Category: Toyota

Welcome to “Let’s Talk Cars.”

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The premier episode of Let’s Talk Cars covers the purchase of General_Motors‘ stake in Fuji Heavy Industries by Toyota Motor Corporation. Is GM finding ways to streamline it’s operations? How does Saab fit into the picture?
Noted industry analyst Jim Hall speaks with AutoPacific founder and VehicleVoice editor George Peterson to give you the inside scoop on this hot automotive topic.

Jim Healey of USA Today reaches similar conclusions as VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.com) and AutoPacific (http://www.autopacific.com) relative to the upcoming Toyota Yaris. Excellent replacement for the Toyota Echo, low entry price, but seems a little expensive when loaded with equipment most American drivers demand.

VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.com) and AutoPacific (http://www.autopacific.com) have been strong advocates of replacing the bottom of Toyota's lineup - the Echo - in the USA with the Yaris. The Echo was an unlucky car. Echo was designed for the lowest common denominator buyer and was ugly to boot. Sure it was inexpensive, but it was an embarrassment to be seen in.

VehicleVoice (http://www.vehiclevoice.com) and AutoPacific (http://www.autopacific.com) have been closely watching the development of the Toyota FJ Cruiser since retro SUV concepts began appearing at Toyota auto show displays in the early 2000s. The FJ Cruiser, shown in essentially production form during the 2003 auto show season, is the first truly retro SUV to come to market it's certainly more capable than the pseudo-SUV Chrysler PT Cruiser and Chevrolet HHR. In fact, FJ Cruiser is a true off-roader more of the ilk of the Nissan Xterra.

Automotive Lease Guide is an influential and closely watched barometer of the value of brands and vehicles in the USA. ALG's data are used by leasing companies to set the values for vehicles two and three years in the future and are critical in determining what lease rates a lessee will pay.

Crossover SUVs will outsell Traditional truck-based SUVs beginning in 2006. This forecast comes from George Pipas, Ford's Manager of Sales Analysis and Reporting in a presentation in Long Beach, CA on December 12, 2005.

We at the Toyota Motor Corporation are writing to address certain misconceptions that have arisen about your Toyota Prius model, which we are proud to note is driven by many celebriies, including Prince Charles and HBO's Larry David.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (December 2005) selects the Best New Cars in several price classes. It will be interesting to see how owner ratings of these new vehicles come in AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award research.

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (December 2005) selects the Best New Cars in several price classes. It will be interesting to see how owner ratings of these new vehicles come in AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award research.

An article in the Saturday, November 19, 2005 Wall Street Journal projects that Toyota may overtake General Motors as the highest selling carmaker in 2006.