Toyota May Post First Annual Loss In 70 Years [Carpocalypse Now]

According to reports, Toyota will again revise its earnings prediction to the point where second half losses will negate gains from the first half of 2008, resulting in the first yearly loss in 70 years.

Japanese news outlets are reporting Toyota will announce second half losses which will exceed the profits from the first half of the year, resulting in overall net loss for the 2008 fiscal year. This comes in the face of increasingly dire sales figures across the auto industry and against a background of bailout loans for GM and Chrysler announced this morning. Because of this trend, Toyota may refrain from making sales and production forecasts for 2009 in an effort to avoid bringing shame upon Toyota City when they cannot meet targets. [Reuters]

Photo: Bob's Body Shop

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Eureka! Early Corolla Thrives In Humboldt County [Down On The Street Bonus Edition]

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we examine interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. When was the last time you saw an E10 Corolla?

While I've never actually been to Eureka, California, the area harbors deep personal significance to me. That's due to the incomparable Arcata Eye Police Reports Page, written by my journalistic idol, Kevin Hoover. Consider the following description of what was likely your standard-issue Humboldt County domestic dispute:

Tensions bubbled up ’twixt a man and woman like a pot of boiling oil at the everlasting donut shop. In this metaphor, they would play the donuts, bobbing in the searing grease of anger. Police dunked the drama in an eye-opening cup of disturbing the peace, clearing the shop of tensions like crumbs wiped from a pastry aficionado’s double chin, leaving a surface sheen of relief.

So, here we've got a fine example of vintage Humboldt County daily-driverness, shot by Fej for our enjoyment. Even in California, you're more likely to see something like a Fiat 128 or Citroën DS than an E10 Corolla, so this is quite a find. Here's what Fej has to say about it:

I submit for your consideration a vehicle I found while driving the tweaker infested streets of Eureka, CA. I have never seen it before all I can figure out is that it is a first generation Toyota Corolla 1200, that is in pretty rough shape and spent some time in Mexico in January of 1984.

DOTS FAQ

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Funny & Clever Toyota Ads From Around The World

Toyota have always seemed to have a gift for Funny and eye catching TV ad’s and it is something that seems to be true of their Ad’s all around the world, here is a selection of some funny and clever Toyota Vid’s.

Toyota Tacoma Loch Ness Monster Ad

Toyota Hilux Truck Austrailia funny cows

Japanese people

Pretty girl walking down the street

I Like Him!

Funny Toyota Corolla Ever seen a Carolla broken down?

Funny Toyota Ad - Mexico City Traffic

Toyota head-turner

Toyota serious fun

Lost keys

Butt Naked

Very clever Yaris Ad

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Toyota increases stake in Fuji Heavy Industries by 17 percent

Toyota said today that it has increased its share in Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the manufacturer of Subaru cars. FHI sold 61 million shares valued at 31.1 billion yen ($293 million) to Toyota, who...

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If automakers get a bailout, should NASCAR die?

Filed under: Motorsports, Chrysler, LLC., Ford, GM, Toyota

A columnist over at Slate.com is recommending -- and not lightly, he wants you to know -- that with the domestic automakers enduring "Detroit's version of The Troubles," now would be a good time to "euthanize" NASCAR. He makes a long argument, but the crux of it is simple: if the domestics get a heap of money from the government, should that money really be used to sponsor a specialized race series that arguably doesn't have the national pull or the return it once did? His supporting arguments are sometimes disingenuous and occasionally slightly off-base, but the question is worth considering. If the public loans money to the automakers, who decides where that money is spent? Yet, if Ford, GM, and Chrysler were to do the same thing to NASCAR that Honda, Suzuki, Audi, and Subaru have been doing, well... that would leave NASCAR as a one-make series featuring, ta-da, Toyota. And wouldn't that be something to see? Thanks for the tip, Josh!

[Source: Slate]

If automakers get a bailout, should NASCAR die? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota supports Detroit 3's pleas for bailout bucks

Filed under: Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Toyota doesn't want one of the Detroit 3 to fail. Despite the fact that the Japanese automaker is a direct competitor and seemingly stands to gain long-term sales from the collapse of at least one of its American competitors, the reality is that it would be a major headache for the entire industry. The largest issue may be that a Detroit collapse, especially of General Motors, would take a number of key suppliers down with it -- suppliers that Toyota relies upon just as much as any other automaker.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan all call the U.S. market their largest, so these import car companies require the American economy to remain strong in order to keep sales figures and profits relatively healthy. The loss of hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of jobs would be a major blow to the already struggling U.S. economy and could also cause additional import backlash.

The last potential problem facing the Japanese automakers is a possible takeover of an American automaker by another competitor, likely from China or India, that could flood the market with low-cost cars. The last successful influx of competition came from Korea in the form of Hyundai and Kia, and Toyota isn't looking forward to losing market share to another set of automakers any sooner than necessary.

[Source: CNN Money]

Toyota supports Detroit 3's pleas for bailout bucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Sienna Minivans Investigated

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating 2004 and 2005 Toyota Sienna minivans for potential problems with their power liftgates. There have been 14 reports of the liftgates unexpectedly closing. A total of 142,418 Siennas are included in the investigation. This doesn’t appear to have anything to do with user error; the investigation is focusing on a faulty seal that could cause the high-pressure struts that raise the liftgate to leak, causing it to close unintentionally.

Toyota is cooperating with NHTSA and says it is performing its own investigation of the problem. Because there is no recall associated with the investigation at this point, Sienna owners who haven’t experienced a problem must wait until the investigation concludes before having their vehicle serviced.

[Toyota Minivans and SUVs Investigated, Detroit Free Press]

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New Toyota Prius Teaser Solves Mystery Of The Disappearing Adjustable Seat [2010 Toyota Prius]

Toyota continues to stick with its strategy of slowly releasing tiny teasers of the 2010 Toyota Prius through the good folks at PriusChat despite the fact that we've seen the full car. But whereas the previous teasers left us with questions, this latest photo answers a question Prius owners have had since the first model rolled off the assembly line: What the hell is up with the seats? Prius seats have until now lacked proper adjustments, something a technologically forward-leaning car like the Prius should be expected to have. We'll be sure to sit in them at the Detroit Auto Show in January and tell you what we think.

[PriusChat]

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