Toyota's Airs New "It's Ready. Are You?" Campaign for the 2012 Camry

After a first round of internet spots that coincided with the unveiling of the new 2012 Camry sedan, Toyota is ready for the official launch of its marketing campaign named "It's Ready. Are You?", which was created by the firm's advertising agency of choice, Saatchi & Saatchi LA.

Toyota's new campaign focuses on the performance, safety, fuel economy and technological aspects of the seventh generation of the Camry, highlighting key product features and packaging such as the Entune infotainment system.

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Toyota to Face Three Sudden-Acceleration Related Trials in 2013

Toyota's sudden-acceleration woes are far from over as the company will have to face three trials in federal court in Santa Ana, California.

The first case is the one concerning the death of two people in Utah, which was dismissed 10 days ago due to a lack of jurisdiction. US District Judge James V. Selna reinstated the lawsuit today after the victims’ families re-filled their claims against Toyota. The trial is set for February 19, 2013.

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Court Dismisses First Sudden Acceleration Case Against Toyota Over Technicality

The sudden acceleration issue is still troubling Toyota, which has already paid $50 million in fines and recalled almost 8 million vehicles in the US alone in 2009 and 2010. The Japanese carmaker still has to face the lawsuits brought about by citizens and their families affected by the issue which, according to estimates, could cost the company as much as $10 billion.

However, the first sudden acceleration lawsuit lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge who ruled that it should have been filed in Utah instead of California. The case is about Paul Van Alfen and passenger Charlene Lloyd, who were killed in 2010 when a 2008 Camry driven by Van Alfen hit a wall in Utah.

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Toyota Design Boss Says "Pump That Up," But the Company's Ads Say, "It’s a Car"

As we reported earlier this week, raffish-haired Akihiro Dezi Nagaya, Toyota’s global design chief, plans to implement a more aggressive design theme for the brand. “We have eliminated emotion. We need to pump that up” he said in an interview at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

Changing Toyota’s “quiet and non-offensive” image won’t be easy. Nagaya will be faced with challenges both from within Toyota, a company known for consensus-driven conservatism, and with the brand's consumer base. Nagaya recognizes that Camry buyers, for example, “don't want something too aggressive.”

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Toyota May Shift Korean-Bound 2012 Camry Production from Japan to the U.S.

While the Lexus brand has been active in South Korea since 2001, the Toyota brand made its debut in the market only just last year. During 2010, the Japanese company sold some 4,200 Camry sedans, making it one of the best-selling foreign cars in the country.

As expected, Toyota is planning to sell the new generation of the Camry in South Korea starting from early 2012. However, the Nikkei business daily reported on Monday that the Japanese company is mulling transferring production of the South Korean Camry from Japan to the United States.

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Jackasses on Wheels and with Guns Terrorize Middle East Drivers [Video]

There's hooning. And then there's criminal hooning. These particular individuals shown in the video after the break no doubt belong to the second category with their idiotically dangerous antics.

Filmed somewhere in the Middle East (possibly in Saudi Arabia if we are to believe the Youtube commentators), the 10-minute long clip primarily focuses on the "achievements" of the driver and passengers of a silver Honda Accord and to a lesser extent, the crew in a Toyota Camry.

As if waving guns and shooting in the air on a public road isn't dumb enough, the wannabe drifters terrorize all the rest of the drivers throwing the Accord in front of passenger cars, trucks and even near a school bus.

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I, Robot: Toyota Retools Old Assembly Machines to Lower 2012 Camry's Manufacturing Costs

Toyota is the company that applied the (since copied by everyone) kaizen philosophy in car manufacturing to improve both on quality and efficiency. Now it has done something different: instead of installing new robots on the new Camry assembly line in Kentucky, it retooled the old units from its former plant in California.

The decision played an important role in Toyota's successful attempt to reduce the new 2012 Camry’s price by 2% compared to its predecessor.

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American Idol: U.S. Market Toyota Camry to be Built Exclusively in the Land of the Free

The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in the US for nine straight years. Yet, in its home market, it is virtually non-existent: even though it sold 82,000 cars in 1990, last year Toyota couldn’t shift more than 1,100 units! That’s because Japanese buyers prefer either the more sporty Mark X or the more luxurious Crown.

Therefore, for its seventh generation, which was only recently unveiled, Toyota decided to phase out imported Camrys from Japan and instead manufacture all cars earmarked for the North American market at its own plant in Georgetown and Subaru’s factory in Indiana.

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Toyota Introduces Yet Another Variant of the 2012 Camry, this Time in Japan

Toyota continues the roll out of country-specific versions of its new generation Camry with the launch of the Japanese domestic market (JDM) derivative of the mid-size sedan, which follows the recent introductions of the North American and Ukrainian models.

In Japan, the 2012 Camry is offered at launch exclusively as a hybrid model with power coming from a newly developed 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle, four-cylinder engine delivering 160HP and an electric motor with 143HP, for a combined maximum output of 205 horsepower.

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2012 Toyota Camry Appears in Different Form in Ukraine [High-Res Gallery]

After this week's world premiere of the North American market 2012 Camry, Toyota is now preparing the debuts of its mid-size sedan in other regions of the world. First up is the Ukrainian version, which will most likely be offered in the same form in other surrounding markets including Russia.

While both iterations of the 2012 Toyota Camry share the same body and platform, the Ukrainian model sports a different and more prominent front-end design with bespoke headlamp units, bumper, hood, grille and front fenders.

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Toyota and Honda want to Win Back Sales Share from Hyundai Sonata with New Models

Not too long ago, if someone told you that a South Korean model would challenge America’s best selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, you would have probably laughed in his or her face.

Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past few years with Hyundai and in particular its latest Sonata sedan, not only challenging, but this past May even surpassing the Camry in U.S. sales for the first time in history.

Of course, the fact that Toyota’s production capabilities were seriously affected by the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, played a significant role in Hyundai’s accomplishment.

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2012 Toyota Camry Revealed in Leaked Presentation Video?

Last week, we told you about Toyota’s national dealer meeting in Las Vegas where the company briefed its associates on the firm’s current and future plans which include the launch of the all-new 2012 Camry sedan.

It appears though that the Japanese company did a bit more than simply brief its dealers on its plans as a video allegedly showing the presentation of the new Camry has made its way on the internet.

While we can’t be 100 percent sure that what we’re seeing in this amateur footage is the new Camry but given that the color of one of the vehicles depicted in the clip as well as the background seem to match the official video showing Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) President Akio Toyoda standing next to the 2012MY mid-size sedan, we wouldn’t be surprised if it is the real thing.

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All-New 2012 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid Coming this Fall

Toyota officially placed the arrival of the all-new 2012 Camry sedan and its hybrid sibling (2010/2011 Camry pictured above) in the U.S. market for this fall during the company’s annual national dealer meeting which took place on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

The Japanese company said that the next generation of its best-selling model will move away from the conservative designs of the past.

“Designed to meet the changing needs of the 21st Century driver, the new Camry will provide technologically advanced features, a contemporary design inside and out, improved performance and refined ride and handling,” Toyota said in a press statement.

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Toyota to Boost Output of American Factories to 70% by June

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused severe problems to automakers all around the world, mainly due to the lack of parts, but at least Toyota seems to be recovering at a faster pace than expected. Today, the world’s largest automaker said production at its North American facilities will rise to approximately 70 percent of normal in June, up from around 30 percent in May when it was forced to idle factories for several days or reduce shifts.

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VIDEO: Giant Sinkhole Swallows Two Cars in Wisconsin

A 10-foot deep, 625-square-foot sinkhole gobbled up two parked cars, a VW Golf and a Toyota Camry, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after a 42-inch water main ruptured in the area this past Saturday. Luckily, no one was hurt during the collapse. Watch the videos after the break.

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Brain...Jammed Vandals Destroy Seven New Toyota Models at 2011 Chicago Auto Show

Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.

According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".

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America's Top 10 Selling Vehicles in 2010

The U.S. auto sales numbers for 2010 are out and once again, Ford's F-Series pickup truck has been crowned the best-selling vehicle of the year, a title which it has held for 34 years in a row. According to Autodata Corp., the Dearborn-based brand moved 528,349 units of its F-150 light-duty and F-250, F-350 and F-450 heavy-duty trucks in 2010, recording an impressive increase of 27,7 per cent over 2009.

The Chevrolet Silverado took second place with 370,135 units, or some 158,000 less than the F-Series. Sales of GM's pickup truck were up 16,9 per cent from the previous year.

Despite Toyota's recall debacle, the Camry finished third overall earning the title of the best-selling passenger car in the States with 327,804 units, posting an 8.1 per cent drop from 2009. The Honda Accord and Toyota Corolla followed in fourth and fifth positions respectively.

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RK Collection Toyota Camry Coupe V8 NASCAR Edition is a Little Less Beige

The standard Camry isn't exactly what you'd call an exciting car - well, unless the gas pedal and floor mats decide to do their thing and kick in, that is... But as you might imagine, this here SEMA-bound example is a totally different beast from your everyday Camry. First of all, it's only got two doors. And then there's that massive V8 engine lurking under the hood.

The special two-door Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition was developed by RK Collection (RKC) in cooperation with the Japanese firm's in-house Toyota Racing Development (TRD) division. The goal was to create a high-performance but completely street legal Camry with a NASCAR engine to demonstrate the connection between Toyota's production vehicles and its NASCAR program.

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Toyota Suspends U.S. Sales of Eight Models Including Camry, Corolla and RAV4 to Deal with Accelerator Pedal Issues

Only a few days after announcing that it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models, the Japanese automaker said today that it will temporarily suspend sales of eight Toyota vehicles that are on the recall list in the USA. No Lexus or Scion models are included in the sales suspension. The affected Toyota models are listed below:

• 2009-2010 RAV4
  
• 2009-2010 Corolla
  
• 2009-2010 Matrix
  
• 2005-2010 Avalon
  
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
  
• 2010 Highlander
  
• 2007-2010 Tundra
  
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
  

For the record, the Toyota models not affected by the temporary sales halt are the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, which will remain for sale.

According to the company, the new sticking accelerator pedal recall is separate from the on-going recall of around 1.7 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats.

In this latest recall, the Japanese automaker said that it has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles even without the presence of floor mats.

According to Toyota, there's a possibility that certain accelerators may, "in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position."

"Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," commented Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter.

"This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible."

Because of the sales halt, the company said that it will stop producing vehicles on certain production lines for the week of February 1. The affected factories are listed below:

--Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada (Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4)

--Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (Sequoia and Highlander)

--Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky – Line 1 (Camry and Avalon)

--Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (Camry)

--Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (Tundra)

LA Auto Show: Toyota CNG Camry Hybrid Concept

One of many alternative fuel applications being explored by Toyota is the use of compressed natural gas (CNG). For the Los Angeles Auto Show Toyota prepared a concept version of the Camry that combines a CNG fueled engine with the firm's Hybrid Synergy Drive system. To convert the stock Camry Hybrid into a CNG Hybrid Toyota's engineers replaced the gasoline fuel system with a compressed natural gas system that comprises of a pair of CNG tanks installed in the spare-tire well of the sedan's trunk. To compensate for the loss of the spare tire Toyota fitted the CNG Camry Hybrid Concept with runflat tires.

The justify the vehicle's being as a concept, Toyota's designers also fitted the Camry with a 'light' bodykit that's complemented by new alloy wheels, dark tailamps, a lowered suspension for a more aggressive stance and most importantly, a new front bumper that does away with the grille making the sedan look like an offspring of the 'iQ' minicar.

According to the Japanese automaker, with the proposed CNG equivalent of 8 gallons of gasoline in its fuel tanks, the CNG Camry Hybrid concept has a range that exceeds 250 miles or 400 km.

The benefits of using CNG as a primary fuel source for internal combustion engines is that it's less expensive and it produces less pollutants and greenhouse emissions than gasoline. Also in concern of the U.S., there's a strong, reliable domestic supply of CNG. The downside is that you get fewer miles on a tank than gasoline plus in America, there are currently only about 1,000 CNG refueling stations nationwide, with less than half open to the public.

"With the combination of plentiful long-term supplies in North America, improved and more efficient recovery methods, favorable pricing and clean-burn/low emissions characteristics, CNG has become a prime energy-source for the future," said Irv Miller, group vice president, TMS Corporate Communications. "With this concept, we are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG within our broad and comprehensive R&D scope."

This isn't the first time that Toyota has been experimenting with CNG as in 1999 the Japanese firm marketed a CNG-powered four-cylinder Camry to fleet customers in California. The test did not have any success though mainly because gasoline was very cheap at the time and due to the limited refueling infrastructure. The program was discontinued a year later, in 2000.