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Toyota are planning to launch the first dedicated hybrid model for its Lexus luxury line in 2009.

The model is expected to be priced between the 30,000 euro ($40,310) IS sedan and the 51,000 euro ($68,520) RX400h hybrid sport utility vehicle. This makes it the cheapest hybrid under the Lexus badge.

The new Lexus hybrid vehicle will be sold in Japan and Europe, but not certain about a launch in North America, according to Automotive News.

The Toyota Tundra has quality issues that could lead to a recall.

A decent number of V-8 Tundras owners have reported camshaft failures in their vehicles. Toyota informed the Detroit News that it had recieved 20 complaints. This quality issue could affect as many as 30,000 Tundras that were built at assembly plants in Texas and Indiana.

Toyota had planned to sell 200,000 of these Tundras. This would be the truck’s first year as a part of an expansion plan in the United States. Toyota has opened a new plant in San Antonio to assemble the Tundra.

Toyota’s plant in Texas had suffered cost overruns before it opened late last year. The News also reports the Tundra had failed to match Ford’s F-150 and Dodge’s Ram in frontal crash test scores.

Toyota Motor and Honda Motor have reported an increase in automobile exports from Japan in May on solid demand for fuel-efficient vehicles in Asia, Europe and the U.S.A.

The exports by Japan’s 2 largest auto manufacturers have been rising. Toyota’s export shipments increased for the 18th straight month while Honda’s shipments increased for the 12th straight month.

Toyota plans to release a new hybrid car on the market by 2009. This will be following the world wide success of its Prius model that we have discussed a week ago on the blog.

The initial aim is for international sales of 100,000 units per year. This will aid in contributing to a total target of 1,000,000 hybrid cars per year in a few years’ time. Approximately 310,000 hybrid cars were sold around the world in 2006. The Toyota Prius covered more than half of that market share.

Toyota has already begun developing this upcomming model. It will consist of a 2- to 3-liter engine. The Toyota Prius has a 1.5-liter. It will most likely be manufactured at the Miyata plant on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu.

Toyota currently offer seven models with this low-emission hybrid technology. They make 90% of the hybrid vehicles sold in the domestic market.

The top Toyota executives are worried that the organisation has possibly built too many U.S. factories. Eventhough Toyota’s sales in the United States of America continue to increase at a nice rate, these executives worry about an uncertain future.

Toyota has then gone ahead with a planned slowdown in U.S. factory building. Over the last 10 years, it took up a large majority of the market share by attracting U.S. car buyers much better than its competitors based in Detroit.

Toyota is currently discussing with Isuzu about working together on diesel engines. Isuzu, the main group behind GeneralMotors Duramax engines. These are relatively quiet, fuel-efficient and long-lasting. Toyota’s diesel technology is not as advanced so the purchase of a stake in Isuzu is a very smart move. Plans for an increase in the Tundra market share may also require a diesel option as it is traditional in American pickups.

The word is that Toyota will be releasing their latest model of the ever popular Toyota Supra in 2009. No date has been officially set and even 2008 has been thrown around before. The guys over at Inside Line has something to say about that 2009 speculation date:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/2829 

It will be competing up against the new offering from Nissan, the new Skyline GT-R.

2007 TOYOTA TUNDRA CREWMAX SR5
BASE PRICE: $34,630
AS-TESTED PRICE: $38,303
DRIVETRAIN: 5.7-liter V8; 4wd, six-speed automatic
OUTPUT: 381 hp @ 5600 rpm, 401 lb-ft @ 3600 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 5700 lb
FUEL ECONOMY (EPA/AW): 16/16.0 mpg
OPTIONS: TRD off-road package, including off-road tuned suspension, Bilstein shocks, unique 18-inch alloy wheels with 275/65R BF Goodrich tires, fog lamps, engine and fuel-tank skidplates, front tow hook, TRD off-road package graphics ($1,090); brushed stainless-steel stepboard ($589); cloth bucket seats with eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, four-way adjustable passenger seat, adjustable headrests, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, floor shift lever, center console box with laptop and file storage, trip computer ($565); front and rear clearance sonar ($500); bedliner without deck-rail system ($325); all-weather floor mats/doorsill protector ($214); AM/FM audio with six-disc CD changer, six speakers and auxiliary audio jack ($200); cold kit, including heavy-duty battery, heavy-duty starter, heavy-duty anti-corrosion protection, windshield de-icer with timer ($100); front and rear mudguards ($60); power outside mirrors ($30)

By CAROLYN PAVIA-RAUCHMAN

AutoWeek | Published 06/18/07, 2:24 pm et

It would be nice to report that all of the staff’s complaints about the Toyota FJ Cruiser have disappeared. But just the opposite has happened. Those who dislike it seem to feel more intensely, citing the same things that have annoyed them since we first drove this four-wheel-drive, retro-inspired SUV.

The most frequent complaint remains the poor visibility for the driver out the rear and back windows. “I always have an unsettling feeling when I look over my shoulder to check my blind spots and see a giant pillar,” said one driver. Another, who maintains that the visibility out of the FJ is “borderline unsafe,” just screamed into the log, “I CAN’T SEE OUT OF THIS THING.”

Nor have we quit questioning the premium-fuel requirement. One thing we can’t complain about too much, though, is the fuel economy for this kind of vehicle. The EPA indicates a combined rating of 18 mpg, and we’ve been averaging 18.1 mpg for nine months.

The suspension earned kudos for not beating us up, regardless of conditions, off-road or on the city’s rough surfaces. We had chances to go off-roading this past quarter, and for the most part, the FJ didn’t disappoint.