I really expected something to happen with the new Toyota Avensis, and sooner. Not sure if the Japanese heard me or not, but the thing is they’ve announced the new model at the Paris Motor Show looking better than ever. The engines have always been a great point for Toyota and the new Avensis won’t let you down.

There will be three petrol engines available – a 1.6 liter that outputs 132 hp, a 1.8 liter that has 147 hp and the best of them all the 2.0 liter Valvematic that delivers 152 hp and 196 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm. And two diesel units – a126 hp 2.0 liter D-4D engine and the 150hp 2.2-litre D-4D (lovely). Add to all these the 6-speed automatic transmission and we may have a new success from Toyota. Great job! – via AutoBlog

There is something about Toyota that makes the cars lovely. Don’t know if it’s just the Japanese or not, call it superior quality or whatever you like, but their cars always had both the looks and the things under the hood to make me fall for them. Here are a couple of pictures with the new Toyota Avensis that just popped out.

Thanks to its dynamic handling and a very refined experience while driving, the new Toyota Avensis is going to include new features like the Steering-assist Vehicle Stability Control (VSC+), Adaptive Front Light System (AFS) or the Pre-Crash Safety System (PCS). We only have these things right now, but things should be shed to light next month in Paris.

We all know what’s the most successful hybrid of all times: Toyota Prius. But what we don’t enjoy very much is that it has a boring design. Things changed when Claes Gustafson and the crew at Classe’s Garage got their hands on one and created what you can see below for a Swedish TV show. And yes, that’s a Toyota Prius.

Even though the outcome is spectacular, it involved HARD work because there’s no body kit available for the Prius and they had to start with a modified Volvo XC90. They also removed the back doors and installed custom made knife doors for the front, installed a carbon fiber venturi, air suspension, 20-inch wheels and over-sized front brakes.

They didn’t work just on the tech part and the interior got improved, too. It has a central console with a custom dashboard and a 4,400-watt stereo system. However that’s not all because this hardcore Prius also features 15 LCD panels and a tablet PC for Wireless Internet.

“The goal … was to give the viewer a great show and, second, to show that a Toyota isn’t a boring and anonymous car,” Claes Gustafson told Wired. According to him, the whole idea was “to show that every car can be styled.”

It looks stunning and has a price that competes with that: $184,275. Is it worth it?

My biggest concern if all these things can be supported by those 4 batteries.

Via Jalopnik

Dubai, exactly the place where I would expect to see the most expensive cars in the world, is where this gold-trimmed Toyota Camry got spotted. I wasn’t expecting to see a 24k gold plated Camry but I guess the owner can’t afford a Bentley or a Rolls, so here it is. From what I’ve seen the car is for sale and the cost is 135,000 AED ($36,800 or €23,700). I wouldn’t pay, would you? Why on a Earth would you pimp a Camry with gold? Still can’t answer that question … Can you?

via Auto Unleashed

Hybrid cars are going to be the next best thing, or at least that’s what researchers say. With oil prices reaching record levels it’s really hard to drive a car that consumes 20-25 liters for every 100km.

The best selling hybrid, Toyota Prius has news for us. They’re going to change it and recent spy shots show a newly styled body. It’s longer, wider and has a larger boot, features better fuel economy and rumors say it won’t feature NiMh batteries anymore. But Li-ion, which are lighter and smaller, making it faster and more spacious.

The new Toyota Prius will be official in 2010 and some talk of a two-door coupe, a wagon or a commuter version to enrich the brand.

Image credits: CarPix

Source

Indus Motors Co. Ltd is a Pakistan auto company. Toyota just purchased a 12.5% stake in the company for $53.3 million. Quick mater = makes the company worth about $425 million, right? For someone like Bill Gates, that’s pocket change. Gosh, some sports figures could pony up that much. Can you say Tiger Woods?

Toyota is keen to gain more traction in the subcontinent and this purchase gives them a 25% stake overall in Indus. The stocks were bought from Overseas Pak Investors AG and through a public offer.  I wonder why Toyota didn’t just buy the whole company outright? They surely have the money.

In the meantime…another Japanese car maker, Suzuki, is number one in the area. But, Toyota is coming…Toyota is coming….

Apparently Toyota is testing their 2010 Avensis model in Scandinavia and our friends from WorldCarFans managed to get some spy shots for us. Rumors say that the 2010 Toyota Avensis may be presented next year in 2009 during the International Motor Show in Geneva.

To be honest the new design is much better with a styled front part and a better looking rear that makes it a very good choice in its class. Toyota is supposed to bring a hybrid engine with all-wheel-drive and a diesel hybrid in 2010 on the new Avensis and it’s said to feature a high mounted gear lever.

Ferrari F2008

Three weeks before the start of the 2008 Formula One Championship and Jarno Trulli just announced that he thinks Ferarri is going to win it this year. He doesn’t give other any chances and says “the championship already looks over to me before it has started”. The guy tested Toyota and Ferrari cars in Bahrein and is very happy with what the new F2008 is offering being noticeable quicker (half a second quicker).

On the other hand, Trulli said that for Toyota’s TF108 is “unrealistic to talk about podiums.”

Toyota TF108