There are several engine options available with the Toyota Yaris. The base engine accelerates reasonably well but the best engine is the 1.3 liter option which goes from 0-62 mph in 11.5 seconds. The 1.3 liter is also a great selection because the smaller engine means it’s more economical and the insurance is cheaper, which is a good choice for newer drivers or families in the credit crunch.

The diesel engine may cost a bit more to buy in but you get not only quick speed but good fuel economy and this is another positive feature, particularly during the recession. All of the gearboxes are solid so you can’t help but make the right choice. The handling is excellent. Steering-wise the Yaris is sharp with tight steering. The car reacts really well when going around corners. The ride is both firm and controlled so driver and passengers will experience a high level of comfort.

Passengers will be impressed with the interior of the car. The trim is made out of high grade materials so it looks attractive, but is also nice and sturdy meaning it could take a some wear and tear from children which makes the Yaris a good family car.

The Yaris has controls that are particularly solid and easy to read, which is great for the driver and for safety. Comfort is a top priority in the Yaris with its high quality seats and plenty of leg room. This excess room can be heightened with the advantageous 60:40 split rear seat. When tested \ the Toyota Yaris was given top scores for safety which means it will react very well in a crash – the drivers cabin will stay relatively intact while the front end of the car will crumple. It is reliable so it’s a good to buy a used Toyota Yaris especially considering one of the older models will cost less than newer ones not much more.

To test drive a Yaris, or any other used Toyota, see your local St. Louis Spirit Toyota Dealer today.

Toyota’s parnter, Tesla Motors’ CEO, Elon Musk, CEO said that he expects Japan to become the company’s largest electric vehicle market outside of the U.S. Musk also predicted that the niche luxury auto maker’s U.S. customer base will expand steadily overseas, and the goal is that sales will be evenly split between the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

“We do believe Japan will be our No. 2 country in terms of sales, over time,” Musk said, speaking at a joint press conference with the CEO of Toyota Motor Corp. “Japan is a key market for the kind of product we produce,” he added. The first Asian Tesla showroom was opened in Tokyo as Musk announced plans to enter the European market with dealerships in Paris, London, and Monaco.

Tesla has sold 1,500 of its $100,000 Roadsters that debuted this year, and it plans to launch a midsize sports sedan for 2012. Two of Tesla’s major shareholders are Panasonic Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., which offers strong ties to the Palo Alto, California automaker in the Japanese auto market. Toyota invested $50 million in Tesla and plans to fork over another $60 million for Tesla to build  all-electric Toyota cars, such as the  RAV4 SUV using Tesla’s battery technology, and Panasonic, which provides battery cells for Tesla’s all-electric cars, invested another $30 million earlier this month.

Commercial sales of the all-electric RAV4 will begin in 2012, but no official word has been reported regarding whether there will be mass production of Toyota’s first all-electric SUV. Some analysts say that Toyota plans to sell its own, independently developed electric vehicle in the U.S. from 2012.

“The decision at the end of the day is Toyota’s,” Musk said. “But there’s a good chance we will do final assembly of the initial fleet of RAV4 EVs at NUMMI”

Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, said that an ultra mini-car is being developed independent of Tesla, based on its British and Japanese market iQ model. “In Japan, I think customers are probably saying they would use electric vehicles to commute short distances, so we are considering the iQ-based EV,” Toyoda said.

The 2008 Toyota Highlander also features more comforts than its predecessor such as more cubby holders and even a laptop compartment for convenience.

Toyota also improved the engine which is now even more powerful with a 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine.  This increase in power allows for enough speed in whatever driving situation you find yourself in.

The fuel economy of the 2008 Highlander has been improved as well.  The Front-wheel drive gets 18mpg city/24 mpg highway and the AWD models get 17/23.

Toyota has improved the engine and fuel economy, but what about the steering and braking?  Both have been upgraded from prior models. The steering has improved precision that allows the driver to squeeze into tighter spots.  The upgraded braking system allows stop on a dime capabilities.

The NHTSA and the IIHS gave the 2008 Highlander its highest scores in driver front impacts and for all passengers in side impacts.  Front-impact for the passenger received four-stars which is an excellent rating as well.  Some standard features that put the buyers mind at ease are four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system.  Add to that, seven airbags that Toyota installs to protect the driver and passengers and it’s easy to see why this vehicle tested so amazingly high in all areas of safety.

To test drive a used Toyota Highlander, visit your local St. Louis Spirit Toyota Dealer today.

At the same time, the cost of living is at an all-time high. Many Americans are facing financial loss, unemployment, foreclosure, and more.

It takes every penny available just to pay the bills these days and most families are all too familiar with the need to stick to a family budget.

If you are in the market for an affordable new vehicle on a small or limited budget, why not stop by Spirit Toyota in St. Louis and test drive a used Toyota?   A Toyota Sienna, RAV 4, or Toyota Highlander from Spirit Toyota in St. Louis are all known for having a high dependability rate, getting great gas mileage, and may be the ideal choice for St. Louis families on a shrinking budget.

Purchasing a certified pre-owned Toyota 4Runner or Toyota Camry can help struggling families survive during an economic recession. Toyota cars, trucks, and SUV’s are reliable, have high safety ratings and get more mileage to the gallon than many family vehicles that are available for safe, fuel efficient transportation.

Before selecting which used Toyota is best for your family, ask yourself the following questions;

Will your new vehicle be used for frequent travel?  If so, the Toyota 4Runner or Toyota Sequoia offer regular and extended warranty coverage, and both offer a comfortable ride for long road trips.

Do you have kids who could benefit from the many family-friendly features offered by Toyota Land Cruiser or the Toyota Matrix such as child proof locks, back-up cameras, televisions and DVD players?

How important is safety and reliability to you? If so, a used Toyota Sienna, RAV 4, or 4 Runner are all a great choice to fit your family budget.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. reported October U.S. sales fell 4 percent from a year earlier. Still being affected from a series of safety recalls this year, Toyota was the only major automaker to post a sales decline last month as the overall industry advanced 13 percent.

Toyota’s U.S. sales are up 1 percent year-to-date, compared to an overall market that is up 11 percent.

Carter told journalists the new Toyota Care campaign that includes routine maintenance as standard for all vehicles has improved showroom traffic and Toyota is prepared to continue to offer incentives in addition to Toyota Care for new Toyota cars and trucks.

A series of financing and leasing incentives will be offered in late November during Toyota’s annual Toyotathon sales event.

“You will see an enhancement to marketing and incentives but [they] will remain consistent in the APR and lease arenas,” he said. “They will be the best deals of the year — leasing and APR deals are moving the market.”

Carter also stated that some light truck rebates will be offered as cash incentives because that’s what is typical in those segments, but most will remain leasing and finance deals to protect the brand.

Ac coring to analysts; “Toyota’s lingering image problems from recalls and the aggressive discounts the automaker used earlier in the year may cut into sales in the fourth quarter.”

To learn more about new incentives and rebates, as well as the new “Toyota Care” program that are being offered on all new Toyota vehicles, contact your local St. Louis Toyota dealer, Spirit Toyota today.

According to a Santa Ana federal judge’s tentative ruling, the class action unintended acceleration cases against Toyota Motor Corporation will not be dropped.

Attorneys for Toyota presented a motion to dismiss the class action suit regarding  owners’ claims of economic loss related to unintended acceleration in Toyota cars.

The lawsuit that is in its pre-trial filing status before Judge Selna, is a claim by Toyota owners stating that Toyota indirectly reduced the value of Toyota vehicles by withholding information that would lead to discovery of defects which caused unintended acceleration.  Such disclosure would have subsequently led to repairing Toyota vehicles in a more timely manner.

Cari Dawson, a Toyota attorney argued in court that the Toyota vehicles in question “produced as promised.”  Dawson went on to say; “These cars have not malfunctioned, their owners have not had to pay any money for repairs or retrofit, and they have not suffered any loss. Dawson also stated; “economic loss can’t be speculative, based on losses owners may never suffer if they don’t see their cars or if market conditions change.

According to Toyota, the hearing was not  seen as a loss, but rather that the “burden of proof” is placed on the plaintiff attorneys.  Toyota stated; “Today’s hearing did not address the merits of plaintiffs allegations and did not consider any evidence.”  “The court requires a basic assumption that the plaintiffs’ allegations are true, even though they are unproven. The burden is now squarely on plaintiffs’ counsel to prove their allegations, and Toyota is confident that no such proof exists.”

Toyota has maintained that the company feels there is no evidence of electronic defects in any of the vehicles (over 4,000) that were examined by Toyota and federal safety regulators.  Without evidence of any defective components, the automaker feels the plaintiffs’ complaints will be difficult to prove.

Toyota Motor Co. has requested that the judge in a California class-action lawsuit drop the charges of alleged defective parts causing unintended acceleration on the grounds that no electronic throttle defects have ever been identified.

Toyota states that while claims have been made on behalf of all Toyota owners with electronic throttle control systems, “only a tiny fraction of the vehicles in question” have accelerated out of control.
Out of thousands of mechanical/technical examinations of Toyota vehicles that allegedly sped out of control, Toyota Motor Co. engineers and federal regulators have been unable to find any evidence of electronic defects that could possibly be the primary cause of unintended acceleration.

More than a year after filing their first complaint, plaintiffs have not identified a defect and are grasping at straws to make their case,” Toyota lawyer Cari Dawson said in a    statement.

An amended class-action complaint filed last week in federal court in Santa Ana, Calif., cited internal company records documenting instances in which Toyota technicians or service managers re-created acceleration problems like those reported by customers.

Toyota maintains its stance that there have been no replications of sudden acceleration   and that the company did purchase vehicles from customers but only to do “further engineering analysis.”

The Camry at this year’s SEMA was not your ordinary sedan by any means, the special two door Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition was produced by RKC in collaboration with the Toyota Racing Development Division (TRD).

The owner of RK Collection and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing is Rob Kauffman has teamed up with Toyota Racing development to produce a street-legal, NASCAR-inspired high-performance Camry.

According to a recent press release; “the parts list for the RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition reads like the shopping list for a potential dream car.” “It’s as if Rob Kauffman was reading our dreams and then built the most exciting Camry on the planet.”

The team set out to create a high performance street legal Camry with a NASCAR engine.

Under the hood is a TRD NASCAR V8 engine that delivers 680 hp at 8500 RPM with a Tremic T-56 Magnum 6 speed manual transmission with Ram dual disc street clutch.

The special Camry has a custom exterior shell with a body kit designed especially for this years’ Camry concept race car. Wheels are fitted with 245/35/20 Michelin Pilot tires in the front and 285/20/30 in the rear.

The cabin features custom leather covered panels and power leather seats, SPEK gauges, and an upgraded audio system, and a 4 point roll cage.

In order to get optimal handling, the race car has been upgraded with Camry modified Macpherson struts as well as a Venza modified multi link independent rear suspension.

After today’s premier at the SEMA auto show, Toyota will debut the RK Collection Camry NASCAR Edition at the Phoenix International Raceway on November 12^th.

Tesla Motors is preparing to partner up with the Japanese technology giant-Panasonic. Automotive News stated today that Panasonic, which is already working with Tesla to provide lithium-ion cells for the Model S, is planning to invest in the California automaker. Citing the Nikkei business daily, Reuters reported that Panasonic “aims to work with Tesla to develop battery systems for next-generation EVs.”

There’s a third cog in the wheel of this picture; Toyota Motor Co. has also been working on development of an electric powered vehicle in partnership with Panasonic.

Panasonic and Toyota initially formed a partnership in December 1996 with the Panasonic EV Energy joint venture which played a role in the introduction of the Prius.

Panasonic’s stake in Tesla will be smaller than the $50 million that Toyota invested in the company in May.

Panasonic Corp. reported late Wednesday that it invested $30 million in the U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc. in order to collaborate in a project to develop green technology for powertrains.

Panasonic, Toyota, and Daimler AG all three now have a stake in Tesla’s start-up electric vehicle company owned by Elon Musk.  Panasonic now owns a 2% stake in the California EV automaker.

Tesla already utilizes Panasonic battery cells in its battery packs and is planning to redesign, market, and sell the next generation of power packs in collaboration with Panasonic.

Toyota Motor Co. has already invested $50 million in Tesla and plans to pay another $60 million in order to partner with Tesla in designing the RAV4 all electric model.

Panasonic has a joint venture with Toyota called Primearth EV Energy Co. to make lithium Ion batteries.  The company has set a goal to position itself as a top producer of batteries for the next generation all electric or hybrid powertrain vehicles.

Comprehensive vehicle coverage is probably the best option. However, it can be the most costly, as well. On the other hand, collision coverage may be much less expensive but provide adequate coverage to still be considered a legal driver. Collision coverage will provide coverage for damage done from your vehicle hitting another object. Comprehensive coverage will include what is covered under collision, as well as, other circumstances, such as, theft, weather related damage, and vandalism.

You may be able to reduce the cost of your insurance by revisiting your coverage plan. Having comprehensive coverage on your vehicle will offer you the most protection. However, if you are rarely driving that vehicle, you may be able to have sufficient coverage with just a collision program. At the same time, if you are driving a vehicle everyday with just collision coverage you may be putting yourself at increased risk. Because you drive the vehicle more frequently your odds of being involved in an auto accident are higher. Thus, you would require a higher level of coverage. Having the right insurance coverage may not seem like something worthy of financial investment. However, if you are involved in an accident with significant damage done to all parties involved, having ample insurance coverage will save you money, every time.