WOW!… Why not add some Optimism and a Feeling of Excitement to your new ride with the Toyota Avalon Sport.

New Toyota Avalon Sport

The Avalon Sport Option is a Southeast Toyota package that brings a little fun and swagger to your Avalon driving experience. The package may be available in other Toyota buying regions as another configuration. However, if you live in the Southeastern U.S., near the area, or are willing to fly in and drive home, you should get one of these.

The Sport option is a $3,999 package and includes:

• Ground Effects Kit, Lip Spoiler
• Sports Badges, Window Tint All State Legal
• 4-18″ BBS Wheels W/4-235/45/18 Michelin Tires(Replaces 4 Factory Installed Wheels and Tires)

My color of choice is Black as shown with charcoal leather seating. The car is stunning sitting right in front of you. The Sport Option Package is also available with other color choices.

Yea, I can just about see Sinatra exiting the back seat of this beautiful personal luxury car right now!

Yaris Hatchback

Toyota has been hatching hatchback cars, those with a top-hinged rear door instead of a trunk for years. These cars sometimes labeled a wagon, liftback, 3-door, or 5-door have been in our driveways usually as the ugly duckling for 25 years. They’re making a comeback, though, and this time driven by a push for roomy, feature filled, fuel-efficient alternatives to larger crossovers or bigger cars.

My one experience owning a Toyota hatchback was purely involuntary in the beginning. From time to time beginning in the early 1970′s as a teenager I’ve bought and sold older cars for fun and profit. About thirteen years ago I bought three older Toyota trades from the mid 1980′s to clean-up and sell. Two were Camrys and the third was a Corolla Fx hatchback, blue/gray in color.

The Camrys sold faster than a speeding bullet but there was no interest for the Corolla hatchback. It was a somewhat ugly little car, not one of Toyota’s best design moments. My kids said it looked like it should be in Mexico or Cuba. Never the less since nobody wanted it at the time I decided to keep it around as a spare car. I reasoned that it would be nice to have an extra car available when one of the others failed. Such a naive idea from Pollyanna became gone with the wind as soon as my kids and wife announced they wouldn’t be caught dead in that car.

Corolla FX

I began to drive that little Corolla Fx hatchback here and there and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this car had Favor with God. It always started, never failed, and consistently delivered 35 miles per gallon. I decided to have it detailed and discovered that it wasn’t blue/gray after all but silver! I promptly named it The Silver Bullet. One time I left The Silver Bullet in a parking lot in another state for seven months. I meant to get back to get it but things kept getting in the way. When I finally made it back to retrieve it I wasn’t even sure it would be there. My wife and kids were praying that it wouldn’t be. But like I said, this little car had God’s Favor and when I rounded the corner, there it sat, after seven months. I put the key in, pumped the gas pedal three times, it started right up and I drove it home. By now, all of these things led me to a spiritual moment at which time I announced, “The Silver Bullet Will Go When Nothing  Else Will!” Besides all of that I discovered I could fold the rear seat down and haul stuff. I believe it was George Carlin that said it was good for us to be able to haul our stuff!

“The Silver Bullet Will Go When Nothing Else Will!”. That statement came full circle one night with a family emergency of sorts. My youngest son, fifteen at the time, was performing in a Christmas Choral Concert and had a lead solo song in the Concert. I was meeting my wife who was bringing my son to the Concert Hall. I arrived early driving The Silver Bullet that evening looking forward to the Concert. Fifteen minutes before the concert was to begin my wife called from home telling me the battery in her car was dead. I raced home in The Silver Bullet, got my wife and son, and headed back to the Concert hall as fast as we could go. As we raced up the long hill to the Concert Hall, there was nothing but silence inside the car. There I was in The Silver Bullet going as fast as I could go up the hill carrying two people both who had vowed they wouldn’t be “caught dead” in that car. My wife rigidly crouched in the passenger seat next to me wouldn’t even look at me. My young son, nearly six foot three dressed in a tuxedo was ever so carefully folded up in the back seat, knees almost touching the roof of the car. Taking all of this in and racing to the Concert as fast as I could, I at one point looked back toward my son when our eyes suddenly locked and out of his mouth came these words, “I know Dad, The Silver Bullet Will Go When Nothing Else Will!”…

In 2008 when gas prices reached $4.00 per gallon all of a sudden everybody wanted to buy The Silver Bullet. I got cash offers of over $2,000 for this car, a 21 year old Toyota Corolla Fx hatchback. How about that! I did sell it, to a friend who is a Toyota mechanic. He drives it to work everyday, 70 miles round trip.

So hatchbacks are making a comeback. As a matter of fact hatchback sales from all brands increased 63% from the 2006 to the 2010 model years according to data from Ward’s Automotive. By comparison, total cars sales fell 21% in the same period.

Toyota offers a variety of extremely reliable hatchbacks that include the Yaris, Matrix, Scion XB, Scion XD, and the TC coupe that is also a hatchback. The upcoming Scion IQ will feature a hatchback. Let’s not forget that Prius is also a hatchback model. All of these cars are packed with features, fuel economy, and very rarely hit the used car market for years because original owners keep them around almost for ever. Toyota Hatchbacks Will Run When Nothing Else Will!

With the new 2012 Camry debut just around the corner, the most American car on American roads today is the Toyota Camry. According to a new ranking by Cars.com, Toyota Camry, for the third straight year, a product of Japan’s largest automaker, is the Most American Car.

All American Camry

The annual American-Made Index by Cars.com ranks the most-American vehicles based on percentage of their parts that are made domestically, where they are assembled and how many are sold to U.S. buyers.

Camry is made with 80% of the parts content coming from the USA. Most Camry models are made in Georgetown, Ky., and Lafayette, Ind.

Interestingly enough, the Ford Explorer, made in a Chicago factory, is on the top ten list with a higher percentage of domestic parts than Camry. But it doesn’t sell in as great a numbers as Camry, so it probably results in fewer American factory jobs.

In today’s global economy, it’s not easy to determine just how American a car is, stated a spokesperson for Cars.com. The fact is most cars built in the U.S., for example, are assembled using some parts that come from somewhere else. Also many U.S. automakers assemble vehicles in Canada and Mexico, while foreign automakers have plants in the U.S. 

Besides Camry, Toyota also has the Tundra (No. 9) and the Sienna (No. 6) on the Cars.com top ten list. GM also has three vehicles on the list, the first time since 2009. In addition to Chevy Malibu, they are Chevy Traverse {No. 8} and the GMC Acadia (No. 10). Honda got two spots in the top 10, while Ford and Chrysler each held one.

Despite the disaster in Japan, Cars.com stated it’s not a surprise to see the Camry in the No. 1 position again. Toyota Camry remains an incredibly popular vehicle. The high total sales numbers that Camry has results in a higher number of U.S. factory workers and a larger number of U.S. suppliers – all of which are good for America, good for Toyota, and contribute to Toyota’s ranking. The Cars.com index is another resource that car buyers can use to help guide their purchase decision.

It doesn’t look like a Toyota Prius but it’s design is based on one. Toyota has commissioned Parlee Cycles to create a bicycle based on Prius design principles to

Parlee Prius Bike

commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the Prius and a decade of environmentally sustainable transportation.

Buying a New Car on the Internet…The times, well, they are a-changing.

According to recent consumer reports nearly 50% of consumers would like to buy a new car online over the Internet. There’s truth in those findings. Going to the local car dealer these days can be like having Your 15 minutes of fame at a time when you least want it. You get bombarded with to much sales attention and sales control before you’re ready for it. It seems the only time you can visit with any peace is when they are closed, perhaps on Sunday; and even then many dealers are open just to get a leg-up on you! 

Calling the local car dealer can be the opposite experience; They treat you as if you’re Dead! It’s hard to get them on the phone, it’s hard to get them to get back to you or they take forever to get back to you, or when they do get back to you they won’t tell you much because they want you to Come To The Dealership To Control You!

Buying A New Car Online Over The Internet:

• Puts You In Control
• Slows Things Down
• Doesn’t Take All Day Or Several Full Days
• Get Exactly What You Want Not What They Want You To Take
• You Control Negotiation And Cut Out All The Back And Forth
• You’re Able To Live Your Normal Daily Life While Buying The Car

BUYING ONLINE OVER THE INTERNET HAS IT’S REQUIREMENTS

When buying a new car on the Internet it helps to know what car or truck you want. There are a number of places where you can actually built the car you want online complete with all the accessories you want and get a close estimate within a couple of hundred dollars of the dealer cost and list price of the car. Be sure to pay attention and add in transportation and regional distribution expenses when they apply. they will be part of the cost structure.

Kelly Blue Book is one of the best places online to build your dream car. when you build your car there be sure to build it using the Select and Add Options button.

When you are knowledgeable about cost and price of the car you want you can buy the car anywhere you want. You also want to have knowledge of the Current Incentives that are offered on the car you want. Toyota-Alabama has current incentives for Toyota models for every region.

Another requirement for buying a car online over the Internet is that you find the Haggling Process distasteful. Buying online can cut that out.

I KNOW,  BUYING SIGHT UNSEEN IS SOMETHING NEW

It’s a little different. But people buy all kinds of things over the Internet all the time. New cars are new cars are new cars; they are built these days under stringent guidelines and automated tolerences. They all come with strong Factory Warranties that are honorable at all authorized Dealerships. If you have further problems there are plenty of places online and offline to take measures. Personally, we’ve  bought many vehicles new and used online with no problems. Be sure to cover the details and all should go well.

WHAT ABOUT MY TRADE?  No Problem, CarsDirect.com can handle your trade also. Don’t forget to tell them you have a trade.

TIME FOR THE DISCLAIMER

It needs to be said that if you need a lot of test drives, like to haggle with the back and forth, need a lot of hand-holding, or a lot of tire-kicking, then buying a new car online over the Internet may not be for you. But it’s more widely seen that clearly consumers value their time more than haggling at the car dealership. Can you say Netflix Generation?

CARS DIRECT #1 WAY TO BUY CARS ONLINE

CarsDirect.com is the Best Place to Buy New or Used Cars Online or Over the Internet. They have an impressive rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars by consumers!

Check Out Those Reviews Here!

CarsDirect.com has been rated the #1 site for buying New Cars online by Forbes, Time, PC Magazine and PC World, among others.

• Offer low, no-haggle prices and have a huge selection of new and used cars for sale.
• Buying a new car online through CarsDirect is easy, a Vehicle Specialist will contact you quickly and help you through the entire car buying process.
• You can buy your next new car from a dealer, They will match your needs with a member of their certified dealer network near you. Your VIP dealer representative will work with you to find your vehicle and negotiate a low price.
• Want a used Car? You can search and buy using the intuitive Used Car search section. CarsDirect.com offers a huge selection newer model year pre-owned cars. Finding the right used car for sale has never been more convenient.
• Thousands of happy customers buy cars through CarsDirect.com every month. Who knew it was so easy to buy new cars online?

If You Are in the Market for a New or Newer Car or Truck, we encourage you to visit CarsDirect.com. There is a Link before each article or you can Click below
CarsDirect.com

Toyota-Alabama presents product and accessory offerings that we believe can have valuable and enjoyable benefits to our readers and Toyota owners everywhere.

Toyota and Microsoft plan to participate in a $12 million investment in Toyota Media Service Co., a TMC subsidiary that offers digital information services to Toyota automotive customers. They plan to implement telematics

telematics

applications using Windows Azure platform technology, which includes Windows Azure and Microsoft SQL Azure, starting with TMC’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.

Telematics refers to automobile systems that integrate computing, wireless communications, and GPS for sending and receiving information that provide a variety of emergency and navigational services to motorists. Telematics devices allow a driver to interact with his vehicle in his own voice to browse the Internet, send and receive e-mails, receive live traffic updates, listen to satellite radio, and perform various other activities. In emergency situations the telematics system sends a message to an operator. Within seconds, after confirming the safety of the passengers, the operator sends help. The GPS unit tells the operator where to send the police and ambulance. The best part is that all these things can be done hands-free.

Toyota’s goal is to have a complete global cloud platform positioned by 2015 that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world. Trials are being conducted in Japan through the Toyota Smart Center pilot program, with plans to link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption. Toyota believes that as electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles become more popular, such systems will rely more on telematics services for achieving efficient energy management.

Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota has stated that the new partnership between Microsoft and Toyota is an important step in developing greater future mobility and energy management for consumers around the world to develop a new link between vehicles, people and smart center energy-management systems.

Toyota announced today that public voting for its “100 Cars for Good Philanthropy” program is now open for public vote through August 16 on Toyota’s Facebook page. The program will award 100 vehicles over the course

Toyota 100 Cars For Philanthropy

of 100 days to 100 deserving nonprofit organizations based on those votes from the public.

The program, for non-profit organizations, seeks to select the most deserving 100 organizations servicing the community across a broad range of categories including animal welfare, arts, education, environment, health, safety and human services, among others. A group of 500 finalists have been chosen by an independent panel of judges, experts in fields of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.

Toyota has announced a recall of 106,000 Generation 1 Prius models built between 2001 and 2003 with 52,000 of those units sold in the United States.

Generation One Prius

Based on a minor accident investigation, Toyota says that if the steering wheel is strongly turned to the full lock position over and over again, the electric power steering pinion shaft nuts may become loose. Over time, that may result in the driver having to exert more force than typically necessary to turn left.

Owners can expect to be notified of the recall in early July, and the repair (in which dealers will replace the electric power steering pinion shaft nuts with new equipment) is expected to take around four hours.

Also, a small number of Sienna and Venza all-wheel drive models are being recalled for an improper driveshaft heat treatment issue. Owners will be notified in June 2011 for for proper remedy.

Toyota Prius V Wagon, a great addition to the Toyota Prius hybrid lineup, and the first of several vehicles that will expand the iconic MPG Prius label beyond the current five-door hatchback model into different body styles and sizes.

Prius V Wagon

Just Like Prius, A Little More Uniform

Every body panel on the 2012 Toyota Prius V is different from the Prius Hatchback, but there’s absolutely no mistaking it for anything other than a Toyota Prius hybrid.

This is not a Prius van or a wagon for the Cheaper by the Dozen Gang, but rather a vehicle for 1 to 4 occupants with a lifestyle full of activites.

From most angles, it looks more like a tall hatchback than a station wagon, perhaps deliberately. It’s only with the tailgate open, looking at it from the back or side, that the squared-up rear end and vertical cargo opening become apparent.

Two prominent features highlight the difference: First, there’s no secondary rear window below the main glass in the tailgate, as there is on the hatchback.

Then, inside, that George Jetson center console in the Hatchback has been replaced with a more traditional separate elbow bin and dashboard center stack that allows easy access to the cupholders, tray, and so forth mounted on the tunnel.

The dashboard again resembles the standard Prius, with the high-level central display offering an array of numbers, icons, diagrams, and symbols in a handful of colors.

Even with a larger length and wheelbase the Prius V Wagon drives like the regular Prius Hatchback. The Driver sits up a little higher over the Prius Hatchback; but, it’s not quite the commanding post of an SUV.

The Prius V uses the same 1.8 four cylinder power plant and Toyota Hybrid Synergy drive system as the hatchback, along with a very slightly reshaped nickel-metal-hydride battery pack mounted under the front of the load-deck floor.

MPG IN THE 40′S

With a curb weight of 3,274 pounds,  roughly 300 pounds heavier than the Prius hatchback, Toyota managed to engineer impressive gas mileage estimates, with the final figures coming in at 44 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 42 mpg.

The extra booty, combined with a greater aerodynamic drag from the larger frontal area of a taller, wider car, is what consumes more fuel.

Wide Load Bay, Sliding Rear Seat

Since Prius V is a station wagon, it’s meant to haul people and stuff and the significant figures are capacities and measurements. The EPA says the Prius V has 34.3 cubic feet of cargo volume with the rear seat up in its rearmost position, and 40.2 cubic feet if it’s slid as far forward as it’ll go. Folding the rear seat takes cargo volume up to 67.3 cubic feet.

Equally as important is the load floor. The Prius V had an admirable 39 inches between the insides of the wheel wells, ensuring that side boxes, dog carriers, and who-knows-what-else can slide in and sit flat on the floor.

Prius V Wagon Cargo Aea

The depth of the cargo bay with the seat up, was 36 inches from tailgate to seat back, and ranged from 68 to 72 inches with the rear seat folded down,depending on how far forward the front seats were pushed.

A feature of value that may be missing are the side cargo levers that automatically fold the rear seat sections down when loading through the tailgate. Highlander and Rav4 have these and they are quite useful.

The 2012 Toyota Prius V comes standard with fabric trimmed seats, automatic climate control, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and–still rare in wagons–a rear seat that not only folds down and splits 60/40 but also slides fore and aft and reclines from 15 to 40 degrees.

Three trim levels: Two, Three, and Five

There are three trim levels for the Prius V, that mirror three of the four trim levels on the hatchback, Prius II, Prius IV, and Prius V. I know this can seem confusing, but don’t let it throw you. The V in Prius V stands for Versatility. The Prius V Two is the base model.

Upgrading to the Prius V Four adds a tilting-and-telescoping steering wheel with audio, Bluetooth, and climate controls in the steering wheel, plus voice-activated navigation controls.

It also includes a display audio plus navigation system with a 6.1-inch screen in the center console, and the new Toyota Entune cloud-based infotainment system.

Top of the line Five

The Prius V Five sports 17-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels, a six-way adjustable driver’s seat with adjustable lumbar support, and a four-way adjustable front passenger seat, both of them heated and trimmed in lighter than leather SofTex fabric. Also in the Five package are LED head lamps, integrated fog lamps, and a smart-key system.

The Advanced Technology Package, only available on the Prius V Five, adds on top of all above an HDD navigation system, a panoramic view moonroof with electrically powered sunshades, and dynamic radar cruise control.

It also comes with one free year’s worth of the Safety Connect system, which provides emergency assistance, roadside assistance, automatic notification of emergency services in the event of a collision, and a stolen-vehicle location function.

The basic warranty on the 2012 Prius V is Toyota’s 3 years/36,000 miles comprehensive, with a 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain components warranty except the hybrid system, which is warranted for 8 years/100,000 miles.

Pricing is to be released closer to the car’s arrival in dealerships, which is planned for Fall 2011.

Toyota is creating Toyota Friend, a Toyota social-networking service where drivers interact with their cars like they do with Twitter and Facebook friends.

Toyota, Salesforce.com, and Microsoft are partnering on the project called Toyota Friend,  The new private social network will be private for Toyota owners andoperate like Twitter tweets. The companies are spending more than $10 million combined on the venture.

Here’s how it works:

An owner of a new plug-in Prius hybrid gets a cellphone message from his Prius reminding him to recharge his car overnight. The owner plugs his car up to recharge it and the car replies, “The charge will be completed by 12:30 a.m. Is that OK? See you tomorrow.” How Cool Is That?

The Toyota Tweets can be made private, or shared with other Toyota Friend users, as well as shown public on Facebook, Twitter and other services. Your Toyota truly can become Your New Best Friend!

Toyota, Salesforce.com and Microsoft are creating Toyota Friend, a Toyota social-networking service where drivers interact with their cars like they do on Twitter and Facebook. Your Toyota may very well become your Best Friend…

Toyota Friend

Toyota and Salesforce.com are partnering on the project called Toyota Friend,  a private social network for Toyota owners that operates like tweets on Twitter. The companies along with Microsoft, are spending more than $10 million on the project combined.

It is described as working like this:

In a demonstration at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, an owner of a new plug-in Prius hybrid received a cellphone message from his Prius reminding him to recharge his car overnight. The owner plugged in his car to recharge it and the car replied, “The charge will be completed by 1:45 a.m. Is that OK? See you tomorrow.”

The Toyota Tweets can be private, or shared with other Toyota Friend users, as well as made public on Facebook, Twitter and other services, the company said.

The companies did not give details of the technological blueprints as to how the content of the talking car’s dialogs will be managed. Toyota officials said the answers will be automated through sensors in the car.

The Toyota Prius, with its 50-mpg combined EPA rating tops most Fuel Efficient Car Lists.

Gas prices keep moving up, and once again, U.S. car buyers are setting their sights on smaller cars to increase gas mileage.

Older Prius Keeps On Going

People continue to ask, Will Prius Hold Up? What will the reliability of an older Prius be? Will the battery pack and electric components work properly after 100,000 miles, after 200,000 miles?

We talked a while back about a 2002 Prius with more than 200,000 miles on it and how well it continued to hold up .

Now here’s the story of another high-mileage Prius, this one the far more numerous second-generation model built from 2004 through 2009.

The owner drove his 2004 Prius hybrid from his home in Iowa City to Consuner Reports’ test facility in Connecticut. The car arrived with more than 215,000 miles on the odometer.

In standard acceleration and gas-mileage tests, CR found that acceleration time had increased only slightly, from the 10.5 seconds brand-new to 11.3 seconds.

The fuel economy changed from 44 mpg to 42 mpg, not much, and might be attributed to different tires.

With gas at $4, that difference would cost the owner $4.32 every 1,000 miles, not much again, so it’s not very significant in the grand scheme of things.

So, you could do a lot worse than a used Prius—even one with 215,000 miles on it. That owner better look out, that Prius might be a pallbearer…

Toyota Has A College Graduate Program Enabling New Graduates to Purchase and Finance New Toyota and Scion Cars On Their Own Merit Without A Co-Signer.

College Graduate Buys New Toyota On Her Own Merit

Qualified College Graduates receive a $1,000 rebate toward the purchase or lease of a new Toyota vehicle, including the Corolla, Matrix, RAV4, Camry (excluding the hybrid), Tacoma and Yaris as well as new Scion models. Graduate must finance or lease through a participating Toyota/Scion Dealer.

For Details Click This Link: Current College Graduate Finance Program.

Today Show 2011 Toyota Concert Series Schedule Is Rockin!

2011 Today Show Toyota Concert Series

Fans and visitors are encouraged to join the 2011 Today Toyota Concert Series Shows on the Plaza for the live performances. Please Note, Viewing is first-come, first-serve located outside TODAY’s window-on-the-world studio, located at 49th Street and Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. Today and Concert Fans should arrive by 6 a.m. for best viewing.

Thanks for visiting Toyota-Alabama and Visit Often. Here is the Today Toyota Concert Series Schedule for 2011:

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