Thursday, 12 July 2012 07:21
Tie-up between BMW and Toyota has sports car, hybrid, and EV in sight
Words by Rico Soriano
Auto giants BMW and Toyota recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at BMW's headquarters in Munich. The agreement is aimed at sharing technology of expertise between two companies, stated to work as a long-term collaboration in four fields: joint development of a fuel cell system, joint development of architecture and components for a future sports vehicle, collaboration on powertrain electrification, and joint research and development on lightweight technologies.
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Industry Update
Monday, 25 June 2012 06:19
Toyota Camatte Concept: Car Town comes to life... somewhat (w/ video)
Words by Jopet Tocino | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Company
Japan - the land where some of the world's most outrageous ideas and things come from - has yet another one to add to the list. At the recent Tokyo Toy Show 2012, Toyota unveiled the Camette Concept. Named after the Japanese word for “care,” their latest “family-oriented” concept looks more like something that jumped out of Car Town than a would-be production car.
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Concept
Friday, 22 June 2012 06:29
The legend has returned; Toyota's GT-86 is finally here
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
It was way back in 1982 when Toyota's iconic AE86 was born - a car that combined responsive power, lightweight design, and perfect chassis balance to create the ultimate sports machine. Otherwise known as the Corolla Levin or the Sprinter Trueno, it became an instant hit on track and on the mountain passes, and gave the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya, a name. Though this legend lives on to this day through some examples that stood the test of time, it was unfortunately the last of Toyota's breed of rear-wheel-drive coupes. Until now...
After 30 long years, the wait is finally over. In a special launch held at the Subic International Airport last June 19, 2012, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) finally brought the legend back to life. Patterned after the same winning formula as the original AE86, meet Toyota's reincarnated legend, the new GT-86.
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Newly Launched
Tuesday, 05 June 2012 03:41
The Little Engine That Could | 2012 Toyota Avanza 1.5G AT
Words by Niky Tamayo | Photos by Ken Tamayo
The Avanza is the brainchild of corporate collaboration. Originally engineered in Indonesia as the Daihatsu Xenia, it slotted in under the Innova as a replacement for the wildly popular Kijang/Revo. It addressed the taxi market that the Innova was too expensive to service.
Being a taxi special, the original Avanza was dirt cheap. The base model interior was straight from the 80’s, complete with analogue odometer and wind-up windows. While the 1.5G was infinitely better, it cost as much as the bigger Innova. Yet the Avanza had its charms. It was light and nimble, and the unibody construction gave it a lot of interior space for its size. Now, there's a new Avanza in town, we take it out for a spin to find out if its still as good as the last one.
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Van & MPV
Saturday, 26 May 2012 06:24
Toyota’s new facelifted Previa is no longer just your soccer-mom MPV
Words by Hans Gerald Chua | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corporation
Three years since its last update, Toyota has finally revealed its new facelifted Estima, otherwise known as the Previa in other countries including the Philippines. And in those three years, its image has changed from an elegant MPV to a more aggressive and sportier-looking mini-van, making it a lot more attractive not just for soccer moms.
The new Estima has been given an updated front end with a lot of angular detailing on the bumper and grill that's so aggressive, it puts other sports coupes to shame. The V6 version even comes with huge air intake upfront that could swallow pedestrians whole. Its front headlights have been likewise reshaped to give it more attitude. However, the rear's sleek silhouette remains untouched, except for the addition of a rear spoiler.
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Newly Launched
Thursday, 24 May 2012 06:18
Toyota brings out all-new Corolla Axio in Japan; Can this be the next-gen Altis?
Words by Jose Carlo Roberto R. Sapera | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corporation
Most car models today stay out in the market for a good five to six years before bowing down for the curtain call. And when an all-new model is about enter the scene as a replacement, teasers, spy photos, and design concepts appear to give us a hint of what's to come. Perhaps, one of the more notable cars that’s due for a full model change is the current generation Toyota Corolla Altis. So when Toyota Motor Corporation pulled the covers off their 11th generation Corolla Axio in Japan last week, it roused rumors of the next generation Altis would look like.
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Newly Launched
Wednesday, 09 May 2012 07:31
The Toyota GT 86 cometh; Pricing insanely... cheap
Words by Niky Tamayo | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Corporation
Okay, so maybe it's not a surprise, as the rumors have been flying around for a while now, but our source inside Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) let us in on a little secret. Toyota indeed has plans to bring in the much awaited GT 86. Even better, this re-imagining of the iconic AE86 is coming much... much sooner than you think and it's going to be priced right up the Hyundai Genesis Coupe's alley.
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Newly Launched
Friday, 27 April 2012 19:14
Toyota's all-new 2012 Camry is here; The Best gets even Bester
Words by Niky Tamayo | Photos by Christopher Kho
Perhaps Toyota can be forgiven for not taking any major liberties with the design of the all-new Camry, considering it’s been the best-selling mid-sized executive car in the Philippines for quite a while. But my first reaction upon seeing it was... it looks just like a Camry. To be fair, the body silhouette is much more muscular and squared off than before, and the new front bumper design is much more cohesive than the previous one, but it still looks an awful lot like a Camry.
I suppose that’s the point. When you have a car that many consider to be the benchmark for the mid-sized sedan class, perhaps it’s best to remind people that your new car is related to your old car. Besides, as any Camry owner can tell you, it’s what’s under the skin that counts.
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Newly Launched
Wednesday, 11 April 2012 19:57
Only 4 days left in the hunt for the Philippines' oldest Toyota
In line with Toyota Motor Philippines’ (TMP) celebration of its 500,000th Philippine production milestone, they're giving away a brand new Toyota Innova E DSL M/T to whoever can come up with the earliest locally-produced Toyota since they started production in 1989. Hurry! You only have four days left as the Classic Toyota Hunt contest will end this Saturday, April 14, 2012.Of course, vehicles must be in running condition to quality, and its engine, body, and chassis must be original, not modified and tampered with. The hunt is open to anyone who are current owners of any TMP locally-produced vehicle which includes: Toyota Corolla (1989 - 2007), Corona (1991 - 1998), Crown (1989 - 1998), Camry (1999 - 2006), Lite Ace, (1989 - 1998), Tamaraw and Revo (1991 - 2004), Innova (2004 - present), and Vios (2007 - present).
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Contest and Promos
Friday, 23 March 2012 09:18
A first glance at Toyota's Philippine-bound all-new 2013 Camry
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of Toyota Motor Thailand Co. Ltd.
When Toyota first unveiled the 7th generation Camry in North America last August, we were left baffled at why the Japanese giant would shape their flagship sedan like an overgrown Corolla Altis. Although it did have its boyish charm, it didn't quite live up to the executive stature of the model we currently have here. Hoping that the ASEAN region will get something better, we searched the deepest corners of the world wide web for a better alternative. What we found was a hunky European-spec Camry that's finally worthy of taking the throne. And when Toyota finally launched the Camry in Thailand earlier this week, our inkling was pretty much spot on. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you the all-new 2013 Camry.
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Newly Launched
