Toyota

Tesla Electric SUV Coming

Tesla Motors has started designing the Model X SUV, a sporty crossover model that will be no larger than your typical compact SUV, while offering the interior space of a full-size passenger van, reports Edmunds.com's GreenCarAdvisor.

The electric vehicle company is able to achieve the space, according to the report, because Tesla, unlike traditional automakers, isn't hampered by a large internal combustion engine and most of the most space absorbing systems that accompany it.

The vehicle could launch by 2014.

Tesla, which went public last year and is set to receive hundreds of millions in federal loans if it meets certain milestones, is known for its Tesla Roadster, which costs in excess of $100,000. Actors George Clooney and Brad Pitt ore among its customers.

The company, which counts German automaker Daimler and Toyota among its stake-holders, is supposed to start building a $40,000-$50,000 Model S (pictured) electric vehicle next year at its 5 million square foot factory in Fremont, CA next year.

That car, notes GreenCarAdvisor, is about as big as a BMW 5 Series, but seating for five adults and two children plus cargo.

Tags: Daimler, electric vehicles, SUV, tesla motors, Toyota

Hall of famer John Elway $15 million Poorer from Ponzi Scheme

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Crimes and Misdemeanors

Hall of Fame Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway is $15 million poorer.

Elway, who has diversified business holdings including a large Toyota auto dealership invested $15 million last March with Colorado hedge-fund manager Sean Mueller who was charged this week in an alleged Ponzi scheme.

Mueller, 42, turned himself in this week to authorities a day after being charged by prosecutors with racketeering, securities fraud and theft in a scheme said to have bilked tens of millions of dollars out of investors.

Elway and business partner Mitchell Pierce said in a motion filed Tuesday they met with Mueller in Denver on Feb. 22 to discuss an investment with his company, Mueller Capital Management. In March, the Hall of Famer and and Pierce transferred funds to Mueller to be held in escrow until they agreed on where to invest the money, the men said in the filing. On March 30, Mueller advised them he was still setting up managed accounts in their names, they said.

About 65 people invested roughly $71 million since 2000 with Mueller Capital Management, according to an affidavit filed by the Denver district attorney's office. Mueller had less than $9.5million in cash and investments in April and liabilities to investors of $45million, said Colorado Division of Securities investigator Richard Rogers in the affidavit.

In their filing, Elway and Pierce ask the court to put their claim ahead of the others so that they may recapture their investment first. They said Mueller agreed to put their money in a trust and not mingle it with other investors' funds. That, of course, did not happen.

Tags: John Elway, ponzi scheme, Sean Mueller, Toyota

Toyota iQ Disco

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Diminutive city cars like the Toyota iQ (on which the Aston Martin Cygnet is incidentally based) are all about downsizing. But that doesn't mean they can't get noticed, and noticed in a big way as the case may be with the latest show car.

Called the iQ Disco, this blinged-out mirrored hatchback is a showpiece for Toyota in Germany. It features a mirror-ball finish, Lambo doors, 18-inch alloys and a 130 dB Numark DJ system. It's set to hit a concert festival in Cologne shortly, after which it will tour Toyota's dealerships across Germany as a promotional tool where subtlety needn't apply.

Gallery: Toyota iQ Disco

Tags: disco, iq, iq disco, smal cars, toyota, toyota iq, toyota iq disco

Toyota iQ N-Collection by Neuhaus

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Cars & Autos

Seems like they can make anything out of chocolate these days. All they need is the proper motivation. But this is something else entirely: a chocolate car. Well, almost.

What you're looking at is not a car made of chocolate, but a special edition car made to honor one of Europe's premier chocolatiers. The Toyota iQ N-Collection was made in collaboration with Belgium's Neuhaus. It features special paint schemes – either dark brown or cream butter – with correspondingly delicious interiors.

It may be a decidedly different take on the little city car than that taken by Aston Martin with its Cygnet, but it's also even rarer: only 700 examples will be produced, only available in Germany – it is, after all, the land of chocolate – at 14,600 euros (about $19,500), representing a 1700 euro premium over base.

Gallery: Toyota iQ N-Collection by Neuhaus

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Tags: chocolate, city car, n-collection, neuhaus, toyota, toyota iq, toyota iq n-collection

X Marks the Spot: Toyota Unveils New Premium Sedan in Tokyo

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Names like Infiniti, Acura and Lexus have come to occupy central roles in the luxury automobile market. But for decades, these brands were only sold in North America. Lexus came home to roost just a few years ago, while Infiniti and Acura are still dedicated exclusively to the foreign market. So while it may seem counter-intuitive to see luxury sedans marketed under labels we'd consider decidedly ordinary here, in their domestic markets the practice is commonplace. Take for example the new Toyota Mark X.

This slick premium sedan is now in its second iteration, recently revealed under the bright lights of the semi-annual Tokyo Motor Show. Sold exclusively in Japan, it shares its platform with the Lexus GS, but comes wrapped in a sportier shell, with a choice of V6 engines in 2.5-liter/203hp and 3.5-liter/315hp guises driving through a six-speed automatic transmission and either rear- or all-wheel-drive. Not unlike the Hyundai Genesis sedan which comes to market conspicuously void of Hyundai badges, the Mark X bares its own grille ornament, giving the premium sedan an air of sophistication to slot somewhere in between Toyota's image and that of its upscale counterpart Lexus.

Gallery: Toyota Mark X

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Tags: lexus, mark x, MarkX, toyota, toyota mark x, ToyotaMarkX

Toyota F1 Car Parts Available For Purchase

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Sports

Getting a piece of the action is what sports memorabilia is all about. And when it comes to motorsports, there's plenty to go around. Every year, each Formula One team complete redesigns its cars, and builds several of them in pairs to last its drivers the entire season. Once the season's done, many of the teams opt to sell off either the entire car, or pieces of the car to collectors. And while Toyota may not have fared so well in previous seasons, this year the team is in third place, ahead of recent championship-winning teams Ferrari, McLaren and Renault, making their memorabilia particularly attractive to collectors, especially at prices significantly lower than those of its competition. While a 1:3 scale replica of a Ferrari nose-cone from last year, for example, will set you back a whopping 5833 euros, an authentic example from Toyota (like the one pictured above) doesn't cost a fraction of that amount, and there are plenty of tantalizing collectible bits starting at just 200 euros for an authentic wheel, brake disc or carbon-fiber suspension piece.

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Tags: cologne, f1 merchandise, f1 spare parts, F1Merchandise, F1SpareParts, formula 1, formula one, formula one merchandise, Formula1, FormulaOne, FormulaOneMerchandise, merchandise, merchandising, spare parts, SpareParts, toyota, toyota f1, toyota formula one, ToyotaF1, ToyotaFormulaOne

Toyota Alphard Royal Lounge: Hot or Not?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Our siblings at Autoblog have pics and details on the Toyota Alphard Royal Lounge, a vehicle with the exterior of a boxy minivan and an interior that is all leather and polished wood. It has video screens, fold-out power ottomans, tray tables and a refrigerator console for all your beverages. Basically it has a private jet-like feel but with a minivan's practicality and anonymity. At seven million yen (around $61,000) it's not quite in the Maybach's league but then again it probably isn't quite as speedy at the zero to sixty hop either. Autoblog's readers were pretty split on whether this was incredibly cool or nothing special at all. At least it is available as a hybrid which is more than you can say for Maybach at this point.

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Tags: luxury cars, minivan, toyota