Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Augmented reality windows being developed for Toyota
As a child sitting in the back of the family car, did you ever use your finger to doodle in the condensation on the inside of the windows? Well, a group of engineers and designers from Toyota Motor Europe's Kansei1 Design Division and the consultancy arm of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) have taken car-window-doodling into the 21st Century. They've created a prototype system that could turn the side windows of Toyotas into touchscreen augmented reality devices, allowing passengers to interface with the passing scenery.
Called "Window to the World," the technology was developed with five main concepts in mind. The first of these, called "Drawing in Motion," would allow passengers to draw on the window with their fingers. As the vehicle moved, however, their drawing would stay "attached" to the real world objects it was drawn around - if a child drew a tree beside a pond, for instance, that tree would stay lined up with the pond, until it scrolled off the window.
In a manner similar to that with which smartphone users zoom in on photos with their fingers, Toyota passengers could use their fingers to zoom in on objects seen through the window. By using a distance function, they could also obtain on-window read-outs of how far away different objects and landmarks were from the car.
A similar function would let them see and hear the words for selected objects, in the language of the area through which they were being driven. Finally, the "Virtual Constellations" function would work with the car's roof windows, pointing out and displaying information on the constellations visible through the glass.
Although neither Kansei1 nor CID have provided any information on how the system actually functions (such as how the window knows which angle it's being viewed from), two working prototypes have reportedly been built, and were on display last month at the "Our Future Mobility Now" exhibition in Brussels.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Enjoy impressive pre-owned vehicles at L&S Toyota
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The original and still the best: Toyota Prius named greenest hybrid car by environmental group
Despite being the first hybrid on the roads in America, the Toyota Prius still beats its contemporaries in terms of green performance, a study has shown.
The US Union of Concerned Scientists put a selection of hybrid models through their paces, releasing the results last week and observing that the Prius delivers more than 40 percent reduction in global warming pollution compared to its closest conventional (gasoline) counterpart.
The model, which UCS says consists of around half of all hybrid sales, far outperformed even its closest competitor in the "non-luxury" model category, the Honda Civic Hybrid, despite a host of hybrid vehicles now being available from US and international nameplates.
Despite being the first hybrid on the roads in America, the Toyota Prius still beats its contemporaries in terms of green performance, a study has shown.
The US Union of Concerned Scientists put a selection of hybrid models through their paces, releasing the results last week and observing that the Prius delivers more than 40 percent reduction in global warming pollution compared to its closest conventional (gasoline) counterpart.
The model, which UCS says consists of around half of all hybrid sales, far outperformed even its closest competitor in the "non-luxury" model category, the Honda Civic Hybrid, despite a host of hybrid vehicles now being available from US and international nameplates.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Toyota claims top spot in leaderboard for quality
The newly released 2011 U.S. J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS) shows that Toyota, the Japanese automaker, is at the top of its game.
The J.D. Power and Associates IQS is based on a 228-question survey taken by more than 73,000 car buyers and lessees of the 2011 model year that were surveyed between February and May of 2011 after having their vehicle for 90 days. After an abnormally low ranking in the 2010 IQS that, according to J.D. Power and Associates, was driven entirely by its recalls, Toyota rebounded to rise up 14 spots and place seventh overall in the 2011 IQS. Several Toyota models scored in the top three in their segment, including the 2011 Toyota Camry, Prius, FJ Cruiser and Tundra pickup truck.
"Toyota has battened down the hatches and gone to work to ensure that their cars live up to the reputation they've earned over the years," said Bob McKenna, general manager of Upstate New York dealer New Country Toyota of Saratoga Springs. "It has been a lot of hard work, but Toyota's recovery has come full circle with the same IQS score they achieved in 2009 before the recalls, and now Toyota quality can only be expected to rise further."
The Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America for 13 of the last 14 years and has helped propel Toyota to the top of the automotive world in sales. The 2011 Camry placed third in the IQS Midsize Car segment, and is currently available at Toyota dealers with three different engines, including a 169-horsepower 2.5-liter engine that gets 22 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway when paired with a 6-speed manual. There is also a 3.5-liter V6 option with 268 horsepower that returns 20 mpg during city use and 29 mpg on the highway. Those looking for the most value at the pump can opt for the Camry Hybrid, which uses a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor to get 31 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.
The 2011 Camry Hybrid also comes with an acoustic noise-reducing windshield to keep the interior quiet, and all 2011 Camry models come with High Solar Energy-Absorbing glass, so the summer months won't cook the car's contents. Heated leather seats are an option, as are sport fabric-trimmed seats. There is also a full complement of airbags that come standard to keep passengers safe, including front and rear side curtain airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and a driver knee airbag.
"Toyota drivers have loved the Camry for years," McKenna added. "It's the kind of car that becomes part of your family and lasts long enough to be driven by the next generation. The Camry really is an investment towards the future."
Speaking of the future, the next generation of the Toyota Camry is due to debut this fall. Toyota says the 2012 Camry will feature improved ride and handling, as well as new exterior and interior designs.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
2012 Toyota Yaris set to arrive in U.S. by “end of year”
The next-generation of the Toyota Yaris will arrive in the U.S. market later this calendar. Although it isn’t a huge surprise that a new Yaris is on the way, the actual arrival date was unknown.
In a sales call with dealers on July 1, Toyota Motor Sales vice president Don Esmond confirmed that a new version of the Yaris is arriving in the U.S. market soon. “There will be a new Yaris in Toyota dealerships by the end of the year,” Esmond said.
We asked Toyota for more clarification on the car’s debut, but were told only that the new Yaris will bow at a “major” American auto show. One possibility is the Los Angeles auto show, held in November. Although confirming that the 2012 Yaris is “all new”, a Toyota spokesman declined to offer any more information on the new car.
We scored an early preview of the next Yaris when the hatchback made its debut for the European market. The car has grown, with more interior space and supposedly a more comfortable interior. Toyota says the interior quality has improved, and that the styling changes make the new Yaris more mature-looking than the current version.
The new Yaris has an available 6.1-inch touch-screen interface, and the instrument cluster has been relocated from the center of the dashboard to directly in front of the driver. The Japanese version of the car, called the Vitz, even gets an optional all-wheel drive system.
When it does bow here, the new Yaris will face stiff competition from new or revised compact hatchbacks, including the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, and the new Hyundai Accent. How will the revamped Yaris fare against these compact models? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Toyota Unveils Three New Electric Vehicles For 2012
While other automakers hem and haw about the potential for electric vehicles to make it big, Toyota is charging ahead with three new plug-in EVs for 2012. What can future EV drivers expect from the company?
Unsurprisingly, one of Toyota's new EVs is a plug-in version of the ever-popular Prius. At $33,000, the vehicle is comparable in price to the Nissan Leaf--but it has the added cache of the Prius brand. The car will also have an all-electric range of 14 miles, which should be plenty of juice for city-goers.
For customers who don't need all the space that the Prius has to offer, Toyota is also selling an electric version of the Scion IQ--a smaller vehicle that is just slightly longer than the Smart ForTwo. No word yet on pricing, but All Cars Electric says that the gasoline-powered version is already popular in Europe and Japan.
Finally, for more rugged drivers, Toyota confirmed this month that it will offer the RAV4 with an electric drivetrain developed as part of its partnership with Tesla Motors. Toyota claims that the vehicle will have the same luggage capacity and similar performance to its gasoline-powered counterpart.
It's hard to say whether Toyota will succeed with its EV play; automakers like BMW still believe that widespread adoption of EV technology is years away. Then again, Toyota revolutionized the hybrid market with the Prius--why can't it do the same with the electric car?
Friday, July 1, 2011
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