Toyota Tundra Conducts Recall of 2011

Approximately 51,000 Toyota Tundra trucks from the 2011 model year are subject to a new voluntary safety recall to inspect the rear drive shaft.

According to the Japanese automaker, the rear drive shaft in a very small percentage of the affected vehicles (0.05%) may include a component (slip yoke) that could break due to improper casting during the foundry process.
 
Toyota said that it is aware of only one incident in which the drive shaft slip yoke broke in a customer-owned vehicle, adding that it has not received any reports of accidents or injuries associated with this condition. 
 
The company said owners of the involved Tundra trucks will get a letter next month informing them to bring their vehicles in for inspection. Toyota said that in a limited number of cases, dealers may have to replace the rear drive shaft. 


 

Toyota Yaris HSD Concept 2012

Toyota premiered its first superimini hybrid model based on the next-generation Yaris at the Geneva Motor Show today. The Yaris HSD Concept is essentially a teaser version of the production hybrid model that Toyota will launch in Europe in 2012.

In a similar fashion to the Auris HSD before it, the Hybrid Synergy Drive version of the Yaris features some bespoke styling cues that separate it from its conventional sibling.

These include the large trapezoidal lower grille, the vertical “aero” corners housed in the front bumper that minimise air turbulence and the rear reflectors in the rear bumper. Other changes include the 18-inch rims, specially designed to aid brake cooling.

For the sake of aerodynamics, the Yaris HSD uses thin rear-view cameras instead of conventional door mirrors and even the shape of door handles has been modeled to improve airflow around the car. Building on the eco theme, the roof of the car is covered with solar panels that provide power for the air conditioning system.

Although no official figures are offered, Toyota stresses that the Yaris HSV produces zero CO2, NOx and particulates tailpipe emissions while in full EV mode. The Yaris hybrid will be built at Toyota's Valenciennes plant in France and will be on sale during the second half of 2012.

By 2020, the Japanese manufacturer plans to offer full-hybrid variants for its entire European lineup.

By Dan Mihalascu

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Geneva 2011: EU Toyota Prius+ MPV Gains Two More Seats Over

Geneva Toyota revealed its European-market Prius + MPV, known stateside as the Prius V. Instead of five seats, the Euro Prius + will get seven seats when it debuts in early 2012.

Also unlike its USDM counterpart, the Prius + gets a three middle row seats that fold individually (instead of our 60/40 split) and a 50/50 folding third-row seat.
 
The Prius + should burn approximately 5.9 liters / 100 km (using US combined city/highway figures) thanks to its hybrid power train and a drag coefficient of 0.29. It is also the first non-plug-in hybrid Toyota to use a lithium-ion battery pack and, like its Prius sibling, gets EV, ECO, and POWER driving modes.

For more general info on Toyota's Prius MPV, check out our previous post. If that doesn't tickle you, just check out the live pics from the show below.

By Phil Alex

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