Toyota is looking to meld the smartphones with the television in a new ad campaign. The automaker is giving fans a chance to win two Camrys in new promotion that uses the Shazam mobile app in conjunction with a TV spot. When the commercial airs, viewers simply fire up Shazam and enter the giveaway. (They can also enter the sweepstakes online.) Toyota says the program is the first and largest of its kind to use Shazam.

The “Connections” TV spot is designed to encourage further exploration of the so-called “Camry Effect,” a social media campaign focused on how the Camry impacts people’s lives for the better. Fans can enter the sweepstakes once daily for a chance to take home a Camry for themselves and one for a friend. Hit the jump for the full press release. Read More »

When Toyota announced its return to endurance sports car racing with the new TS030 Hybrid this season, the plan was to enter a handful of races, like Le Mans and Spa-Francorchamps, on an invitational basis.

Plans change, though, and Toyota has now upgraded the program to a full manufacturer entry, paving the way for it to compete in the entire FIA World Endurance Championship schedule. Now, with budget constraints, it’s likely that Toyota will still pick and choose which races to contest, but it does open the door.

The change was apparently made in order to support endurance racing as a motorsport discipline. As part of its arrangement with the FIA, organizers at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) need at least two manufacturers in the LMP1 category. With Peugeot’s withdrawal, the series lacked the requisite level of participation, so Toyota stepped up to fill the void. Follow the jump for the full announcement. Read More »

Today’s vehicles are more powerful, more efficient and safer than ever before. In fact, today’s car buyer would be hard pressed to spend his or her money on a genuinely bad vehicle. But those overall improvements may have also led consumers to believe there are no real differences between the various products offered by the world’s major automakers. According to the Consumer Reports 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet have all seen their scores drop by double digits compared to last year. Read More »

A new Lexus LX 570 is going to set you back nearly $82k after you add $875 delivery to its $80,930 base price. The luxury version of the Toyota Land Cruiser wears a new Lexus spindle grille, one that’s big enough to make Rumplestiltskin proud, and it has revised front and rear fascias among the other upgrades that Lexus says justify its 1.9-percent price increase.

Among the other new-for-2013 features are an updated Crawl Control mode and terrain-select for the all-wheel-drive system, because what Lexus owner doesn’t enjoy serious rock-crawling? A new multimedia system with the next-generation Lexus Enform system is also part of the deal, which seems much more in line with real-world customer behavior, as Enform allows drivers to use Facebook and Yelp, among other services.

For those LX 570 buyers who just must have it all, there’s also a $1,510 luxury package that adds some higher grade trim and features, and a backseat entertainment system for $2,005.

Toyota only sold 3,167 units of the Lexus LX last year, down by about 20 percent.

To read the full release, click past the jump. Read More »

Drivers in Japan have once again taken to the track in an effort to wring maximum mileage from their Toyota hybrids. According to AutoWeek, the Prius Cup resumed this year after a two-year hiatus.
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Toyota is bringing a new concept to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The company calls its NS4 showcar an “advanced” plug-in hybrid, though it hasn’t shared any more information beyond the vehicle’s name. While we can’t say for certain, odds are the concept will give us a glimpse of what the company has planned for future hybrid design instead of boasting any tangible next-generation technology. As you may recall, Toyota and BMW recently partnered up to create a new lithium-ion battery pack, so it may be some time before we see the tech debut, even in a concept vehicle.

Toyota has also made it clear the company will bring along the Prius C, which will make its North American debut at the Detroit show (see gallery below). The Prius C rides on a platform about the same size as the Yaris, but comes packing a hybrid drivetrain. Word has it the vehicle will come with Prius-besting EPA fuel economy figures, too. Hit the jump for the brief press release, and stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the Detroit show. Read More »

The stereotype of elderly drivers preferring Lincolns and Buicks has to come from somewhere. TrueCar.com took a look at the past two years of car sales to buyers at least 65 years old and found a couple common threads. The first thing these buyers are looking for is familiarity. The nameplates and vehicle types that were popular when these buyers were younger rank high with senior buyers, kind of the same way people’s musical preferences get frozen in time.
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