Toyota Camry Daytona 500 Pace Car

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and Daytona International Speedway (DIS) announced the all-new 2012 Toyota Camry will serve as the official pace car for next year's DAYTONA 500®.
Toyota will showcase the new Camry -- the best-selling car in America for nine years running -- at Daytona in 'The Great American Race,' Feb. 26, 2012. The race annually kicks-off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
"We're thrilled to be able to feature the new Camry in Daytona at the season's biggest race," said Ed Laukes, TMS corporate manager of motorsports marketing. "We think the DAYTONA 500 is the perfect place to showcase the all-new Toyota Camry -- which will go on sale this fall. We knew when the opportunity arose to partner together with Daytona that it would be an extraordinary way to highlight our new Camry, as well as reinforce Toyota's commitment to NASCAR and its fans."

Toyota Camry went on sale in 1983 and since then more than nine million have been sold in the U.S. Camry has been the best selling car in America for 13 of the past 14 years.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Camry production in Georgetown, Ky. Toyota began manufacturing the Camry in Georgetown in 1986 and the vehicle is now also built in Lafayette, Ind.
The 2012 Camry debuts a bold, sophisticated new design with a more spacious interior, improved driving dynamics and an even quieter ride than before. The new model features class leading safety, fuel economy and multi-media technology.
"NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway provide a uniquely American platform for manufacturers to display their technology, innovation and overall automotive excellence," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "After nearly eight years of competing at NASCAR's highest level, I'm pleased to have the 2012 Toyota Camry pace the DAYTONA 500."

Toyota has previously provided pace vehicles at several NASCAR tracks, including Auto Club Speedway of Southern CaliforniaSM, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway®, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, California's Infineon Raceway, Kansas Speedway®, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway®, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway®, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway®, Wisconsin's Road America and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International®.
In 2004, Toyota began participating in NASCAR competition by fielding Tundras in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Three years later in 2007, Toyota began competing in the NSCS and the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) with the Camry.
Toyota has won three consecutive manufacturer's titles in the NNS (2008-2010) with the Camry, and Toyota racers have earned one driver's title (Kyle Busch in 2009) and registered 60 race victories in the NNS. In NSCS competition, Camry drivers have earned 36 first-place trophies.
In seven seasons participating in the NCWTS, Toyota has captured five consecutive manufacturer's championships (2006-2010), and Tundra drivers have won driver's titles with Todd Bodine (2006 and 2010) and Johnny Benson (2008), and have earned 88 race wins.
At Daytona International Speedway, Toyota drivers have recorded eight NASCAR wins across NASCAR's three national touring series, including one NSCS win (Kyle Busch in 2008), two NNS wins (Denny Hamlin in 2008 and Tony Stewart in 2008) and five NCWTS wins. In 2008, Hamlin claimed Toyota's first-ever NSCS victory in a non-points qualifying event to determine the Daytona 500 starting lineup.

Toyota set new EV Lap Record @ Nürburgring [video]

Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has set a new lap record for an electric vehicle (EV) at the legendary 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany.

The TMG EV P001, with 100% electric powertrain and Jochen Krumbach at the wheel, set a new lap record of 7mins 47.794secs to beat the previous lap record, which stood at 9mins 1.338secs, by a very substantial margin.

Using two electric motors, the TMG electric powertrain has a top speed of 260km/h which combined with 800Nm of torque to achieve impressive speeds on the extremely challenging Nordschleife track, which includes significant elevation changes and lengthy flat-out sections.

TMG's target prior to the 29 August record run was to become the first electric vehicle break the eight-minute barrier and this was achieved comfortably on a day when the notoriously changeable Nürburgring weather stayed fine, although track temperatures were relatively low.

Such performance shows TMG's electric powertrain is ideal to power any future single-make electric motorsport series and TMG will begin commercial sales of this technology in 2012. TMG continues to advance its electric vehicle capability for motorsport applications with in-house development of the electric powertrain and ongoing investigations into alternative chassis solutions.

Pascal Vasselon, TMG's Technical Director, said: "The goals for this project were twofold: obviously we wanted to set a new EV lap record and I am very pleased we could achieve that so comprehensively. On the other hand, we also wanted to learn more about the operation of our electric powertrain in extreme circumstances; in motorsport there is no more extreme circuit than the Nürburgring. On the record lap the TMG EV P001 performed better than in testing due to the improvement we already could make based on that experience. We have enhanced our electric powertrain development thanks to the information our engineers have gained and our future EV products will benefit from this project."

Rob Leupen, TMG's Director Business Operations, said: "This is a very impressive achievement which really shows the huge potential for electric powertrains to deliver fast, exciting action on the race track. There's no doubt that electric motorsport can be every bit as thrilling as traditional racing and it was an amazing sensation to watch the TMG electric vehicle fly past on the Nordschleife, with only the sound of wind rushing past and tyres squealing. To achieve a new lap record at the first attempt, and by such a huge margin, is a great achievement and I am very proud to see TMG's name in the record books. But this is not the end of the story for TMG and I hope we will see our electric powertrains in action on the track again soon."

The new lap record was completed on road-legal tyres, using the complete Nordschleife track. It was verified by independent lap timing.

TMG extends its thanks to its partners in this achievement: Aguti created and implemented the livery concept while rational motion integrated the electric powertrain, traction battery and control strategies. EVO Electric motor technology delivered the power. The TMG EV P001 is based on a Radical chassis as modified by TMG for e-WOLF.

2012 Toyota Camry - walkaround Video

2012 Toyota Camry - walkaround Video

Toyota Camry Daytona 500 Pace Car

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and Daytona International Speedway (DIS) announced the all-new 2012 Toyota Camry will serve as the official pace car for next year's DAYTONA 500®.
Toyota will showcase the new Camry -- the best-selling car in America for nine years running -- at Daytona in 'The Great American Race,' Feb. 26, 2012. The race annually kicks-off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
"We're thrilled to be able to feature the new Camry in Daytona at the season's biggest race," said Ed Laukes, TMS corporate manager of motorsports marketing. "We think the DAYTONA 500 is the perfect place to showcase the all-new Toyota Camry -- which will go on sale this fall. We knew when the opportunity arose to partner together with Daytona that it would be an extraordinary way to highlight our new Camry, as well as reinforce Toyota's commitment to NASCAR and its fans."

Toyota Camry went on sale in 1983 and since then more than nine million have been sold in the U.S. Camry has been the best selling car in America for 13 of the past 14 years.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Camry production in Georgetown, Ky. Toyota began manufacturing the Camry in Georgetown in 1986 and the vehicle is now also built in Lafayette, Ind.
The 2012 Camry debuts a bold, sophisticated new design with a more spacious interior, improved driving dynamics and an even quieter ride than before. The new model features class leading safety, fuel economy and multi-media technology.

"NASCAR and Daytona International Speedway provide a uniquely American platform for manufacturers to display their technology, innovation and overall automotive excellence," said Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III. "After nearly eight years of competing at NASCAR's highest level, I'm pleased to have the 2012 Toyota Camry pace the DAYTONA 500."
Toyota has previously provided pace vehicles at several NASCAR tracks, including Auto Club Speedway of Southern CaliforniaSM, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway®, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, California's Infineon Raceway, Kansas Speedway®, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway®, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway®, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway®, Wisconsin's Road America and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International®.
In 2004, Toyota began participating in NASCAR competition by fielding Tundras in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Three years later in 2007, Toyota began competing in the NSCS and the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) with the Camry.
Toyota has won three consecutive manufacturer's titles in the NNS (2008-2010) with the Camry, and Toyota racers have earned one driver's title (Kyle Busch in 2009) and registered 60 race victories in the NNS. In NSCS competition, Camry drivers have earned 36 first-place trophies.
In seven seasons participating in the NCWTS, Toyota has captured five consecutive manufacturer's championships (2006-2010), and Tundra drivers have won driver's titles with Todd Bodine (2006 and 2010) and Johnny Benson (2008), and have earned 88 race wins.
At Daytona International Speedway, Toyota drivers have recorded eight NASCAR wins across NASCAR's three national touring series, including one NSCS win (Kyle Busch in 2008), two NNS wins (Denny Hamlin in 2008 and Tony Stewart in 2008) and five NCWTS wins. In 2008, Hamlin claimed Toyota's first-ever NSCS victory in a non-points qualifying event to determine the Daytona 500 starting lineup.

2012 Toyota Camry Videos

We have covered the 2012 Toyota Camry extensively these past few weeks, from the moment we first laid our eyes on an unofficial video from the dealer presentation in Las Vegas up until today when the Japanese automaker officially revealed the car.
And now, following our detailed report on the ins and outs of the new Camry, we have a plethora of videos including a walkaround with Toyota Senior Product Education and Development Specialist David Lee who talks about the features of the mid-size sedan and a promotional clip with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch spinning the Hybrid model around Daytona.
To check them all out for yourself, just follow the break.

VIDEOS

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2012 Toyota Camry

It is finally here; the car many Americans love to hate buying, the brand-new, seventh-generation Toyota Camry, which was officially unveiled today ahead of its sales launch in States in the beginning of October.If we wanted to highlight the most important features of the new 2012 Camry here's what we would go with: it's more powerful yet delivers better fuel efficiency, has a more upscale interior with higher quality materials, its styling is sharper but continues to be bland and will definitely not excite (on the other hand, it won't offend either), and finally, in some cases its priced lower than the outgoing model.
In more detail and starting from the engine range, the 2012 Camry will be offered with a choice of three powerplants. The base engine is a revised 2.5-liter four-cylinder unit delivering 178-horsepower, an increase of 9HP, and 170 lb.-ft. of peak torque. Toyota says EPA-estimated fuel economy figures are 25 mpg city/35 highway, and 28 mpg combined, an increase of 2mpg over the previous generation Camry.
Next up is a subtly refined 3.5-liter V6 that generates 268 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 4,700 rpm. According to the Japanese carmaker, it returns EPA-estimated ratings of 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway (previous model: 20mpg/29mpg respectively).
Both the four- and six-cylinder engines are offered with a six-speed automatic transmission that offers a sequential manual shift mode using the console shifter.


The third option is the 2012 Camry Hybrid that gains a overhauled version of the brand’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, including a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson engine that replaces the 2.4-liter unit.
Together, the gasoline and electric motors produce a combined output of 200 horsepower allowing the Camry to accelerate from 0-to-60mph (96km/h) in 7.6-seconds, which places it between the four-cylinder and V6 models.
Toyota says the new Camry Hybrid delivers an EPA-estimated 43 mpg city/39 mpg highway/41 mpg combined, which accounts to a more-than-30 percent boost in fuel economy in the EPA city and combined driving cycles, compared to the previous model.
According to Toyota, the improved fuel economy can be attributed largely to the new hybrid powertrain, but also due to lighter vehicle weight and optimized aerodynamics.
Also new for the 2012 Camry Hybrid is the EV Drive mode that allows the driver to operate the car on the electric motor alone for up to 1.6 miles at lower speeds (below approximately 25 mph or 40km/h).
The Hybrid version is identified by select exterior features such as the blue-hued Toyota logos and the model-specific alloy wheels and lower grille, while inside, there's exclusive trim and upholsteries along with a three-dial Optitron gauge panel.
While similar in size with the outgoing model, Toyota says that thanks to some changes including but not limited to, moving the accelerator pedal and front seats forward, repositioning the rear-seat hip point rearward, and reshaping the front seatbacks, rear-knee room has been increased by 1.8-inch while rear middle seat legroom has grown by two inches.
The company also claims to have reduced noise throughout the entire cabin.
The new Camry features a more rigid body structure, revised front suspension and redesigned rear suspension, while it's also the first Toyota to feature the firm's latest electric power steering (EPS) control system. The automaker says these changes instill the new Camry with "greater straight-line stability and crisper steering response, while also enhancing overall ride comfort".
For the 2012 model year, the new Camry and Camry Hybrid will be offered with six-different grades. Tech highlights include the introduction of Toyota's new Entune multimedia system that debuts support for mobile apps, such as Bing, OpenTable, and movietickets.com, along with accessing travel-related services, such as live weather, traffic, fuel information (location and price), stocks, and sports.
Surprisingly, Toyota has dropped pricing of some trim grades to lower levels than its predecessor.
“Despite all of the enhancements to the all-new Camry, prices for all popular models have been reduced with dramatic repositioning on SE, XLE and Hybrid models, representing the best value in the segment,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Group Vice President and General Manager.
The base Camry L with the 2.4-liter engine, however, is priced from $21,955, or $710 more than the previous model.
The Hybrid LE carries an MSRP of $25,900, decrease of $1,150 or 4.3 percent compared to the 2011 model. For more details on pricing, check out the list below. 

2012 TOYOTA CAMRY

2012 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID

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Toyota Tundra

The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck introduced by Toyota in the year 2000. It was widely considered to be the first full-size import-brand truck built with an American look and feel and a refined V8 engine. The Tundra was eventually nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award and was Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year in 2000 and 2008. Currently the Tundra is assembled in San Antonio, Texas where production was consolidated in 2008. The first generation Tundra had many similarities with the older Toyota T100 and the compact Toyota Tacoma. The biggest of those similarities was the shared use of a 3.4-liter V6 engine which was the top of the line engine in both the Tacoma and T100. The V6 engine would serve as the base engine for the Tundra, while a second powerplant, a first for a Toyota truck, a V8 engine sized at 4.7-liters was added to the lineup. The Tundra was slightly larger than the T100, but still suffered the perception of being too small and carlike to pose a serious threat to the domestic pickup trucks. With a production capacity of 120,000, sales were double the rate of the T100. At the time the Tundra also had the largest initial vehicle sales for Toyota in its history. It garnered impressive honors, including Motor Trend's Truck of the Year award for 2000 and Best Full- Size Truck from Consumer Reports. Built in a new Toyota plant in Princeton, Indiana, with 65 percent domestic content, the Tundra showed that Toyota was serious about closing the gap on the "Big Three" in all major segments.Engine choices available in the Tundra were a 24V 3.4-liter V6 engine that produced 190 horsepower (140 kW) and 220 lb·ft (298 N·m) of torque and an LEV certified 32 valve 4.7-liter "i-Force" V8 engine that produced 245 horsepower (183 kW) and 315 lb·ft (427 N·m) of torque. A Toyota Racing Development (TRD) supercharger was already available for the 3.4-liter V6 (2000-2003 models) that bumped horsepower to the 260 horsepower (190 kW) range and 260 lb·ft (350 N·m) of torque. TRD introduced a second supercharger for the V8 (2000-2003 models) engine late into its second year of production that pushed the V8 numbers to the mid 300 horsepower (220 kW) range and torque to the 400 lb·ft (540 N·m) range. Although the V6 supercharger is still widely available, the V8 supercharger is rarer and harder to find because TRD stopped its production once Toyota released the updated VVT-i equipped 4.7-liter engine.

Toyota Tundra Limited 4x4--Chicago Cars Direct HD

A larger Tundra was introduced at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. It had lifted cues of its smaller brother the Toyota Tacoma along with some cues from the Toyota FTX concept truck. The truck had many enhancements, such as a towing capacity of up to 10,000+ lb, a payload capacity of over 2,000 lb (910 kg), a new 5.7-liter 3UR-FE V8 engine mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission. The second generation Tundra has 3 engines available. The new 5.7-liter V8 that produces 381 horsepower (284 kW) and 401 pound-feet (544 N·m) of torque, and the carry over 4.7-liter 2UZ-FE V8 rated at 276 horsepower (206 kW) and 313 pound-feet (424 N·m) of torque, as well as the previous 4.0-liter 1GR-FE V6 rated at 236 horsepower (176 kW) and 266 pound-feet (361 N·m) of torque. Toyota made the new Tundra useful for many construction workers, by including extra large door handles, deck rail system, integrated tow hitch, and headrests that can fit a worker with his hard hat on. The Tundra also includes as standard: an electronic automatic limited slip differential (Auto LSD), Vehicle Stability Control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution, brake assist, anti-lock brakes and tailgate assist. However, its high starting MSRP of $22,390 makes it more expensive than the Chevy Silverado Work Truck (MSRP $17,860) and the base Ford F-150 (MSRP $17,345). Some other changes Toyota included in the new Tundra are optional tow mirrors, a 26.4 US gal (100 L; 22 imp gal) fuel tank, available 22-inch (560 mm) alloy wheels, backup camera, Bluetooth, large center console (big enough to fit a 15-inch (380 mm) laptop), extra-large disc brakes and calipers, and the aforementioned 6-speed sequential automatic transmission. All 5.7-liter Tundras come equipped with a tow package which includes engine oil and transmission coolers, integrated trailer hitch, 4.30:1 axle ratio, and large braking hardware for increased fade resistance.





The Tundra comes equipped with dual front airbags, front row side torso airbags, and rollover sensing side curtain airbags for both the front and rear rows. Vehicle Stability Control, traction control, anti-lock brakes, brake assist, and electronic brakeforce distribution are also standard. For the 2010 model year, a driver and front passenger knee airbag becomes standard. Toyota's Tundra was the first full-size pickup to have earned the IIHS's Top Safety Pick accolade, followed by the redesigned 2009 Ford F-150. In tests conducted by the IIHS, the Tundra received an overall "Good" score in the frontal offset crash test, the highest possible rating in the side impact crash test, and the maximum score for rear crash protection. During September 2007 Toyota Motor Corporation announced plans to add a diesel variant of the Tundra. This was again confirmed in January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. There Toyota President Watanabe stated, "I am happy to confirm that a new clean-diesel V8 engine will be offered in both the Tundra and the Sequoia in the near future." But later in 2008 at the State Fair of Texas a Toyota official stated the Tundra diesel is on hold due to poorer than expected sales. Motor Trend and Car and Driver, have earlier reported Toyota will produce a heavy-duty version of the Tundra designed to compete in the 3/4-ton class. At the 2007 SEMA auto show, Toyota showcased its Tundra Diesel Dually Project Truck. This heavy-duty Tundra Diesel is based on a heavily modified Tundra Crew Max chassis. It features 8.0L Hino diesel engine, Eaton manual transmission, along with an extensive list of other modifications. High-resolution images are available in autoblog's gallery. During late-2006 Toyota purchased a stake of Isuzu from General Motors. The Duramax V8 engine design currently powers GM's 3/4 ton and 1-ton pickups, but GM's 1/2 ton diesel will be completely designed and built solely by General Motors. The Australian and European version of the Toyota Land Cruiser features a 4.5L diesel which a future Tundra Diesel could be based on. Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe has stated that he would like to develop a hybrid electric version of the Tundra. However, Toyota faces several technical challenges that it must overcome before it could bring such a vehicle to market. According to the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Toyota is considering developing a gasoline electric hybrid Tundra, for sale in North America around 2010. Toyota may also introduce a diesel electric hybrid system for the Tundra. In Japan, the Toyota Dyna and Hino Dutro light trucks produced by the Toyota Motor use diesel electric hybrid systems. The Hino Ranger a medium to heavy duty cab-over truck could also provide hybrid technology for the next generation Tundra. At the 2008 North American International Auto Show, Toyota USA President Jim Lentz stated "different models require different types of fuel saving technology...there may be a few where hybrid technology doesn’t make sense". He further went on to say that the Tundra and the new Sequoia will not be offered with a hybrid engine in the near future, instead those vehicles would feature "clean, fuel efficient diesel engines. For now, it seems, the Tundra Hybrid has been sent back to the drawing board or cancelled entirely.

Disassembling a Toyota RAV4 EV battery pack [video]

We recently found a Youtube based TV series called ElectricThrust that focuses on EVs.

The RAV4 EV is an all-electric version of the popular RAV4 SUV produced by Toyota. With only 800 left on the road today, they were quickly dying off; That is, until Toyota teamed up with Tesla to mass produce these vehicles by 2012.

Clint, along with battery guru Derek Barger from Click High Tech Systems LLC, Broke into this EV to find out why it is starting to lose its "pep" With over 130,000 miles tacked onto it's battery pack the Rav4 is still running considerably well!

The most recent 'episode' was uploaded 8 months ago and their URL is dead so this series may be DOA but we will keep you posted on any new episodes.

Toyota EV racing prototype unveiled

Toyota has released new details about their attempt to set an electric vehicle speed record at the Nürburgring on August 29th.



Seen here for the first time, the unnamed racing prototype has a 41.5 kWh lithium-ceramic battery which powers two electric motors that produce 381 PS (280 kW / 375 hp) and 800 Nm (590 Nm) of torque. This setup will enable the 970 kg (2,138 lb) sports car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph).



If everything goes according to plan, Toyota will be beat the current EV record of 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds which was set by the Peugeot EX1 concept.



Source;

http://www.worldcarfans.com/111081935892/toyota-ev-racing-prototype-unveiled#ixzz1VmsptxSG

Toyota EV racing prototype unveiled

Toyota has released new details about their attempt to set an electric vehicle speed record at the Nürburgring on August 29th.



Seen here for the first time, the unnamed racing prototype has a 41.5 kWh lithium-ceramic battery which powers two electric motors that produce 381 PS (280 kW / 375 hp) and 800 Nm (590 Nm) of torque. This setup will enable the 970 kg (2,138 lb) sports car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 260 km/h (162 mph).



If everything goes according to plan, Toyota will be beat the current EV record of 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds which was set by the Peugeot EX1 concept.



Source;

http://www.worldcarfans.com/111081935892/toyota-ev-racing-prototype-unveiled#ixzz1VmsptxSG

Ford to Collaborate with Toyota on the Development of a New hybrid system

Ford and Toyota have put their rivalry away momentarily to combine forces for the development of a new "advanced" hybrid system for light truck and SUV customers. The two automakers signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the product development collaboration, in which they will be equal partners, with the formal agreement expected by next year.
Although neither side revealed which vehicles are to receive the new hybrid system, the two companies announced that it will be used in rear-wheel-drive light trucks arriving later this decade and that while they will share significant common technology and components, each company will individually integrate the system into their own vehicles.
In a joint statement, Ford and Toyota said they believe that their newly formed partnership will allow them to "bring these hybrid technologies to customers sooner and more affordably than either company could have accomplished alone".
“By working together, we will be able to serve our customers with the very best affordable, advanced powertrains, delivering even better fuel economy,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally. “This is the kind of collaborative effort that is required to address the big global challenges of energy independence and environmental sustainability.”
Toyota President Akio Toyoda added: “Toyota is extremely proud to join Ford in developing a hybrid system for pickup trucks and SUVs. Not only is this tie-up clearly one aimed at making automobiles ever better, it should also become an important building block for future mobility in the U.S. By building a global, long-term relationship with Ford, our desire is to be able to continue to provide people in America automobiles that exceed their expectations.”
In addition to the MOU agreement on the development of the rear-wheel drive hybrid system, Toyota and Ford also agreed to collaborate on standards and technologies for in-vehicle telematics systems, with each company to continue to separately develop their own in-vehicle products and features. 

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Toyota unveil EV racing prototype

Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) has revealed further details of its plan to make Nürburgring history on 29 August by setting a new electric vehicle (EV) lap record on the demanding 20.832km Nordschleife.

TMG's high-performance electric powertrain will power the car as it aims to significantly improve on the current lap EV record of 9min 1.338secs. Based on unofficial testing and depending on weather conditions, TMG expects to hit lap-record pace immediately, with additional days scheduled as back-up.

The TMG electric powertrain uses two electric motors to deliver peak power of 280kW and a top speed of 260km/h with zero emissions. That makes it ideal to power any future single-make electric motorsport series and TMG will begin commercial sales of its electric powertrain technology in 2012.

Total weight of the two-seater sports car is just 970kg, including the lithium-ceramic battery which allows for nimble handling around the demanding Nordschleife, essential for setting a competitive lap record.

TMG General Manager Electric & Electronics Ludwig Zeller said: "We want to demonstrate the high level of performance which can now be reached with an electric powertrain, not only in motorsport terms but as part of TMG's existing development work on road car EV technology. There is no more evocative place to illustrate this performance than on the Nordschleife. Our target is to beat the existing record by more than just a few seconds because that will demonstrate just how far our technology has developed since TMG began working on KERS systems in 2007. Many people are still dreaming of an electric future for motorsport; at TMG we believe this is much closer than some think and we intend to show what can be achieved with a high-performance electric powertrain."

TMG today revealed the first images of its electric vehicle, with a modern, dynamic livery from Aguti which captures a sense of electrifying speed. These images can be seen by clicking here.

TMG is also proud to announce its partners in this lap record attempt, all of whom enjoy visible branding on the electric vehicle. Aguti created and implemented the livery concept while rational motion integrated the electric powertrain, traction battery and control strategies. EVO Electric motor technology delivers the power and Yokohama is the tyre supplier.

Official timers will be present to authenticate the lap record while video and a photography crew will record a milestone achievement in EV development. These materials will be made available to all media immediately after any successful record attempts.

Toyota 4runner

Toyota 4runner

 Toyota 4runner

The Toyota 4runner has evolved in the past from your simple capped pickup with a premium mid-sized SUV; from being moderately underpowered, it has attended having more power than many competitors, with plenty of good, healthy torque. Some wheel drive system, like a lot of others, adjusted from being labor-intensive to turn-a-dial easy, while the interior has got cushier and quieter. Many features are standard, including hill ascent and hill descent control, a five-speed automatic transmission, antilock brakes, traction control, and air cooling. Maybe this is exactly why the SR5 designation, once available to feature-filled Toyotas, is the base model 4runner.

 Toyota 4runner

The Toyota 4runner is available with rear- or four-wheel drive and something of two engines. The typical 4.0-liter V6 makes 236 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. The optional 4.7-liter V8 generates 260 hp and 306 lb-ft of torque. All 4Runners have a five-speed automatic transmission. Towing capacity is 7,300 pounds on V8 models, while V6 models top out at 5,000 pounds. Fuel economy estimates for four-wheel-drive 2008 4Runners stand at 16 mpg city and 20 mpg highway to the V6 and 14/17 mpg to the V8.

 Toyota 4runner

The Toyota 4runner offers roomy quarters for four to five passengers, plus a couple extra kids if you select the 50/50 third-row seat. To generate way for cargo, each 50 % of the third-row seat could be stowed in a upright position along the sideboards or removed completely, nevertheless it does not fold flat in the floor. The complete design with the interior is both good to look at and seriously functional generally controls simple to find and rehearse. Our only major ergonomic complaint concerns the climate controls, which look like intuitive dials but work a lot more like joysticks. Maximum cargo capacity is 75 cubic feet, which trails behind almost all of the 4Runner’s midsize competitors.

 Toyota 4runner

The Toyota 4runner can be acquired with either two- or four-wheel drive then one of two engines. The standard 4.0-liter V6 makes 236 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. The optional 4.7-liter V8 generates 260 hp and 306 lb-ft of torque. All 4Runners get yourself a five-speed automatic transmission. Towing capacity is 7,300 pounds on V8 models, while V6 models top out at 5,000 pounds.

Toyota 4runner

 Toyota 4runner

 Toyota 4runner

 Toyota 4runner

 Toyota 4runner

Toyota 4runner