The Crank: Japan’s automakers are in catch-up mode

By John LeBlanc The big stink south of the border last week was the launch of the new 2012 Toyota Camry family sedan (above left). A “big stink” because like Honda’s compact Civic sedan (above right) up here in the Great White North, the midsize Camry has been the perennially best-selling non-pickup new car for something like 13 […]

Road Test: 2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid

[svgallery name=”2010_Toyota_Camry_Hybrid”] Vanilla ice-cream, sans vanilla Are the Camry Hybrid’s gains in fuel economy worth the loses in the wallet and driving experience? By John LeBlanc If you want to tell the world you’re driving a gasoline-electric hybrid – and all that it speaks to, good or bad – then buy a Toyota Prius, the […]

The Trouble with Toyotas: Should brake override systems be mandatory?

You’ve probably already read the story, or watched the chase video of the runaway Toyota Prius that had to be stopped by a police car Monday in California after the car’s accelerator became stuck. Now whether you can blame the car or the driver, it does bring up the question: If the gentleman’s Prius had […]

The Trouble with Toyotas: $100M saved applying “cheap” floor mat fix

By John LeBlanc Toyota President Akio Toyoda ’s appearance this week in Washington to defend his company’s actions on the unintended acceleration crisis isn’t getting off to a great start. A newly released internal Toyota document claims the Japanese automaker saved more than $100 million (U.S.) by convincing U.S. safety officials to end a 2007 investigation […]

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