been the biggest players over the past several years, Volkswagen obviously saw a niche that needed to be filled with the upcoming Tiguan and it seems that BMW may follow suit with their own luxury SAV.

Predictably named the X1, the new soft-roader will stretch an estimated 170 inches, which compared to its larger sibling the X3, comes in about 10 inches shorter overall. Engine choices are open to speculation, but the smart money is on one of BMW's 3-liter inline sixes, with the possibility of upgrading to their new, turbocharged mill, found in the new 335i.

Whether a business case can be made for the new 'ute is a decision best left to the bean counters at BMW. We just hope that if the X1 finds its way into production, it can compete with the stalwarts of the genre.