Weekly Roundup: 19.01.2009 - 23.01.2009
25 Jan 2009, 10:51 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Even though there were rarely dotted with new Formula 1 car launches, the last seven days were mainly focused on general automotive reports, just like it happened the week before. Despite the fact t...
Toyota to Cut 1,000 Full-Time Jobs
23 Jan 2009, 15:35 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / After reporting that the financial year ending in March may bring the first ever operating loss, Toyota is getting ready for even tougher times. The Japanese carmaker is considering a 1,000 full-tim...
Hybrid Cars Sales Fell By 9.9 Percent in the US
23 Jan 2009, 09:24 UTC · By: Madalina Iancu / Last year, hybrid vehicles were not at all immune to the credit crunch but they also had to face another challenge: fuel prices tumbled to an average of $1.62 per gallon last month. With these pe...
Algarve Test Red-Flagged Due to Heavy Rain
22 Jan 2009, 12:56 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / The first testing session of the year proved to be rather disastrous for all teams present at the Algarve track this week, as poor weather conditions forced the organizers to red-flag the 4th day of...
Toyota Lures Hybrid Buyers with New Certification Program
22 Jan 2009, 11:06 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Since hybrids play a very important role in the major counter-attack Toyota has started against the economic recession, the Japanese company struggles to lure more buyers into using every single ava...
Toyota: Ferrari Should Change Illegal Exhaust System
22 Jan 2009, 10:16 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / Only days after McLaren Mercedes and BMW issued their concerns over Ferrari's illegal exhaust system used on their 2009 challenger, the F60, Toyota have also urged the Scuderia to change it. Ac...
Toyota Crowned World's No. 1 Car Manufacturer
21 Jan 2009, 16:28 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / General Motors was often referred to as the world's largest automaker as it managed to lead the overall chart of the automotive industry for no less than 77 years. Unfortunately for the America...
Toyota Consider Abandoning KERS for Good
21 Jan 2009, 16:19 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / Toyota F1 team principal Tadashi Yamashina revealed that his team is considering keeping the Kinetic Energy Recovery System sidelined for the entire 2009 season. The Japanese manufacturer doesn'...
Toyota Rolls Out Major Camry, Corolla and Prius Price Cuts
21 Jan 2009, 15:17 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / Following the slow sales reported in December last year, the Japanese automaker announced a major price cut for several of its models aimed at both customers and dealerships. The popular Prius is on...
Toyota F1 Future Depends on 2009 Win
21 Jan 2009, 09:38 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / There isn't a team in the F1 paddock to begin the new season with more pressure on their heads than Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer have invested more than any other team in their F1 operatio...
Buemi Tops Second Portimao Test
21 Jan 2009, 08:05 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / Sebastien Buemi topped another testing session at Portimao, taking his 2008-spec car more than three seconds clear ahead of the competition. The Swiss driver used Toro Rosso's 2008 machinery on...
Toyota Announces Major Production Cut in February-April
20 Jan 2009, 15:29 UTC · By: Bogdan Popa / The difficult market conditions and the economic recession that are continuously hammering sales of most carmakers is now forcing Toyota Motor Corporation to apply a new cost-cutting measure, this t...
Akio Toyoda Appointed Toyota's New President
20 Jan 2009, 14:13 UTC · By: Madalina Iancu / What's interesting about many car makers around the world these days is that apart from lay-offs, cutting down or even halting the production, a very popular move to fight the current financial...
Honda Leaves Behind 3,100 Unemployed
16 Jan 2009, 14:25 UTC · By: Madalina Iancu / Production is reduced or even stopped for a while, people are being laid off, advertising and marketing budget have become almost insignificant. These are a few examples of the desperate measures ta...
Toyota Reaffirm Support for F1 Programme
16 Jan 2009, 10:00 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / Regardless of the economic spectrum, Toyota will always be there to battle the 'big guns' of Formula 1. The announcement was made by Toyota's boss John Howett, following rumors that t...
Toyota Deals with Crisis, Severely Reduces Production in the US
16 Jan 2009, 09:03 UTC · By: Madalina Iancu / Weak demand in the automotive industry has already determined car makers to cut down production in a manner they haven't done before. Facing the same problem, Toyota Motor Corp has officiall...
Toyota Hydrogen Cars are Coming by 2015
16 Jan 2009, 07:10 UTC · By: Alex Oagana / After beginning to lose some of their hybrids'r'us street cred to the likes of GM and Honda, Toyota people are back on the greenie bandwagon with the announcement of selling an all-electri...
Toyota Sells Cars to Its Managers
15 Jan 2009, 15:55 UTC · By: Madalina Iancu / Since there are not enough buyers for Toyota vehicles, managers of the Japanese automaker thought of unifying their forces and buy the company cars to help it to get over the current financial crisi...
Toyota Loses Marmorini as Engine Chief, Confirms Kobayashi as 2009 Test Driver
15 Jan 2009, 15:40 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / Shortly after unveiling their new TF109 car for the upcoming F1 season, Toyota have announced the departure of engine chief Luca Marmorini. The Japanese carmaker is yet to disclose the reasons why M...
Trulli: Winning This Season Is a Must
15 Jan 2009, 13:48 UTC · By: Ovidiu Panzariu / It has been more than 4 years since Jarno Trulli's last win in Formula One (at Monte Carlo). However, the Italian reckons that he cannot end another winless season inside the Great Circle, as t...