When car buyers think of hybrids, the name that most often springs to mind is the Toyota Prius since it was the first really practical hybrid to come to market and has sold more than any other examples. Yes, of course, the original Honda Insight beat the Prius to market in the U.S. by about six months, but the tiny two-seater sold in equally tiny numbers and had limited appeal beyond hard core hyper milers. In the coming weeks, Toyota dealers will start getting their first allotments of the all-new third-generation Prius, and while we got to spend a few hours with one on the west coast ... Read More

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Podcast: Autoblog Podcast #288 1340742000

Tesla Model S, Toyota and BMW partnership, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu pricing, Acura RLX Episode #288 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Chris and Dan are joined by Test Fleet Manager Steven Ewing to chat about 2013 Chevrolet Malibu pricing, expanding BMW/Toyota partnerships, the Tesla Model S and the Acura RLX. Your questions and comments power ...
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Video: Star Wars Prius commercial uses famous droids to sell Toyota's plug-in 1338577020

Help us, plug-in cars, you're our only hope. In his original deal with Fox for the first Star Wars movie, George Lucas famously kept the licensing rights for himself. That deal – unusual at the time – has resulted in a huge pile of cash for the filmmaker and the ability for his iconic characters to appear on a seriously uncountable pile of ...
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Report: Cars.com calls out Consumer Reports over Toyota Prius C verdict 1338571680

Cars.com has evidently taken issue with a Consumer Reports video review featured on Autoblog advising consumers that they would be better off buying a used "regular" Prius instead of a 2012 Prius C. Consumer Reports shouldn't have passed on recommending the Prius C, Cars.com argues: "CR's low testing scores for the Prius C stand in stark contrast to our ...
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Video: 2013 Toyota Prius C doesn't get much love from Consumer Reports 1338324960

Consumer Reports has panned the 2012 Toyota Prius C in a new video review that urges car shoppers to get a used regular Prius over the new baby model, "it's a much better car overall," said Mike Quincy in the review. The problems Toyota ran into in creating the Prius C appear to be in making it cheaper, according to Consumer Reports. The list of ...
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Report: Toyota Prius now third-most-popular car in the world... sort of 1338314280

Think you're seeing more Toyota Prius models on the road these days? Well, you are. Automotive News is reporting that all those increased Prius sales in the U.S. and Japan (see here and here and here and here etc.) have turned the Prius into the world's third-best-selling car model for the first three months of 2012. During the first quarter, the Prius ...

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Official: IIHS crowns three new Top Safety Picks [w/video] 1337261220

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has crowned two sedans and a hatchback as Top Safety Picks: the 2013 Chevrolet Malibe Eco, 2012 Hyundai Azera and 2012 Toyota Prius c. The redesigned 2013 Malibu joins its 2012 model-mate as a Top Pick, and the 2013 earned a good side impact rating even without its optional side airbags. The Prius c also has ...
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Report: Google allowed to test self-driving car on Nevada public streets 1336600800

Nevada has officially granted Google a license to test autonomous vehicles on public streets. The tech giant underwent demonstrations in both Las Vegas and Carson City to prove its vehicles are as safe or safer than those piloted by mere humans. The state requires two people to be in the test vehicles at all times, including at one occupant in the ...
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Official: Toyota Prius plug-in sells 1,654 copies in April, beating Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf 1336048080

The Toyota Prius, the most popular hybrid in the world, was also the most popular plug-in vehicle in U.S. last month. Compared to sales of the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, which sold 1,462 and 370 units, respectively, the $32,000 Prius Plug-in quietly sold 1,654 copies in April, reports PluginCars. With such strong name recognition and pent-up ...
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Report: Toyota looking for high-volume Prius assembly in U.S. by 2015 1335796200

Rumors that Toyota would some day build the Prius in the U.S. have bounced around for years, with a location in Mississippi often being cited as the most likely candidate. After that plan was officially scrapped in 2008, a new version of the same story returned in 2010 when a Toyota executive vice president said Mississippi Prius production could start up ...
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Report: Hundreds of 5-year-old municipal vehicles found in Miami that were never used 1335394740

Have you ever bought a brand new cars only to forget where you put it? How about 300 of them? Probably not – unless you're Miami-Dade County, which was recently reunited with 298 vehicles it bought brand new between 2006 and 2007. The county "discovered" this fleet of no-mileage vehicles after reading about them in a Spanish-language newspaper ...