From its roots as a sport utility vehicle that put the emphasis on “utility,” the iconic Toyota Land Cruiser has branched out to build a reputation based on an equal mix of body-on-frame capabilities and best-in-the-game luxuries. And now, after more than 50 years of success in the U.S., the 2013 model year will bring significant enhancements to both sides of its ledger.

The changes start with a refreshed exterior design that puts a more sophisticated face on the Land Cruiser, with a new grille, HID headlamps, LED daytime running lamps and larger, revised front bumpers. Graceful, flowing character lines then bring that new look rearward, past refreshed side mirrors and distinctive chrome accents, to where a new tail-lamp design and rear fenders put the finishing touches on the Land Cruiser’s updated appearance. Inside, Toyota has dialed up the volume on the vehicle’s trim and accents, putting a higher gloss on its wood-grain finishes and brightening its silver instrument panel ornamentation and chrome-plated air registers.

There are plenty of new features on board, too, and all are standard; in fact, all features are now standard on the Land Cruiser, as Toyota continues to elevate the ownership experience in its big SUV. As a result, the spec list on the 2013 Land Cruiser will include:

• Toyota’s Entune multimedia system, with advanced voice-recognition technology, premium JBL speakers, hands-free calling, access to mobile apps like Pandora and iHeartRadio, an eight-inch touchscreen, Toyota’s HDD premium nav system, and an integrated rearview camera setup
• A new Multi-terrain Monitor that provides front, side and rear views of the areas immediately surrounding the Land Cruiser, simplifying life on the trail
• Toyota’s Dynamic Radar Cruise Control
• Heated front and second-row seats, along with a heated steering wheel
• One-touch fold-and-tumble second-row seating, for easy access to the Land Cruiser’s third row
• 28 air vents and a four-zone climate system with micro-dust and pollen filters
• A rear-seat DVD entertainment center
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers
• Headlamp cleaners
• A center console “cooler” box
• 10 airbags—driver and front passenger dual-stage advanced airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, front- and second-row seat-mounted side airbags, and three-row roll-sensing side curtain airbags with a roll-sensing cutoff switch

Of course, Toyota also put equal effort into improving the Land Cruiser’s off-road performance. Still leveraging trail-enablers like its advanced Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, Torsen limited-slip locking differential, and approach/departure angles of 30/20 degrees, the vehicle will benefit from two new upgrades for the next model year: A Multi-terrain Select system and CRAWL Control with Off-Road Turn Assist.

The former lets drivers adjust the Land Cruiser’s wheel-slip control to match road (and off-road) conditions, improving performance in mud and sand, where some extra wheel spin can be a benefit. The latter provides five different settings to automatically control the Land Cruiser’s engine speed, output and braking force during particularly difficult off-road maneuvering, so the driver can concentrate on steering without having to worry about the brake or throttle.

Also packing a 5.7-liter, 381-hp V8 engine that makes 401 lb.-ft. of torque, the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser roars into dealerships later this year.

Despite significant headwinds caused by last spring’s tragedies in Japan, Toyota quality and value helped five of the automaker’s products become the best-selling vehicles in their class in 2011, including the Toyota Camry, which was both the No. 1 mid-size sedan last year and—once again—America’s most popular car of any kind.

The Camry also was the only car in the U.S. to sell over 300,000 units in 2011, thanks in part to the introduction of the all-new, completely redesigned model this past fall. With the 2012 Camry earning a strong reception, along with 33,506 December sales, the Camry nameplate as a whole tallied 308,510 deliveries for the year; that was almost 40,000 units more than its next closest rival.

Among compact cars, even with the launch of competitors like the Chevy Cruze and next-gen versions of the Hyundai Elantra and Honda Civic, it was still the Toyota Corolla that set the pace. The Corolla notched 240,259 sales last year to also become the third-best-selling car in America.

The country’s best-selling minivan? That title went to the automaker’s “Swagger Wagon,” as the Toyota Sienna leveraged its unique set of available features to garner 111,429 sales in 2011, representing a robust 12.9 percent increase over its performance in 2010. The Sienna is the only minivan in America to offer all-wheel-drive, a sport model and a thrifty four-cylinder engine.

The U.S. compact pickup segment was won by the Toyota Tacoma, as a significant refresh of the truck, introduced late last year, propelled the Tacoma to 110,705 total sales in 2011. The 2012 Tacoma now presents a bolder, more aggressive front-end design along with a comprehensively upgraded interior that offers Toyota’s Entune connectivity and infotainment system.

Finally, the Toyota Prius was the best-selling hybrid in this country last year, a position it’s held ever since the car was first launched in America some 10 years ago. Toyota sold 136,463 Prii in 2011, and that’s a total that should be far surpassed this year, since the automaker is adding the Toyota Prius v and Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid to the fold.

With more than 1 million sales around the globe, the Toyota Corolla was once again the best-selling car in the world in 2011—further extending its position as the world’s best-selling car ever: More than 30 million Corollas have been delivered since Toyota first introduced its iconic compact back in 1966, and for 2011, this included some 235,000 sales in the U.S. alone.

That’s a number that should keep increasing, too, thanks to some fine-tuning accomplished by the automaker for the 2012 model year. The big news is a fresh audio system that will be standard across the Corolla family. The setup includes AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA functionality, Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio streaming, a USB port for iPod connectivity, an auxiliary input port for other music devices, and auto-sound leveling, which adjusts the system’s volume based on the level of ambient noise. In addition, the Corolla LE and Corolla S now showcase steering-wheel-mounted audio controls.

Other adjustments to the Corolla lineup for 2012:

• The starter Corolla gains more standard content, including color-keyed power side mirrors, power windows with an auto-down feature on the driver’s side, power door locks and remote keyless entry.
• Corolla LE benefits from new 16-inch wheels.
• Corolla S adds eye-catching double-stitch seat accents to its sporty package.

In addition, the LE and S can both be enhanced with a Display Audio system with navigation and Toyota’s Entune multimedia system. Entune leverages advanced voice-recognition technology and a 6.1-inch touchscreen to provide easy access to apps like Bing, iHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, Pandora, OpenTable and more. This upgrade also brings HD Radio with iTunes tagging, six speakers and a complimentary 90-day subscription to SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The 2012 Toyota Corolla, with an MSRP that begins at $16,130, is on sale now.

It’s not always easy to find the perfect vehicle for winter travel, but “If only a minivan can really meet your basic transportation needs, there’s just one choice to be made: the 2012 Toyota Sienna with optional On-demand All-wheel Drive System with Active Torque Control.” That’s the expert advice from Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, which recently named the all-wheel-drive Sienna as one of the Top 10 Winter Cars for 2012.

But not only is the Sienna the sole minivan in America to offer AWD, it also boasts the comprehensive Toyota Star Safety System, which combines a wealth of standard technologies aimed at keeping vehicle occupants safe in any weather. Among them: anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, enhanced vehicle stability control and traction control. In addition, the Sienna offers seven standard airbags, including the first driver’s-side knee airbag in the segment.

For added peace of mind, Toyota’s Safety Connect telematics system is standard on the Sienna Limited and available on the Sienna XLE. Safety Connect brings four more advanced technologies into play:

• Automatic Collision Notification—Designed to automatically connect with a live advisor if the system detects an airbag deployment or severe rear-end collision; if the advisor can’t communicate with Sienna passengers, he/she can dispatch first responders to the vehicle’s location.
• Emergency Assistance Button—In case of an emergency, this “SOS” feature enables communication with a live advisor with just one push of a button.
• Roadside Assistance—Safety Connect provides quick and easy access to help for non-emergencies, too, like flat tires and lockouts.
• Stolen Vehicle Assistance—If a Sienna with the system is stolen, advisors can work with local law enforcement to track it down and recover it.

For more information on the Toyota Sienna, contact your local dealership today.

Beginning this year, the Toyota Prius is on its way to expanding its family with three new members, and its progeny are already living up to their parent’s award-winning ways: In fact, three Prii—Prius Liftback, Prius v and Prius Plug-in Hybrid—recently combined to earn the “Best Green Car to Buy 2012” recognition from GreenCarReports.com.

“The Prius is more than just one car this year,” said John Voelcker, editor, Green Car Reports. “With a new Prius v and the Prius Plug-In Hybrid, it’s now a family of vehicles with some of the highest gas mileage on the market today, and the Prius name is likely to help encourage buyers to take the plunge into plug-in vehicles.”

The award reflects the Prius family’s standout technologies, customer-friendly practicality and (low) impact on the environment, all of which are standard features regardless of which Prius you choose:

• Prius Liftback—After more than 10 years and 1 million U.S. sales, the original Prius continues to be the top-selling hybrid in America—and the most efficient one, too. With EPA ratings of 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway/50 mpg combined, the 2012 Prius showcases an MSRP of just $23,520.
• Prius v—All-new for the 2012 model year, the Prius v offers the expected high fuel-economy numbers (44 mpg city/40 mpg highway/42 mpg combined) in a super-sized package that delivers up to 67.3 cubic feet of cargo space, which is more than most small SUVs and crossovers. The Prius v is on sale now with a starting price of $26,400.
• Prius Plug-in Hybrid—The Prius Plug-in takes things to the next level with an all-electric, zero-emissions driving range of up to 15 miles at the equivalent of 87 mpg; then if its battery is depleted, drivers can enjoy hundreds of more miles of driving by relying on the car’s gas-powered hybrid powertrain. Which is capable of 48 mpg combined. The Prius Plug-in goes on sale in select markets in the spring of 2012, with an MSRP of $32,000.

And also slated to launch early next year will be the Prius c. While it’s designed for young drivers shopping in the subcompact segment, the Prius c expected to feature big-time EPA ratings that top 50 mpg in the city.

As proven by the latest honor from GreenCarReports.com—and explained by Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager: “This is no ordinary family. It’s a modern family with a Prius for everyone.”

The versatile Toyota Venza is a unique vehicle, combining the design of a sport sedan with the capabilities of a crossover; it also used to be unique among Toyota products in being offered only with option packages—not configured into different trim levels, like the rest of the automaker’s lineup. And while nothing has changed with Venza’s customer-satisfying combination of good looks and adaptable design, Toyota has—to further satisfy customers—now aligned the 2012 Venza models to better match shoppers’ expectations. In other words, the Venza is now being offered in LE, XLE and Limited “grades” for the new model year.

Available with either a four- or six-cylinder engine, and front- or rear-wheel-drive, the Venza LE introduces consumers to the family with a starting price that begins at $27,185. That affordable MSRP brings standard interior features like a dual-zone automatic climate control with an air filter and second-row seat vents, eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, 3.5-inch multi-information display, tilt/telescoping steering wheel with integrated audio controls, overhead console with map lights, adjustable “personal reading lamps” for second-row passengers, and three 12-volt power outlets. Also in the mix: A standard six-speaker AM/FM/CD/MP3/WMA/SAT sound system with Bluetooth music streaming, USB port, auxiliary input jack, and automatic sound leveling.

Offering a more luxurious, high-content cabin is the Venza XLE, which benefits from wholesale upgrades that include leather seating surfaces, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather-trimmed shift knob; four-way power-adjustable front-passenger’s seat; multi-stage heated front seats; satin mahogany wood grain-style accents; anti-theft system with alarm and engine immobilizer; Toyota’s “Smart Key System,” which enables pushbutton start and keyless entry; power rear liftgate; rearview camera system; and a customizable multi-information display with adjustable font size and tri-lingual (English, French and Spanish) voice commands for navigation. The Venza XLE opens at $30,655 and also is available in both engine and drive configurations.

The range-topping Venza Limited is a V6-only affair that lives up to its position in the model hierarchy by adding standard content such as a JBL navigation system, panoramic glass roof with power front moonroof, and high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps with automatic high beams. The latter can automatically turn down the candlepower of the Venza’s high-beams if the setup detects oncoming traffic. The starting MSRP of the Venza Limited is $36,925.

And notably, while the cost of the 2012 Venza LE represents a minor increase of just $240 as compared to a similarly equipped 2011 model, the pricing on the Venza XLE and Limited decreases and reflects customer savings of between $460 and $880.

For more information on the 2012 Venza, venture into a local Toyota dealership today.

Toyota and Discovery Education announced the launch of their Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge – a competition that invites high school students to create a two-minute video showing how they would encourage safe driving to fellow students. The challenge is part of Toyota and Discovery Education’s Toyota Teen Driver program, which offers educators, students, and parents a variety of powerful tools and materials designed to help teens stay safe behind the wheel.

Entries will be judged on creativity and originality. Entries will be narrowed down to ten finalists which will appear on the Toyota Teen Driver website and Facebook page during a “fan voting” period where the public will be invited to vote to determine the grand prize winner. The grand prize winner will receive a $20,000 cash prize and the remaining nine finalists will each receive $1,500 in cash. Students in grades 9-12 can submit their two-minute videos on the Toyota Teen Driver web site through February 16, 2012.

“Toyota is dedicated to building awareness among teens about the dangers of distracted driving and encouraging people of all ages to adopt safe driving habits,” said Patricia Salas Pineda, group vice president of philanthropy for Toyota Motor North America. “We’re excited to launch the new Toyota Teen Driver Video Challenge and empower young people to be advocates for responsible driving within their own peer groups and schools.”

The website also features Heads Up!, an interactive driving challenge that demonstrates the dangers of distracted driving. The site features vehicle customization and Facebook integration. Other free resources include lesson plans, activities and discussion starters for teachers, students and parents.

“Discovery Education is proud to work with Toyota as we fulfill our commitment to finding creative and engaging ways to captivate students’ attention on current and relevant topics that span beyond the classroom,” said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president of education partnerships. “The digital learning resources available from Toyota Teen Driver combined with the ability for teens to educate each other on safe driving are critical in creating a safe driving experience on the road.”

To learn more about Toyota Teen Driver, please visit http://toyotateendriver.com.

The Toyota Sienna enters its second year with a number of comfort and convenience enhancements. According to Maryland Toyota, Toyota introduced the third-generation Sienna family van for the 2011 model year with a focus on comfort, versatility, style, and fuel efficiency. The 2011 Sienna also introduced a four-cylinder engine choice, and remains the only van in the segment to offer an all-wheel-drive option.

Sienna was completely redesigned last year to cater to traditional family van needs while also meeting growing demands for more responsive driving character and onboard “infotainment” technology. With state-of the art features and rewarding driving dynamics, the Sienna is a vehicle that current minivan, SUV, and car owners will find satisfying to drive. ABQ Toyota said the Sienna SE combines sporty exterior styling with dynamic driving performance.

According to Toyota Chicago, the 2012 Sienna is available in five trim levels: Base, LE, SE, XLE, and Limited. All-wheel-drive is available with the V6 on LE, XLE and Limited models. For the 2012 model year, the XLE grade adds a standard power passenger seat and auto on/off headlights.

Depending on the model, 2012 Sienna is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 265-horsepower and 245 lb.-ft. of torque or a 2.7-liter I-4 that produces 187-horsepower and 186 lb.-ft. of torque. The unit is mated to a 6-speed shiftable automatic transmission.

The full-size Toyota Sequoia is one of the best vehicles for towing, which is why Toyota has added new technology to the 2012 model to make this task safer.

The 2012 Toyota Sequoia will receive enhanced towing safety with the addition of a Blind Spot Monitor available on Sequoia Platinum. Albuquerque Used Car Dealerships said this system will warn drivers of vehicles that are traveling in their blind spots.

Additionally, the Sequoia will get Trailer Sway Control for the 2012 model year, a system that uses the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) to help counteract handling forces acting on the truck in an effort to minimize the impact of trailer sway.

According to Maryland Toyota Dealers, these systems are crucial for this SUV, which now features a 7,400-lb. towing capacity. This vehicle will also boast a standard 310 horsepower 4.6-liter i-Force V8, as well as an optional 381 horsepower 5.7-liter V8 engine.

Like the outgoing model, the 2012 Sequoia will also receive a bevy of comfort and convenience features, undoubtedly making family road trips a little easier. Available features include:

• Power tilt/slide moonroof
• Heated front leather-trimmed seats
• Second- and third-row retractable sunshades
• Steering wheel that integrates controls for the air conditioning system, Bluetooth-capable phones and other functions
• Auto-dimming electrochromic rear-view mirror
• 3.3-inch monitor in the rear-view mirror for the backup camera (when not equipped with a navigation system)
• JBL Synthesis AM/FM six-disc CD changer system with 14 speakers, SiriusXM Satellite Radio with a 90-day trial subscription, Bluetooth technology and an auxiliary audio jack/USB port.

For more information on the updated 2012 Toyota Sequoia, visit  Toyota Dealers KY  or your local Toyota dealer.

Toyota will exhibit its unique biotechnology and greening technologies in Aichi, Japan this month, hinting at what could become commercialized in just a few years. Technologies include cellulosic ethanol yeast, smart green parking and smart green walls.

Toyota has long been committed to reducing CO2 emissions, which is what led to the development of cellulosic ethanol. Toyota Dealer Lexington explained the automaker used gene recombination technology to develop a new strain of yeast that will play an important role in the fermentation process for producing cellulosic ethanol. In addition to developing renewable energy sources such as bio-fuels, Toyota is also working to develop next-generation environment-friendly vehicles.

According to a Los Alamos Toyota Dealer, TMC plans to further improve bio-fuel production yield and to cooperate with energy companies to realize its goal of commercializing cellulosic ethanol by 2020.

Additionally, Toyota has introduced its “cool-spot creation technology” for simulating the effects of greening and predicting the cooling effects of shade and transpiration created by trees. This will allow for a visual simulation of greening effects that can determine the types, numbers, and positioning of trees needed to achieve the desired cooling effect.

With its unique technologies, a Toyota Dealer Chicago  said Toyota is hoping to promote and build low-carbon houses and cities.