Star in Australian International Motorshow

The Ferrari Califorinia

Lamborghini Gallardo Spider

Toyota Hybrid Supra HV-R

Lexus IS 250C

Lexus LF-Xh Concept

Volvo XC60

Nissan Mixim concep

Holden Volt concept

Koenigsegg CCX

Peugeot 308CC

New Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart

Toyota Vensa

The Venza is Toyota’s all-new 5-passenger crossover vehicle that Toyota describes as a crossover sedan, combining the styling and comfort of a sedan with the utility of an SUV. Designed in North America, exclusively for the North American market, the Venza evolved from the FT-SX concept that debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Toyota designers avoided the rugged edges and angles commonly found in SUVs in favor of a sporty, low-profile, silhouette with plenty of room and flexibility inside. Intended for buyers looking to move up from a midsize sedan or down from a large SUV, Toyota claims that Venza creates a new segment, although it looks a lot like what was once called a wagon, but with the driver in a higher seating position. SUV attributes include cargo capacity, flexibility, towing capability and all-wheel drive.

Toyota Launch The Third Generation Prius

Toyota Motor Corporation's third-generation Prius is displayed during a press conference at Mega Web on May 18, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The third-generation Prius with its new hybrid system is on sale now in Japan at the price of 2,050,000 Japanese yen (22,000 U.S. dollars).

Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Car Concept

Toyota is going to show to the world its latest Hybrid sport car concept at the Detroit auto show. The new concept is called the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept. It is a 2-door sports coupe using the Lexus GS450h engine which can put out 400 horsepower.

Toyota has created a sports car version of the GS450h - a car that was supremely quick but turned into a yacht when you wanted to take a corner. And with its light weight, the FT-HS should be able to hit the 60mph mark in just 4 seconds, undercutting the GS450h by over a second.

Toyota UK Launches Auris SR Versions

The Toyota Auris is now becoming a familiar sight on UK roads. It replaced the Toyota Corolla – the world’s best-selling car –and has received some criticism for looking very similar to its predecessor. However, it fits neatly into the manufacturer’s model range, complementing the Yaris’s “big small” with “short and tall”. The Toyota Auris SR adds 17-inch alloy wheels, rear tailgate spoiler, smoked glass headlamps and dark-tinted rear privacy glass over other models in the range to enhance the car’s sporty credentials.

The Toyota Auris SR is only available with the 175bhp 2.2-litre (there are four further engines – two petrol and two diesel - available for other models in the range). The D-4D 180 engine used in the SR comes from Toyota’s Avensis model with power delivered through a six-speed manual gearbox. It helps the car cover 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds and can achieve a maximum speed of 130mph. This performance is the biggest single difference between driving the SR and one of the other models in the range. Putting your foot down produces an instantaneous, powerful response.

Toyota FJ Cruiser

The FJ Cruiser is a sport-utility vehicle from Toyota that draws on the styling and heritage of the Toyota FJ40 4X4 utility vehicle that was sold in the U.S. from 1960 through 1983. The FJ40 was a popular vehicle for safaris and off-road expeditions and is a collector vehicle today. The FJ Cruiser is a modern vehicle with a bold unique style, yet the FJ40 heritage is reflected in design elements such as the five-inch round headlights tied together by the grille, hood and fender contours, and the rear-mounted exposed spare tire with an off-center license-plate mount. The most noticeable features are the white roof cap and wrap-around rear side windows that were signature elements of the FJ40. The FJ Cruiser has two main forward-hinged doors and two smaller rear-hinged access doors that open to 90 degrees for rear-seat access.

The 2009 Toyota FJ Cruiser adds active front head restraints and roll-sensing side curtain airbags. An optional backup camera and auto-dimming electrochromatic mirror are added to the Convenience Package. Three new exterior colors are offered: Black, Silver Fresco Metallic and Iceberg with all-white monochromatic trim.

Technical Specs

Standard Engine 4.0L V6

Standard Transmission 5 Speed Automatic

Cylinders 6

Horsepower @ RPM 239@5200

Torque @ RPM 278@3700 (foot-lbs)

Toyota Sienna

The Sienna is Toyota’s popular minivan which replaced the innovative, but slow-selling Previa as a 1998 model. The first-generation Sienna was based on the Camry platform, and was in fact built on the very same assembly line in Georgetown, Kentucky. The current second-generation Sienna was unveiled at the 2003 North American International Auto Show and went on sale in April, 2003.

The 2009 Toyota Sienna continues primarily unchanged with a few minor updates including a new overhead console, revised head restraint shape, 17-inch alloy wheels available for LE and two new exterior colors: Super White and Blizzard Pearl. The updated LE Premium package includes a 360-watt JBL Synthesis AM/FM/CD audio system with 6-disc changer and 6-speakers, Bluetooth connectivity and rear-seat entertainment system.

The Sienna's seats now feel more upscale, with some decent cushioning and good support. Toyota officials insist that they spent more money on the new seats, just because they are so important for comfort.

Technical Specs

Standard Engine 3.5L V6

Standard Transmission 5 Speed Automatic

Cylinders 6

Horsepower @ RPM 266@6200

Torque @ RPM 245@4700 (foot-lbs)

Toyota iQ

Toyota is out to get Smart with a clever new microcar. Though designed for Europe and Japan, the iQ could come stateside to help us cope with soaring fuel prices and growing urban congestion.What We Know About the 2010 Toyota iQ

As if to answer critics of its big, thirsty, and environmentally hostile trucks, Toyota is launching a thrifty Earth-friendly microcar called iQ. The petite two-door hatchback bowed as a concept at the autumn 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany and was shown in production trim at the March 2008 Geneva Auto Salon in Switzerland. Billed as an “intelligent solution to urban transport,” the iQ was designed at Toyota’s ED2 studio in southern France, but will be built in Japan starting late this year. Toyota hopes to sell 100,000 in 2009. Europe and Japan are the intended markets, but the iQ is being whispered for U.S. sale as a 2010 model. If it comes here, it would be our market’s first direct alternative to the Smart ForTwo from Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG, a car generating much interest amid soaring fuel prices and a worsening economy.

Toyota says the iQ represents a “major milestone” in its vehicle development thinking, as engineers worked from the inside out to maximize room within this very small package. The company points to several space-saving innovations, starting with a smaller front differential that allows optimal powertrain positioning in concert with a new “center-point” steering gear. A compact flat fuel tank tucks safely beneath the rear floor. The heating/air conditioning components were also redesigned to be less intrusive without compromising function. That, in turn, allowed using a slim-line dashboard/center console that sweeps away so front occupants can sit further forward without being cramped. Doing so leaves room behind for an average adult on the passenger side and for the child-size “jump” seat on the driver’s side. Special slim-line front seatbacks and heavy use of electronic components also conserve space in the “3+1” cabin.

Toyota has yet to disclose full specifications, but says the iQ will initially offer a choice of two gasoline engines, likely a 3- and 4-cylinder, and a small diesel. A gas/electric option a la Toyota’s Prius hybrid is expected around 2010 or ’11. For the U.S., however, a 2010 Toyota iQ would likely use the 1.5-liter 4-cylinder gas engine that powers Toyota’s larger Yaris subcompact, if only because the two models have similar-size engine bays. Transmission? We’d look for a Smart-like 5-speed automated manual to maximize fuel economy and to please mostly shift-averse Americans.Standard and optional equipment are still unconfirmed too, but the 2010 Toyota iQ should also follow the Smart in having standard side airbags, ABS, traction control, and maybe even an antiskid system. Like Daimler, Toyota sees its urban car not as a spartan price-leader but as a sophisticated, well-equipped vehicle for socially conscious trend setters. The iQ concept suggested this by sporting upscale features such as an audio/navigation system with heads-up display and steering-wheel controls, plus a large glass sunroof. We see both items as candidates for the showroom. Ditto 16- and 17-inch wheels, as well as jazzy trim options

Toyota Tacoma

The Tacoma is Toyota’s compact truck that is in its sixth generation. Available in Regular Cab, Access Cab and 4-door Double Cab configurations, the Tacoma was last redesigned for the 2005 model year.

Toyota began making a name for itself with cars in America in the 1970s, but has been selling compact pickups here since introducing its "Stout" model in 1964. Those pickups have a reputation for quality and ruggedness, and Toyota's 2005 Tacoma should enhance it.
The redesigned eighth-generation Tacoma is larger, roomier, smoother and more refined, with additional power and safety features. It replaces a rather dated Tacoma model that, nevertheless, has been one of Toyota's best-selling vehicles, accounting for 10 percent of U.S. sales.

The new Tacoma technically is a compact pickup, although it shares the frame of a rugged midsize Toyota sport utility sold in foreign markets. That component helps provide a ride free of creaks and body shivers. There also are lots of sound-absorbing materials, which contribute to the Tacoma's refined nature.

Check Garage Length

However, potential Tacoma buyers should check the length of their garages because certain versions of this pickup essentially have become midsize trucks; the Double Cab — or "crew cab" — version is nearly as long as a big Chevrolet Avalanche crew cab model at 221.3 inches, although the Tacoma Regular Cab two-door is only 190.4 inches long. The step-in is rather high on all versions.

Compact pickup trucks were very popular among young drivers a few decades ago, when they weren't especially refined. But they were cheap to buy, operate and insure — and were substitute "sports cars," when regular sports cars had become too dated or costly for young motorists. Moreover, compact pickups were easy to modify with items such as custom wheels and killer sound systems. In fact, high performance pickup trucks are popular again with young males.

Tacomas range from a Base rear-wheel-drive model with a fairly strong 4-cylinder engine and manual gearbox to the top-line Double Cab crew cab version with 4-wheel drive, potent V6 and a 5-speed automatic transmission.

Many Versions

There are nearly 20 versions of the Tacoma, with base prices ranging between $13,415 and $25,250. A racy new one is the $23,110 X-Runner, which is aimed expressly at young males.

The X-Runner has a specially lowered and tuned chassis, frame-stiffening X brace for better handling, stronger brakes and items such as a hood scoop and extra-wide tires on 18-inch wheels. It comes only with a 6-speed manual gearbox and does 0-60 mph in less than 7 seconds with the Tacoma's new 245-horsepower V6.

Toyota anticipates that the Tacoma Double Cab will be especially popular because it has a comfortable car-like rear seat and four conventional side doors that help allow easy entry and exit.

Variety of Engines and Transmissions

The Tacoma is powered by a 2.7-liter 4-cylinder engine with 164 horsepower or the 4.0-liter V6, which replaces a smaller 190-horsepower V6. Both engines have a new electronic throttle control system said to improve performance and fuel economy. Maximum towing capacity with the V6 and a towing package jumps 1,500 pounds to 6,500 pounds.

The V6 provides fast acceleration in all versions and works with an exceptionally responsive 5-speed automatic transmission. Other Tacoma transmissions are a slick 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic for the 4-cylinder engine and a 6-speed manual for the V6.

The best estimated fuel economy is provided by the 4-cylinder engine with rear-wheel drive and 5-speed manual transmission: 21 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. The V6 with the automatic provides 18 and 22 — or 17 and 21 with 4-wheel drive.

Anti-lock brakes are newly standard on all Tacomas, and you can get an optional skid control system on all except the X-Runner.

Off-Road Prowess

Tacomas come with rear- or 4-wheel drive and have good off-road abilities with the 4-wheel-drive system and the newly optional locking rear differential. That system shouldn't be left engaged on dry roads but has low-range gearing for tough off-road use. There's also a downhill assist control designed to maintain a slow speed down steep slopes.

The new Tacoma is exceptionally competitive and — more than ever — is among the best pickup truck buys.

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is Toyota’s gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle and was the first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid when it went on sale in Japan in 1997. Since that time, the Prius has become the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S. and the world. The Toyota Prius entered the U.S. market in 2000, and the second-generation 2004 Prius debuted in the fall of 2003 as the first Toyota product to use Hybrid Synergy Drive, Toyota’s third-generation gas-electric hybrid powertrain technology.

New Body DesignThe new Prius is a 4-door hatchback, whereas its predecessor had a regular trunk. The first version looked boxy, but the new 2,890-pound Prius is far more streamlined. Its exceptionally aerodynamic body has a super-low .26 coefficient of drag (CD) to help minimize interior noise and enhance fuel economy.
(The lower the CD, the less wind resistance a vehicle has. Even a 0.30 coefficient of drag is good.)
Amazing Fuel EconomyThe Prius is among the most fuel-stingy cars. It had Environmental Protection Agency-estimated ratings of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway when it went on sale in mid-October. That's up significantly from 52 and 45 for the 2003 Prius.
Those numbers represent quite an accomplishment. But actual fuel economy will be lower for most Prius owners because it's doubtful if many—or any—of them will have the rigid driving patterns the EPA uses to maintain consistency in getting fuel economy ratings for vehicles.
The 2004 Prius uses a "Hybrid Synergy Drive" system. It has a small 76 horsepower (up from 70) 4-cylinder engine and a 67-horsepower (up from 44) electric drive motor. With a battery pack, they work separately or together to propel the car through a smooth automatic continuously variable transmission.

It may seem confusing, but actual combined horsepower is 110 instead of 143. That's because the Prius hybrid technology doesn't allow adding the two horsepower figures for a combined total. The car simply can't deliver maximum horsepower figures of the engine and motor together. (The 2003 Prius had 98 actual horsepower.)
No electrical outlets are needed to recharge batteries, contrary to what Toyota says some people think. Rather, the Prius drive system constantly recharges itself.