News: First pic of the new Toyota Corolla?

Is this the first image of the new Toyota Corolla? It could be...

Actually, what this definitely is is the first image of the Furia concept car, which Toyota will be showing off at next week's Detroit motor show. The speculation is (judging from what we can see under the dust-sheet in the other photo) that it's a compact four-door saloon that will replace the current Corolla in the American market first before making its way over here.

Frustratingly, Toyota is staying tight-lipped on the subject, admitting only that "it will be revealed using a custom-built structure housing thirty of Samsung Display’s new 46-inch transparent LCD screens. Toyota will be the first automotive company to use this technology to reveal a vehicle at a major international auto show."

News: Mainstream media gets into a panic over Toyota recall

Yes, Toyota is on the recall trail once again, calling in 7.4-million vehicles around the globe to have a potential electric window switch glitch fixed. And the world's media morons have really descended on this one...

(Sorry if this deviates from news and into opinion from this point on but this is annoying us...)

OK, so we all remember the Toyota recall debacles of 2010 and 2011 when millions of Toyotas were recalled because they could RUN TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL and KILL YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES and OH MY THE HUMANITY WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!?!?!??!

Except of course it was all tosh. Rubbish. Toyotas weren't running away from their drivers, and as NASA and the us National Highway Traffic Safety Authority proved, it was mostly down to either dodgy floor mats or people mistaking the throttle pedal for the brake. Nonetheless, the world's mainstream media descended on Toyota and proceeded to batter it black and blue for daring to sell us THESE DANGEROUS CARS!!!!!

Now, Toyota is recalling more cars, a huge number in fact, over a potential electric window switch. The fault is this; over time, the window switches might get a bit sticky or stiff to operate. If they do, and if the cars' owner attempts to use an incorrect lubricant on the switch to get it working smoothly again (Butter? Baby oil? That pleasure-max stuff that Durex sells?) it could cause a short circuit which could, maybe, infintessimaly possibly cause an electrical fire.

Please note at this point; this hasn't happened, and for it to happen, first the switch has to get stiff and secondly the owner has to become sufficiently concerned about it to try greasing it up with petrol-tainted hog-fat or something.

36,000 Irish Toyotas are affected by this recall; a mixture of Yaris, Auris, Corolla and RAV4. The fix takes about 60 minutes and can be done at any Toyota main dealer and if you're concerned that your car might be affected, then simply call Toyota on 01 4190222.

Yesterday, this blog witnessed an appallingly badly produced and silly report on this subject on BBC News which seemed to ignore several salient facts. One; no-one has been or is likely to be hurt by this. Two; this doesn't mean Toyota is about to go to the wall or sue for bankruptcy. Three; cars are made of hundreds of components which can, over time, wear or break. Four; most people presented with a sticky electric window switch are unlikely to even notice it or to try and do anything about it. Come on people, get a life. Recalls happen and this is a spectacularly unserious one.

In the meantime, keep the Vaseline away from the window switches, OK?

News: Toyota kicks off its 75th birthday bash

Most of us probably think of Toyota in terms of its arrival in Ireland in the 1970s, or its eighties Corolla heyday, or its popularisation of the Prius Hybrid in the late nineties and early noughties. But, believe it or not, Toyota is 75 years old this year.

In the mid-1930s, a young Kiichiro Toyoda saw the potential of mass produced cars for the general public. Through several years of perseverance, he eventually convinced the textile manufacturer Toyoda Automatic Loom Works to create a new Automobile Department. Kiichiro’s strong convictions saw his small start-up department spin off from the Toyoda Enterprise into the Toyota Motor Company in 1937. Now, 75 years later, Toyota is present in more than 170 countries worldwide and has seen over 200 million cars roll off its production lines.

The ever-popular Toyota Corolla firmly holds onto the title of best sold car in automotive history after 11 generations and over 39 million units sold. Every day, men and women around the world at Toyota’s production facilities and offices continue to strive to make ever-better cars. It is with this ingrained spirit of continuous improvement, or kaizen in Japanese, based on The Toyota Way.

Marking the occasion when the 200 millionth Toyota vehicle rolled off the production line, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation, commented: “We are determined to make our cars even better, to continue to give our customers the best possible product. This is the common goal of our 300,000 Toyota staff members worldwide.”

As the official 75th anniversary of Toyota approaches on November 3, Toyota in Europe is embarking on a number of initiatives to honour the dedication of Toyota members around the world and throughout the past 75 years. And it's not just an aren't-we-great thing either, these initiatives are designed to express the company’s gratitude to customers, fans and car lovers by sharing Toyota’s long history with them.

In Paris, Toyota recently unveiled an exciting new exhibition at the marque’s flagship showroom on one of the world’s most famous streets, Avenue des Champs-Élysées. The new exhibit at Le Rendez-Vous Toyota showcases some of Toyota’s most cherished models throughout the past three quarters of a century in two different sizes.

Visitors can get up close and personal with a number of exquisitely preserved Toyota classics, including: 1958 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ25, 1964 Toyota Corona, 1965 Toyota Sports 800, 1967 Toyota 2000GT, 1968 Toyota Corolla Sprinter and 1970 Toyota Celica Coupé 1600 GT.

The display also includes an impressive collection of 1:43 scale models on loan to Le Rendez-Vous Toyota by a private collector. The collection on display ranges from the company’s first passenger car, the Toyota Model AA sedan, to motorsport icons like Ayrton Senna’s Toyota-powered 1983 British F3 championship winning car.

The Toyota 75 exhibition will be available to all visitors at Le Rendez-Vous Toyota until December.

Starting October 8, take a walk down memory lane with Toyota Europe and explore the company’s extensive history brought to life on Twitter. For 75 days representing every year of operations, fans can discover Toyota’s 75 year history, featuring archive materials gathered from around the world. Join the journey on Twitter by following @toyota_europe and look out for the #Toyota75 hashtag.