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Toyota is not a company that panics. This is the company that gave the world Just-in-Time manufacturing, a production philosophy so influential it reshaped industries beyond automotive. It gave us Kaizen, the discipline of relentless, incremental improvement that became a management mantra. For decades, a Toyota on your driveway was a statement of faith in quality and longevity. However, Toyota’s reputation for bulletproof simplicity has been harder to maintain in an era of software-heavy platfo

Toyota is framing its move to the North American Charging Standard as a full ownership upgrade rather than a simple connector swap. The company says the real work sits behind the port, because drivers only feel the benefit when access, payment, and reliability are handled smoothly across different charging networks. What Changes For Drivers In 2026 Toyota says its 2026 battery ele

Skyrocketing gas costs have dominated the headlines in 2026, leading to renewed interest in hybrids and EVs, while also encouraging many Americans to turn to carpooling. What the price of a gallon of gas doesn’t quite tell us is which consumers are hit hardest, based on how much driving they do and the type of vehicle they have. A new analysis has revealed the 10 models with the biggest fuel cost increases between January and April 2026, and it’s no surprise to see larger SUVs dominating the lis

In October 2025, Toyota recalled certain Sienna minivans for defective second-row seat rails that could prove dangerous in a crash. Over half a year later, a new class action lawsuit has been filed against the automaker for the same issue, alleging that as of April 1, not a single Sienna seat rail has been replaced. One owner of three children says their Sienna has been “unusable” for their family for over 80 days as the automaker is still searching for a resolution, and many more owners have ex

Toyota Credit Drops the Hammer on Dealer Group More and more car companies seem to be cleaning house, and Toyota Motor Credit Corporation is the latest to do so. According to a report from Automotive News, the captive lender has filed a lawsuit against a Connecticut dealership group, alleging millions in financial exposure tied to questionable inventory practices. At the center of the case is Stephen CadillacGMC in Bristol, which also operates a Toyota franchise under the same ownership umbrella

A Corolla Cross Built for Beach Days What’s not to like about the Toyota Corolla Cross as a family vehicle? It is less expensive than the more popular RAV4 and delivers strong fuel economy, with the hybrid version rated at 42 mpg combined. A Japanese interior supplier, however, thinks it can be made even more versatile with a concept called the Weekend Coast, which essentially turns the cargo area into a mini lounge. According to Carscoops, the company behind this creation is Hayashi Telempu, an

If there’s one problem Toyota doesn’t have, it’s selling cars. The immensely popular RAV4 crossover was the world’s top-selling individual model last year, and even as a new generation arrives, the current one is still a hot seller. The Camry, Corolla, and Grand Highlander are other models that continue selling in droves. But one Toyota that has caught our eye this year is the Tacoma Hybrid. It wasn’t all that long ago that hybrid pickups were nowhere to be found, but now brands like Toyota and

The best-selling pickup trucks in America aren’t always the safest, as we’ve seen in the full-size segment. Here, the Ram 1500 has better safety ratings than the popular Ford F-150—and the Toyota Tundra is safer than both. But what if you want a safe pickup in the class below? In this segment, the Toyota Tacoma leads on the sales charts, but is it also the safest? To find out, we’ve compared it with the Chevy Colorado and Jeep Gladiator. These results are based on 2026 ratings from the Insurance

Forbidden Fruit in America The Toyota GR Yaris has been a smash hit worldwide. The pocket rocket brings us back to the days of great homologation specials such as the Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and the Subaru WRX STI. It's light, agile, and offers boatloads of fun in a small package. It's also not available in the U.S. Why, you ask? The TNGA-B platform it uses isn't built for America, which also explains why the incredibly affordable new-generation Yaris, Yaris Cross, a

While passenger EVs are powered by lithium-ion batteries, a commercial vehicle that needs to transport heavy goods faces a different reality. The weight and volume of the battery packs, as well as charging time delays, create havoc for the logistics industry. Hydrogen fuel cells offer an incredibly attractive value proposition, with the rapid refueling and energy density of traditional diesel, while still effectively running on electricity, just without using lithium-ion batteries, ridding fleet

Solar Charging Isn’t New, But Toyota Wants to Fix Its Weak Spots Solar charging for EVs sounds like something out of the future, but automakers have been chasing this idea for years. We’ve seen solar roofs, solar-assisted charging, and even body panels meant to soak up sunlight as you drive or park. Nissan rolled out a concept EV with onboard solar tech last year, while Mercedes-Benz is testing solar paint that could turn the whole car into a power source. Nissan’s also been working on making so

Most Current Voice Commands Are Subpar Let’s face it: most in-car voice commands in cars these days don't work. While not exactly new, they're among the least convincing features of modern cars. Ironically, they’re meant to take away distractions and make driving simpler, but in reality, most systems end up complicating things. Awkwardly specific phrases and unhelpful responses are just some of the pains, leading most drivers to revert to buttons or the touchscreen, and leaving voice-command sys

Toyota Times is making a direct argument for how battery electric vehicles could feel more appealing to mainstream buyers, and it is using the updated Lexus RZ as its proof point. In a new segment titled “A Catalyst for Popularizing BEVs? A Closer Look at the Steer-by-Wire RZ,” Toyota’s in-house newsroom follows a test drive of the latest RZ and frames its steer-by-wire system as more than a novelty, describing it as a feature designed to make EV driving feel simpler, more natural, and more fu

The Toyota Tundra TRD Pro is a brilliant off-road pickup, but it doesn’t have the power or extreme capabilities of the Ford F-150 Raptor. But the signs are there that Toyota may be cooking up a Raptor rival, with the latest indication yet being a Toyota trademark for the TRD Hammer name. This follows a survey Toyota quietly ran recently, whereby participants had to vote for the name of a future high-performance pickup truck package. One of those names was TRD Hammer, and the trademark filing sug

Toyota builds everything from lightweight sports cars like the GR86 to everyday staples like the Camry. But at Field Style Tokyo 2026, the focus shifts away from flashy concepts like the Celica Sport and toward something more grounded. Instead of headline-grabbing show cars, its Land Cruiser Base division is bringing two one-off SUVs, both named "Urban Style," that explore how these icons can be reimagined for city life. Heritage Icon Reworked: Toyota Land Cruiser 70

What Happens When an EV Motor Breaks In most modern EVs, a major motor or inverter problem leads to one of two outcomes. Either the car stops completely, or, if you’re in an all-wheel-drive (dual-motor) setup, it just switches off the failed motor and keeps moving with the other. Tesla drivers have seen this firsthand: a Model 3 or Model Y can lose a front or rear motor to a fault, but as long as one motor is still working, the car keeps going – just with less power. This setup gets the job done

Rethinking How Drivers See Danger Head-up displays (HUDs) are everywhere now, showing speed, navigation, and safety alerts right on the windshield. While Ford is busy experimenting with all sorts of HUD ideas – some weirder than others – Toyota wants to take a different route to improving the tech. Instead of piling on more data, it wants to make what you see smarter. Its latest patent describes a system that changes how objects appear on the HUD, adjusting for actual distance and importance rat

According to 2025 data from J.D. Power, EV owners do 81% of their vehicle’s charging via a home charger. Despite expanding public charger access, this shows how important the home charging experience is. To that end, Toyota has announced a collaboration with Treehouse, experts in car charger installations. Using advanced software, Treehouse provides an end-to-end experience, making the purchase and installation of home chargers straightforward. Both Toyota and Lexus vehicles will benefit from th

The mysterious Toyota coupe prototype that was spotted testing on a rally stage in Portugal last week has captured the imagination of Celica fans worldwide, with many hoping it wears the legendary badge when it debuts as the automaker's WRC entry next year. Toyota's Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (WRT) confirmed that it is indeed testing a new rally car prototype, most likely built according to new WRC27 regulations, but stopped short of providing more details. The Mid-Engine Celica Rumor Mill Is

A Name That Refuses to Fade The idea of a revived Toyota MR2 has circulated for years, kept alive by offhand comments, prototype development, and scattered trademark filings in different markets. None of them ever felt substantial enough to suggest a real program was underway, but they did keep fans from dropping the conversation. Toyota hasn't done much to quiet the speculation either, especially as its Gazoo Racing division expanded and performance models like the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR86, a

When Toyota opened orders for its new bZ7 electric sedan in China, the response was almost violent. Over 3,100 reservations came in within the first hour. That kind of demand happens when a company builds something extraordinary, prices it aggressively, and drops it into one of the most cutthroat EV markets on the planet. The bZ7 is Toyota's flagship electric vehicle in China, developed through its GAC-Toyota joint venture. It is, by any measure, a big deal, and it is almost certainly never comi

The Toyota GR Supra is a sports car. It's low, it's quick, and it’s impractical by design. The bZ Woodland is a rugged electric SUV with five seats, roof rails, and all-terrain tires. These two cars have no business sitting side by side on a spec sheet. And yet, in independent testing by Car and Driver, both the Woodland and the six-cylinder GR Supra equipped with the manual gearbox recorded identical 0-60 mph times of 3.9 seconds. That's not a claimed figure from Toyota, either. It's a real-wor

Historical Precedent Toyota's Gazoo Racing (GR) as a brand is now more recognized than ever. With several exciting road cars bearing the GR badge, the brand isn't just the motorsport or racing side of Toyota. In reality, though, Gazoo Racing was actually born out of true passion and even secrecy by Chairman Akio Toyoda. Back in 2007, Akio wanted to finally indulge his passion for motorsport by entering the 24 hours of Nürburgring. The problem was his participation, and his team wasn't officially

The Joy Of Toys It's important to make sure your brand stays relevant and recognizable. Automotive brands spend tons on marketing, and one aspect of that is collaboration. Toyota's upcoming supercar, the GR GT, is about to go racing in the form of the GR GT3. To hype up the car, they've gone for a special collaboration with two top brands. McDonald's iconic Happy Meals have brought joy to millions of children over the decades; the same can be said for Tomica, the die-cast brand that makes afford

Robust, reliable, and over-engineered Toyotas almost instantaneously paint the picture of a flagship Land Cruiser. Historically, the ultimate case study for longevity, the global heavy-duty Land Cruiser, since the 100-Series, has stepped into an overly complex, electrically assisted, and luxury-tier purgatory. By contrast, the homegrown American 4Runner platform has deliberately avoided this path. For the daily driver navigating interstate road trips and weekend trail runs, the 4Runner wears the