Blog Blames Unintended Acceleration in Toyotas on Flawed Complaint Analysis
After reviewing analyses of unintended acceleration complaints to NHTSA about Toyota vehicles, TheTruthAboutCars blog has concluded that the data "puts a lot of the controversy … to rest."
The blog noted that about 3,000 of the 11,500 complaints of unintended acceleration (UA) involved Toyota vehicles. But when the data is examined in the context of incidents per 100,000 units, Volvo, which built its reputation on safety, had nearly an identical rate of UA complaints.
In addition, the number of Toyota UA complaints only "start to get out of hand" once publicity about the company’s recalls took off. "Given that the rest of the data fail to provide a pattern of UA problems in Toyota, media frenzy and lawyer frenzy are the only plausible explanations for the recent spike in complaints," the blog said.
TheTruthAboutCars concluded that the data shows "very few patterns that indicate an underlying problem unique to Toyota vehicles."
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/unintended-acceleration-in-toyotas-the-ghost-in-the-data/
Monday, July 19, 2010
How Would You Like to Drive a New CT200h? Now you can....
Lexus CT 200h U.S. Driving Events
Last week, Lexus announced that Los Angeles residents would get be getting a chance to drive the CT 200h prototype — and now it’s been confirmed that this event will be making its way to three other cities around the country. Here are the dates:
July 29–31: Los AngelesAugust 1: Los Angeles nighttime event
August 6–8: MiamiAugust 9: Miami nighttime event
August 12–14: New York CityAugust 15: New York City nighttime event
August 18–20: ChicagoAugust 21: Chicago nighttime event
Specifics have yet to be announced, but all further details will be posted to the Lexus Facebook page.
ISF on a IS budget--IS F-Sport now available
2011 Lexus IS F-Sport Package
Lexus USA will be offering an F-Sport option package on all RWD IS 250/IS 350s that borrows from the IS F — here’s what’s included:
An all-new suspension with tuned steering
New 18″ alloy wheels with a dark super-chrome finish
A front lip spoiler and a rear deck spoiler
Dark super-chrome front grille
F Sport heated front seats with a microfiber insert and leather side bolsters
Aluminum Sport Pedals with Rubber Inserts
IS F styled steering wheel
F Sport badging on the steering wheel, shift knob and doorsill scuff plates
The IS F’s Ultrasonic Blue color will also be available with the F-Sport package
Friday, July 16, 2010
Could This Be The All Electric Lexus Super Car?
Lexus Electric Supercar?According to Motor Trend, Toyota President Akio Toyoda has signed off on the development of a Lexus electric supercar:
The car is expected to produce more than 500 horsepower and would sprint from 0 to 60 mph in around 4 seconds.
The car is expected to produce more than 500 horsepower and would sprint from 0 to 60 mph in around 4 seconds. Like the E-Cell, the Toyota is expected to route power through four electric motors, one at each wheel. It will also incorporate a switch that allows drivers to select between driving programs such as comfort, sport and super sport, thus permitting drivers to regulate battery use.
It’s expected to debut around 2015, and we are first to reveal how one artist in Japan sees the as-yet-unnamed vehicle as it might look attacking the Nurburgring in Germany. The large grille and air intakes beside the headlights are viewed as critical to provide sufficient cooling for the electric motors. The vehicle would reportedly borrow undisclosed know-how from Tesla and utilize aerodynamic expertise gained from the Lexus LFA project.
With the Tesla partnership already moving ahead full steam, this rumor wouldn’t be a total surprise — except for the fact that it suggests this will be a new vehicle instead of an electric version of the LFA. Considering that both Merecedes & Audi have shown electric concepts of their supercars, it suggests Lexus will be trying a different direction.
Now, tt’s always my tendency to look in the SC’s direction any time a new sportscar is mentioned, and it would fit with my belief that the new partnership with Telsa will produce the Sport Coupe’s third generation, but it’s doubtful the SC would be positioned against the Mercedes SLS E-Cell & Audi R8 e-Tron — however, it would be suitable competition to the rumored Audi R4 e-Tron, not to mention the Tesla Roadster.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
NHTSA UPDATES ACCELERATION ISSUES
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Transportation has analyzed a number of Toyota & Lexus black boxes taken from vehicles involved in “sudden acceleration” accidents, and have discovered that drivers were accidentally pushing the acceleration pedal instead of the brake:
The results suggest that some drivers who said their Toyota and Lexus vehicles surged out of control were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to jam on the brakes. But the findings don’t exonerate Toyota from two known issues blamed for sudden acceleration in its vehicles: sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats that can trap accelerator pedals to the floor.
The data recorders analyzed by NHTSA were selected by the agency, not Toyota, based on complaints the drivers had filed with the government.
[...]NHTSA has been able to verify only one of those fatal crashes was caused by a problem with the vehicle, according to information the agency provided to the National Academy of Sciences. That accident last Aug. 28, which killed a California highway patrolman and three passengers in a Lexus, was traced to a floor mat that trapped the gas pedal in the depressed position.
The NHTSA spokeswman said the agency was continuing to investigate the Toyota accidents and wouldn’t be prepared to comment fully on the probe until a broader study is completed in conjunction with NASA, which is expected to take months.
While it’s hardly conclusive, it’s definitely a step in the right direction — be sure to read the full article for all the details.
http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/07/13/nhtsa-update-on-lexus-sudden-acceleration-investigation/
The results suggest that some drivers who said their Toyota and Lexus vehicles surged out of control were mistakenly flooring the accelerator when they intended to jam on the brakes. But the findings don’t exonerate Toyota from two known issues blamed for sudden acceleration in its vehicles: sticky accelerator pedals and floor mats that can trap accelerator pedals to the floor.
The data recorders analyzed by NHTSA were selected by the agency, not Toyota, based on complaints the drivers had filed with the government.
[...]NHTSA has been able to verify only one of those fatal crashes was caused by a problem with the vehicle, according to information the agency provided to the National Academy of Sciences. That accident last Aug. 28, which killed a California highway patrolman and three passengers in a Lexus, was traced to a floor mat that trapped the gas pedal in the depressed position.
The NHTSA spokeswman said the agency was continuing to investigate the Toyota accidents and wouldn’t be prepared to comment fully on the probe until a broader study is completed in conjunction with NASA, which is expected to take months.
While it’s hardly conclusive, it’s definitely a step in the right direction — be sure to read the full article for all the details.
http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/07/13/nhtsa-update-on-lexus-sudden-acceleration-investigation/
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
TESLA MAKING A ALL ELECTRIC RX FOR LEXUS?
Toyota & Tesla are now two weeks into their partnership (in which Toyota purchased a $50M stake in Tesla), and it’s rumored that their first joint-project will be converting a Lexus RX to a full electric prototype:
Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the models. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla compact car, the RAV4 and RX light trucks are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the vehicles haven’t been announced yet.
The target for a model developed with Tesla would be for a car that costs about $40,000 with 150 miles (240 kilometers) of driving range per charge, the person familiar with the plans said.
“Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer, said in a July 10 e-mail message.
It may not be a vehicle as exciting as Tesla’s own Roadster, but with the RX already engineered to support a battery pack with its hybrid version, it’s a natural choice to be prototyped using the Tesla electric platform.
Even more than the models chosen, I’m surprised by the speed of this partnership — I wouldn’t have expected an announcement so soon, never mind the possibility that we may see a full-electric Lexus prototype before the year is out.
http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/07/12/tesla-building-electric-lexus-rx/
Tesla said July 10 that it will deliver two prototypes vehicles to Toyota this month without identifying the models. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla compact car, the RAV4 and RX light trucks are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the vehicles haven’t been announced yet.
The target for a model developed with Tesla would be for a car that costs about $40,000 with 150 miles (240 kilometers) of driving range per charge, the person familiar with the plans said.
“Toyota and Tesla engineering teams have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time,” JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technology officer, said in a July 10 e-mail message.
It may not be a vehicle as exciting as Tesla’s own Roadster, but with the RX already engineered to support a battery pack with its hybrid version, it’s a natural choice to be prototyped using the Tesla electric platform.
Even more than the models chosen, I’m surprised by the speed of this partnership — I wouldn’t have expected an announcement so soon, never mind the possibility that we may see a full-electric Lexus prototype before the year is out.
http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/07/12/tesla-building-electric-lexus-rx/
Friday, July 2, 2010
Ride Along in the new CT200h
Autoblog was also in attendance at last week’s small media preview of the Lexus CT 200h, and had this to say about their time in the passenger seat:
Riding along suburban roads near the TME facility, the CT 200h – even in prototype guise – is suitably Lexus-like in its build quality and refinement, yet surprisingly aggressive in its handling. The ride feels well balanced in its damping between comfort and sportiness, and given the instant torque delivery inherent in the electric boost, it never seemed to lack for punch… from the passenger seat, at least.
There’s a limit to what can be experienced from the passenger seat, though it’s all sounding quite positive regardless.
But more than that, Autoblog has a bunch of photos of the Brown Spice Mica CT, including our first clear look at the Lexus Hybrid Drive 1.8L engine:
Check out this great gallery of pictures here:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/first-ride-2011-lexus-ct-200h
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