Check out the Toyota Avalon Interior with functional spots for two phones…,  A cool display by Fulton Innovation demonstrating the industry standard angle eCoupled called Qi.

Qi’s going to be backed by some really big names including Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Energizer, Duracell, Samsung, and Phillips along with others.

The goal of Qi is for all kinds of wireless technology to seamlessly play together,,, And what a great way to present the concept by using a Toyota !

There are thousands of older Toyota vehicles in service and most of them have a timing belt that eventually wears out and must be replaced.Timing belt replacement is crucial to the life of your engine.

Of course the time to change a timing belt is before it breaks. Fortunately for Toyota owners, most of the timing belts in our vehicles are non-interference belts. Interference type engines can suffer expensive damage in the case of timing belt failure. Most Toyota vehicles will just stop running at belt failure with no harm. Murphy’s Law loves this kind of situation, though; thus, this occurrence will invariably happen at the wrong time in the wrong place…

Here is a brief Chart for Toyota Timing Belt Replacement Intervals:

“We believe the minivan is poised to rebound and young families will lead the way.”                                      

The 2011 Sienna is the third-generation of the model and Toyota packed the new design with features that it hopes will set the Sienna apart from other vehicles in its class.

Among the fancier options available are dual-power sliding doors. Inside, the 2011 Toyota Sienna’s completely redesigned cabin boasts significantly more people and cargo space in addition to a bounty of passenger pleasing touches like tri-zone air conditioning, reclining second-row seats with footrests, a 60/40 Split and Stow third-row bench (power activated in the Limited), extended seat travel and loads of convenient configuration stow spaces. A panoramic rearview camera monitor and a 16.4-inch flat-screen television that flips open from the ceiling is available. Passengers can view a movie on the full screen or go into a split-screen setting and view a movie on one side while playing a video game on the other. Be sure to recline the second row seats with footrests while enjoying yourself!

The Sienna boasts wider doors than previous models and can accommodate up to eight passengers. The second-row seats can be shifted forward behind the front seats, and the third-row seats can be stowed flat, creating a cargo-carrying area that’s about eight feet long and four feet wide, Toyota said.

Sienna will be available in five variations, including a sporty SE and a high-end Limited edition. Toyota is offering two engine types for the Sienna – a 2.7-liter, four-cylinder engine or a 3.5-liter, 266-horsepower V6.

The Sienna hits showrooms in February, although Toyota won’t say yet what its starting price will be.

It will be priced lower than the current model, however. On the company’s Web site, the Sienna is listed as starting at $24,540.

Have you seen those Toyota engine codes or been asked what engine code a motor was? Have you ever wondered exactly what the jumble of letters and numbers meant?

First of all, one needs to realize that Toyota, like GM, Ford, etc., has engine “families”. However, rather than calling them names such as “big block” or “small block,” Toyota assigns them a letter code. The engine family code is the first letter (not the first numeral).

The first letter or letters in the code represent the engine family, for example, 1JZ-GTE & 2JZ-GTE are both JZ motors. 4A-GE, 4A-GZE, 7A-FE are all A series.

The numbers that come before these engine family letters designates the version of that engine, starting with 1 & going up to as much as 22. The higher the number the newer the version.
Often the higher the number the larger the capacity, but this is not always the case. Eg, 1UZ-FE, the first of the UZ V8s, is 4L & uses an alloy block. 2UZ-FE, the second UZ, & is 4.7L & uses an iron block. 3UZ-FE, the 3rd UZ, but is 4.3L & again uses an alloy block.

The letters that come after the dash is mostly concerned with the head & intake system used, & is quite varied. The basics are:
G= wide angle sporty twin cam head,
F= narrow angle economy twin cam head,
T= turbocharged, twin or single, no differentiation between the two, as opposed to Nissans RB25-DET & RB26-DETT,
Z= supercharged,
E= electronic fuel injection,
S= direct injection,
i= single point fuel injection (pretty much obselete these days),
C=Californian pollution control (didn’t only come out in California),
U= Japanese pollution control.

There are a number of other codes, but most of them are only applicable to much earlier engines. If there’s no codes and no dash, Eg, 18R, you can be pretty sure the motor has a single carb & single cam.

So from all this info, you can deduce that a a 1JZ-GTE is the first of the JZ series, has a twin cam head, is turbo charged and is electronically fuel injected. Whereas a 1JZ-FE has the same bottom end but a narrow valve angle twin cam head, no turbo & electronically fuel injected.

Some of the Family block types are:
JZ- inline 6
A- inline 4
G- inline 6
UZ- V8
MZ- V6
GZ- V12
FZ- inline 6
VZ- V6
S- inline 4
R- inline 4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

GR-V6

AZ-2.4L. 4

With Mergers, Acquisitions, and Bankruptcies in the Auto Industry this past year going around like a common cold, shoppers who want to support a Domestic Auto Economy are left wondering: Is there any Car Industry to support?

Toyota is totally commited and is vital to the U.S. Domestic Economy. With this brief article let us look at Toyota’s domestic content and even compare it to U.S.-based brands. Then let us bring it full circle as to what it all means to concerned shoppers.

WHAT IS  “DOMESTIC”?

Auto companies have to report information to the government about the origin of their vehicles. These reporting requirements have two components: What Is Assembled, and Where It Is Assembled

Domestic Content: What Is Assembled?

• Calculate the dollar value of the parts needed to assemble the vehicle
• Calculate the percentage of  value from U.S. or Canadian suppliers(Domestic Content)
• Calculate the percentages coming from suppliers in other countries.

Final Assembly Point: Where It Is Assembled?

• Where did parts roll down the assembly line?

The government requires new cars have a label disclosing that information and more. the label includes:

• Percentage of domestic content
• Other countries supplying 15% or more of total value.
• Final assembly point
• Origin of engine and transmission

Many of us may not realize just how much of the value in many Toyotas comes from domestic suppliers. Take a look:

50%     Tacoma, Corolla

65%      Matrix

75%     Sequoia, Camry

80%     Venza, Avalon, Tundra

85%     Sienna

Also, Toyota partners with hundreds of American companies that supply domestic content. Camshafts, Fuel Pipes, Brakes, Bumpers,Meters,Relays,Engine Components, and Interior Components are some of the many components manufactured for Toyota by American Companies.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

It is somewhat illuminating to compare a “domestic-brand” vehicle to an “import-brand” vehicle using government data.

Minivans:    Chrysler Town&Country:Domestic Content 71%                                                       Toyota Sienna:Domestic Content 85%

Mid-size Sedans:              Ford Fusion: Domestic Content 55%   T                                                  Toyota Camry:Domestic Content 75%

Compact Cars:                     Saturn Astra: Domestic Content   2%   T                                                   ToyotaCorolla:Domestic Content 50%

Full-size Pickups:                Ford F-150  : Domestic Content 75%  T                                                  Toyota Tundra:Domestic Content 80%

While this type of comparison doesn’t hold true for every vehicle, it does highlight two important points. First, a shopper shouldn’t rely on the nameplate for information about the origin of a vehicle. Second, Toyota produces a number of models that have high levvels of domestic content, and many of them are assembled in this country.

AND WHAT VEHICLES ARE BUILT IN THIS COUNTRY?

• Avalon-    Georgetown, Kentucky
• Camry-     Georgetown, Kentucky and Lafayette, Indiana
• Corolla-    Freemont, California
• Sequoia-   Princeton, Indiana 
• Sienna-      Princeton, Indiana
• Tacoma-   Freemont, California
• Tundra-    San Antonio, Texas
• Venza-       Georgetown, Kentucky

Americans want to do right with their community and their national economy by supporting the domestic auto industry.

What’s important to know is that Toyota is an established part of the American Domestic Auto Industry. The company directly supports thousands of U.S. workers’ jobs; through its large domestic supply chain it supports thousands more. Toyota contributes to American communities that are alive, active, and vibrant because of its presence. Toyota is a vital part of the U.S. Domestic Economy. These are things everyone can feel good about.