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A Cairns-based Toyota Prius taxi has clocked up approximately 550,000 kilometers while costing just half the fuel and maintenance outlay compared to other conventionally-powered cars in the fleet.

Thirty-two Prius taxis operate in Cairns, each clocking up around 200,000km per annum. Local Toyota dealer Pacific Toyota says it has eight more on order for local cab companies.

Taxi operator Graham Boundy, who owns Black and White Taxis in Cairns, received the company’s first Prius in September 2005.

“We’ve have had almost three years great service from it,” he said.

“We obviously track our costs very closely and our reports show the Prius consumes half the petrol of other vehicles in our fleet and also half the service costs – it is quite amazing.

“The Prius is also very suitable as a taxi in terms of leg and head room for both front and rear passengers, and in terms of boot size.

“In three years of driving it, I only had to turn down one fare for a group of four tourists with four very large, hard pieces of luggage.”

Mr Boundy said he no longer drives the Prius taxi himself, but was so impressed by the overall performance and low running costs of the vehicle that he bought a Prius for private use, and another for his wife.

The experience of Prius taxis also revealed the exceptional battery life of Prius.

The latest Prius battery confirms the progress made in sealed nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) technology, which was originally developed for electric vehicles.

The Prius taxi that has covered approximately 550,000km had a battery that recorded a low voltage reading and was replaced at 500,000km, as did another Prius taxi in Cairns that had travelled 350,000km.

These are the only two Prius in Australia that Toyota is aware of that have required battery replacements since the vehicle was first launched in Australia in October 2001.

“When you consider that the average car in Australia travels approximately 15,000km per year, the 350,000km Prius has crammed over 23 years of average driving into a couple of years,” said Vic Johnston, Toyota’s manager of hybrid sales and fleet strategy.

“And the 550,000km Prius has fitted in 36 years into three years, which is astonishing.

“The average age of the Australian car population is now around 10 years, so the battery is lasting well over double that in distance terms.

“When you consider that the Prius taxis in Cairns are generating half the fuel and service costs of other vehicles in their fleets, the Prius is significantly cheaper in whole-of-life costs.

“That’s why the taxi fleets use them, and continue to order them – they are simply less expensive to run and maintain than conventional vehicles in their fleet.”

The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive used in Prius combines a petrol engine with a powerful electric motor.

At the time of purchase, Prius owners are automatically entitled to Toyota Service Advantage capped-price servicing, paying just $120 each service for up to six standard scheduled services during the first three years, or 60,000 kilometres of driving, (whichever occurs first).*

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The new RAV4 SR180 brings both sporting performance and high value to Toyota’s compact SUV range, a model that ably combines spirited on-road driving, contemporary good looks and the kind of off-road ability that more than meets the demands of most motorists.

Positioned to command a price advantage against its main market rivals, the RAV4 SR180 is exclusively powered by Toyota’s advanced 175bhp (177 DIN hp) D-4D diesel engine, mated to a slick six-speed manual transmission. With 400Nm of torque on tap, it is a formidable performer and can move from rest to 62mph in 9.3 seconds. Its pulling power is matched by respectable fuel consumption of 40.4mpg (official combined cycle figure) and carbon dioxide emissions of 185g/km – Band E for Vehicle Excise Duty.

Building on the specification of the RAV4 XT-R, the SR180 is distinguished by its 18-inch alloys housed in bold, extended wheelarches. Run-flat tyre technology means there is no need to house a spare. Dark-tinted headlamps further distinguish the model from its stablemates. The list of standard features also includes Integrated Active Drive, which combines Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control and Hill Start Assist, Bluetooth connectivity, dark-tinted rear privacy glass, front fog lamps, six-speaker sound system with six-CD autochanger, cruise control, electric sunroof and rear parking sensors.

On sale now, the new RAV4 SR180 has an on-the-road price of £23,045. Owners can add a personal touch to their vehicle with a choice of options, including a Style Pack (£695) with side steps, scuff plates and chrome bodywork detailing and full-map satellite navigation (£1,735).

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Toyota is responding to changes in consumer demand and improving the production efficiency and stability of its North American operations by adjusting production mix at three plants. The changes include the addition of the Prius hybrid sedan to its North American lineup.

The changes are as follows:

- Prius will be built at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010. Prius, which will join the Kentucky-built Camry Hybrid as the second Toyota hybrid built in North America, enables Toyota to better respond to increased consumer demand for hybrid vehicles.

- The Highlander mid-size SUV, originally scheduled to be built in Mississippi, will now be manufactured in Princeton, Ind., beginning in Fall 2009.

- Production of the Tundra full-size pick-up truck, currently built in Indiana and Texas, will be consolidated at the San Antonio plant in Spring 2009.

In addition, Toyota will temporarily suspend Tundra and Sequoia production beginning August 8 due to the declining overall market for full size trucks and SUVs. Production is scheduled to resume in early November. Team members at both facilities, as well as the Huntsville, Ala. plant that builds Tundra and Sequoia engines, will continue to be provided work.

“The truck market continues to worsen, so unfortunately we must temporarily suspend production. But this good news about production mix demonstrates our long-term commitment to our North American operations and to our team members, supplier partners, and communities where our plants are located,” said Jim Wiseman, vice president/external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). “By using this downturn as an opportunity to develop team members and improve our operations, we hope to emerge even stronger.”

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Thanks to a partnership between Panasonic Toyota Racing and Warner Bros. Pictures, Hollywood is coming to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix weekend to celebrate the release of the event movie of the summer: The Dark Knight.

The much-anticipated film, which releases in cinemas across the UK on 25 July, is the follow up to the 2005 action hit Batman Begins. The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who again portrays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.

To mark the release of The Dark Knight, Panasonic Toyota Racing will adopt a new look at Silverstone this weekend. The Dark Knight artwork will feature on the TF108s and the overalls of Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock, as well as the team’s motor home.

But The Dark Knight theme does not stop there. On show at Silverstone will be the iconic Batmobile and Bat-Pod vehicles, while some very special media events will bring the excitement of The Dark Knight to life.

The Batmobile will even take to the Silverstone track on Thursday evening for a demonstration run alongside the TF108, followed by some unique photo opportunities with the Bat-Pod and Jarno Trulli and Timo Glock.

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A YEAR ago Hilux was on top of the world, the first car to be driven through the Arctic wastes to the Magnetic North Pole. Now it is top of the pile again with a new range-topping model that is Britain’s most powerful production pick-up.

-The Toyota that conquered the pole becomes Britain’s most powerful production pick-up

-On sale from 1 July, price from £21,540 (commercial vehicle on the road)

The Hilux Invincible 200 Double Cab is equipped with a Toyota Motor Sport diesel engine performance kit that transforms the performance of the 3.0-litre D-4D engine. Power is increased from 169 to 194bhp (171 to 197 DIN hp) and maximum torque rises from 343 to 430Nm, generated all the way from 1,600 to 3,200rpm, making the Invincible 200 more powerful than any of its market rivals. What’s more, the hike in output brings no penalty in fuel consumption or emissions compared to the standard Invincible.

The new Hilux flagship enjoys a superior specification, too, with exclusive two-tone leather upholstery, heated front seats, steel mesh front grille and black metallic paint finish. These are in addition to regular Invincible features, including darkened rear privacy glass, full-map touch screen satellite navigation, scuff plates and metallic finish alloy wheels.

Just 500 examples will be available, on sale from 1 July. The commercial vehicle on-the-road price is £21,540 for the manual version and £22,640 for the automatic, which additionally features cruise control as standard.

Toyota TRD HiLux Official Debut

Today the National Labor Committee (NLC) is releasing a 65-page report, “The Toyota You Don’t Know” documenting serious human rights violations by the Toyota Motor Company, which will disturb most Americans.

“Celebrities like Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pit, Bill Maher and others have led the way in turning Toyota’s Prius into a symbol of concern for our environment,” said Charles Kernaghan, director of the NLC, “We hope that these same celebrities will now also challenge Toyota to improve its respect for human and worker rights. As a start, Toyota should cut its ties to the Burmese dictators and end the exploitation of foreign guest workers trafficked to Japan.”

* Toyota linked to human trafficking and sweatshop abuse: Toyota’s much admired “Just in Time” auto parts supply chain is riddled with sweatshop abuse, including the trafficking of foreign guest workers, mostly from China and Vietnam to Japan, who are stripped of their passports and often forced to work–including at subcontract plants supplying Toyota–16 hours a day, seven days a week, while being paid less than half the legal minimum wage. Guest workers who complain about abusive conditions are deported.

* Prius made by low-wage temps: Fully one-third–10,000–of all Toyota assembly line workers in Japan are low-wage temps who have few rights and earn less than 60% of what full time workers do.

* Unpaid overtime and “overworked” to death: Mr. Kenichi Uchino was just 30 years old when he died of overwork on an assembly line at Toyota’s Prius plant, leaving behind his young wife and two children. Mr. Uchino routinely worked 13 to 14 hours a day, putting in 106 1/2 to 155 hours of overtime–depending on whether work taken home was counted–in the 30 days leading up to his death. Toyota claimed that he had only worked 45 hours of overtime and that the other 61 1/2 to 110 hours were “voluntary” and unpaid. His wife had to go to court — which ruled that Mr. Uchino was overworked to death — to win a pension for their children.

* Ties to Burmese dictators: Toyota, through the Toyota Tsusho Corporation, which is part of the Toyota Group of Companies, is involved in several joint business ventures with the ruthless military regime in Burma. The dictators use these revenues to repress and torture the people of Burma.

* Toyota and the race to the bottom: Toyota is imposing its two-tier, low wage model at its non-union plants in the south of the United States, which will result in wages and benefits being slashed across the entire auto industry.

The National Labor Committee recently documented how the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement descended into human trafficking with tens of thousands of foreign guest workers held under conditions of involuntary servitude.

The Toyota Yaris has been named Green Car of the Year 2008 by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA). The announcement comes ahead of the start of Green Transport Week (14 – 22 June). The ETA developed their annual Green Car Buyer’s Guide after reviewing more than 1300 vehicles currently on sale in the UK. Research for the guide focused on power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even noise levels of the vehicles.

In addition to the Yaris being named the overall winner, three other Toyota models were in the ETA’s top ten with the Prius (3rd), Aygo (6th) and Auris (9th) being identified as some of the greenest vehicles available in the UK.

The Toyota RAV4 was named as the greenest vehicle in the Off Road category and the Toyota Aygo was top in the City category.

The second-generation Toyota Yaris went on sale in 2006 offering improved quality, accommodation, performance and dynamic ability. As well as being the overall winner of the ETA’s Green Car of the Year 2008 it has been named the top green vehicle in the Supermini category.

The Yaris has a strong, dynamic look and is exceptionally aerodynamically efficient with a Cd of 0.30 – among the best in its class – helping fuel economy and reducing noise disturbance when on the move.

Yaris is available in three and five-door body styles with a choice of four engines. With both manual and MultiMode transmissions, the 1.4-litre D-4D 90 can return 62.8mpg in combined cycle driving, with further ownership cost benefits from CO2 emissions of 119g/km, which place the vehicle in band B for Vehicle Excise Duty.

2008 Toyota Yaris RUSH Limited Edition Launched Australia
2008 Toyota Auris SR180