As Toyota recovers from one of its worst periods in recent history, the company is not only bolstering its reputation for quality and safety, but it’s also looking to making a number of changes to how their products look.

Akio Toyoda has reportedly ordered the company’s products to feature a more emotional appeal as part of a new global product philosophy. From this we can expect that new models will look similar to each other across the board.

This new design language is not only aimed at strengthening the Toyota brand, but according to Inside Line it is also aimed at making Toyota’s smaller products appear larger. At this time, there’s no word on whether this change in design language will also affect Lexus.

In addition, Toyota has observed that vehicles with a more European-influenced design usually perform well in other markets, which is why new models will also be tailored with European tastes in mind.

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New reports are emerging regarding a Toyota prototype vehicle featuring a Tesla electric drive unit. This vehicle was announced in a recent interview with Toyota CEO and president Akio Toyoda. The development was later confirmed by Tesla’s Chief Technology Officer, J.B. Straubel.

A total of two test mules are currently being worked on between the automakers. They feature Tesla battery packs, power electronics and motors, all of which are being fitted into Toyota vehicles.

Straubel reported that the two vehicles should be delivered to Toyota later this month. It has been said that the test mules will be used to test the performance and durability of the Tesla packs and to see if they meet Toyota’s standards.

Should a Tesla-Toyota electric vehicle enter production, it will likely be an entirely new model and will not be the Toyota/Scion iQ-based EV that’s slated for 2012.

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One of the numerous steps that Toyota is taking to bolster the quality of their products and respond to customer concerns is to open six product quality field offices around North America. These offices will start popping up this month alongside Toyota Motor Sales regional offices.

When reports of customer issues surface, these new offices will be on the front lines to investigate the issues, fix any problems, and hopefully quell concerns quickly. Each office will be staffed by engineers and technicians that will work with dealers and Toyota USA’s HQ to gather data and and solve problems.

“Everyone at Toyota is working aggressively to understand what our customers are experiencing and to respond quickly to their needs by enhancing our information gathering capabilities,” said Dino Triantafyllos, Vice President, Quality Division, Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing (TEMA). “The expansion of our Product Quality Field Offices initiative is one example of the significant changes we are making across our North American operations to help ensure that we are a quality-focused and responsive organization.”

Once data is collected and issues identified, the staff of these offices will test and deploy procedures to ensure that problems are not repeated on other Toyota products.

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At next weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, which runs from July 2-4, Toyota plans on making its presence felt as the automaker will be highlighting its rally racing past.

Specifically, Toyota will be celebrating its success in the World Rally Championship in the 1980s and 1990s. The automaker will also be bringing at least three rally cars to show off, including the Group B Celica Twin Cam TA64, Group A Celica ST185, and Corolla WRC.

The aforementioned cars are said to represent 16 years of success at the pinnacle of the sport. Their success includes:

• Celica Twin Cam TA64, the 380bhp Group B machine (1983 – 1986) that was hailed as the “King of Africa” for its dominance of the Safari and Ivory Coast rallies

• Celica ST185, the Group A car that was driven to consecutive driver’s championships by Carlos Sainz, Juha Kankkunen and Didier Auriol from 1992 to 1994, and Toyota’s first manufacturer’s championship with seven victories in 1993.

• Corolla WRC, which claimed 25 podium finishes between 1997 and 1999

In addition to these race-winning rallycars, Toyota will also be brining the Lexus FLA supercar and a new performance-tuned variant of the iQ minicar. A Land Cruiser model that also raced in the Dakar Rally earlier this year will also be on hand for the event.

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Every few months there are rumors concerning successors to the the Toyota Supra and MR2. These two on-again, off-again sports cars appear to be on again in the midst of continued work on the Toyota FT-86 rear-wheel-drive sports coupe.

The latest rumors suggest that both the Supra and MR2 will hit the market within the next four years. The MR2 could feature a hybrid powertrain with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine. A V6-equipped hybrid powertrain was originally considered, but due to the staggering sales of the Honda CR-Z in Japan, engineers at Toyota are rumored to favor a more fuel-efficient unit instead.

As for the Supra, which is said to be based on the FT-HS Concept, a hybrid powertrain with a V6 engine will be more likely.

It also would appear that the development of these two models are running in conjunction with the development of the FT-86 sports car, which is being co-developed Subaru.

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Toyota’s chief test driver, Hiromu Naruse, died today in a crash on highway 410 near the Nurburgring in Germany. The crash occurred when the driver veered into the lane of oncoming traffic and collided with a BMW.

The two test drivers behind the wheel of the BMW survived the crash, but are reportedly being treated for life-threatening injuries.

In addition to being a test driver, Naruse, 67, is also Akio Toyoda’s personal driver and the Godfather of the LFA. He was behind the wheel of the all-new LFA Nurburgring Edition, which was only recently spied for the first time.

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Toyota has long made the safety of its customers a top priority, and that commitment continues to earn kudos from industry experts. For example, through May, the Toyota Corolla, Scion xB, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Avalon and Lexus RX 350 had all been named “Top Safety Picks” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Now, two more of the automaker’s key products have earned that recognition: The Toyota Highlander and Toyota Venza.

Meeting the stringent IIHS criteria is a challenging task, as “Top Safety Pick” status is awarded only to vehicles that are equipped with electronic stability control and then receive the highest possible ratings in the IIHS’ front, side, rollover and rear-impact crash testing.

To achieve this, the Highlander and Venza, like all Toyota products, rely on a full complement of safety features and customer-protection technologies. These include multiple airbags, active front head restraints, electronic stability control, and much more. For example, standard on the Venza is Toyota’s STAR Safety System, which combines anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, enhanced stability control, traction control and electronic brake assist features into one comprehensive vehicle safety package.

Toyota’s dedication to safety isn’t an end in itself, however, but an ongoing journey. The company continues to develop ever newer ways to build safer vehicles, as can be seen in the evolution of its Total HUman Model for Safety (THUMS).

This high-tech crash dummy was introduced in 1997 to provide highly detailed analysis of potential auto-accident injuries by using a highly detailed model of the human body’s skeletal structure and skin. The second version, launched in 2004, added a face and facial bones, while version three included a precise model of the human brain.

THUMS 4.0, announced in May, now offers carefully designed models of the body’s internal organs, and the automaker claims it provides 14 times more information about how the human body responds in an auto collision than the previous version.

Which is pretty darn smart for a dummy.

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Due to Toyota’s recent lapse in safety and quality, the brand is now focusing all of its efforts on undoing subsequent negative perceptions – which could eventually help the brand emerge as one of the safest brands in the process.

In an effort to rectify its safety missteps, the company is touting its commitment to safety in a new ad campaign focusing on the Star Safety System. This new system includes five driver aids that have become standard on all Toyota vehicles, including Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist.

According to Toyota, they are the first manufacturer to offer all of these systems as standard equipment throughout their entire lineup of cars, trucks, and SUVs.

“From Yaris to Land Cruiser, Toyota is the first full-line manufacturer to combine these five key accident-avoidance technologies as standard equipment on every model,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. “Toyota customers tell us they want to know more about the Toyota safety story, and the Star Safety System is just one of the features that reassure them about the safety and quality of our vehicles.”

To see what else Toyota has to say about these new safety systems, see the new commercials below.

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Toyota’s renewed focus on vehicle safety is already paying dividends, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has recently recognized two of the company’s new products—the Toyota Sienna and Toyota Avalon—with 2010 Top Safety Pick Awards.

The Toyota Sienna continued to blaze new trails in the minivan segment, becoming the first minivan to win Top Safety Pick honors since the IIHS added rollover protection to its testing criteria for 2010. And it’s no surprise when you consider all the other ways the Sienna is setting new standards in the segment.

The Sienna features a striking exterior appearance that sets it far apart from other rivals, with bold, aerodynamic lines, a more sophisticated headlamp treatment, and aggressive front fascia and grille. The Sienna drives the way it looks, too, providing a surprisingly engaging experience behind the wheel, an experience that’s taken to the next level in the enthusiast-oriented SE model. Adding side skirts, smoked taillights, a lowered ride height and even a sport-tuned suspension, the Sienna SE is the kind of minivan customers will want to drive, all while still providing the versatility and cargo space expected in this kind of vehicle.

The 2011 Toyota Avalon, also redesigned for this year, wears an expressive new exterior that was created at the automaker’s own Calty Design Research facility, located in Newport Beach, Calif. The Avalon’s more upscale appearance, showcasing a cleaner, more elegant and more substantial presence, promises a similarly enhanced interior, and that’s exactly what customers get.

Soft-touch materials, upgraded technologies—including a touch-screen nav system—and the segment’s only reclining rear seat combine with an impressively spacious interior to allow all occupants to “Travel Avalon Class” in Toyota’s full-size sedan. At the same time, the Avalon’s advanced V6 engine, offering 268 hp and 29 mpg on the highway, is equal parts powerful and fuel efficient.

“The Avalon has long been appreciated by smart, conscientious consumers who recognize quality materials and the beauty of detailed craftsmanship,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division in the U.S. “The changes made for 2011 will allow us to build on our position in the premium large car segment.”

For Carter, it’s simple: “The competition does not stand still, and neither do we.”

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Toyota, already well known as a pioneer for its work on hybrid vehicles like the popular Toyota Prius, is now turning its focus on electric vehicles. That’s thanks to a new partnership with the the equally innovative Tesla Motors, “the only automaker in the U.S. that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production.”

The heart of the deal is Toyota’s agreement to buy $50 million worth of Tesla common stock, with Tesla also taking over the former New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) in California. That facility was originally designed for joint Toyota/GM projects, including the production of the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe.

The goal of this Toyota/Tesla tie-up is for the automakers to jointly develop new electric vehicles as well as the production and engineering support needed to get them to market.

“Toyota is a company founded on innovation, quality, and commitment to sustainable mobility. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Toyota would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla,” said Tesla CEO and cofounder Elon Musk. “We look forward to learning and benefiting from Toyota’s legendary engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise.”

On Toyota’s part, the automaker gets to work with a company that boasts proven success in building and selling EVs in the U.S. Tesla has already delivered more than 1,000 of its Roadsters to North American customers, an especially impressive feat when one considers these are $100,000+ premium sports cars that put up super-car performance numbers. Because its electric powertrain offers maximum torque as soon as the driver touches the accelerator pedal, the Roadster can showcase an electrifying 0-60 time of just 3.7 seconds. Yet it also has a range of 245 miles and can be charged in as few as 3.5 hours with a Tesla home charger.

Just as important for Toyota is the chance to re-invigorate the company’s work ethic.

“I sensed the great potential of Tesla’s technology and was impressed by its dedication to monozukuri (Toyota’s approach to manufacturing),” said Toyota president Akio Toyoda. “Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business.  By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future.”

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