The Toyota Tacoma has played second fiddle to darn near everybody for its entire life. Early on it was the domestics, now its the full size Toyota Tundra. That doesn't mean its standing still as far as updates go. We managed to find this dealer product brief buried within the Toyota Nation forums cataloging, detailing what buyers can expect to see on the sales floor soon. The most notable upgrades including the audio system, LED tail lights, and a new backup camera.

The camera system comes with a 2.5" dash mounted monitor and will help prevent you from running over Tiny Tim if those bright new LED lights don't catch his eye. Inside there's a new aux-input for MP3 players, an MP3 enabled CD player, and new under-seat storage in the Access cab models. The trucks also get standard traction control systems and "smoked" headlight lenses along with an assortment of other stuff that awaits those willing to read through the dealer data HERE.

When you start the week with an old Datsun, why not end it with an old Toyota? Somehow, though, the mid-80s Supra doesn't feel all that old, in spite of its incredibly 80s lines and graphics. We saw a good example of its 4-cylinder sibling (or maybe "cousin" is a better way of describing the Celica/Supra relationship of the era) a while back, and this Toyota lives across town, near the '65 Mustang.

Check out that super-80s decal emblem! Pay no mind to the large-diameter tailpipe; that fad will be gone long before all the old Supras disappear.


The hatch spoiler! But don't laugh- a Supra just like this one won the Flat Rock 24 Hours of LeMons last year.


This one is on the battered side, but you know there's plenty of life left in it. Being forced to choose between one of these and a Starion would be quite the 80s dilemma.

DOTS 1-200 • DOTS 201-250

What's the best way to show that your car is better than the competition? Slap a huge Malaise decal bearing your car's name on the side, set up the ramps, and jump the competition! It's even got more headroom than the Rabbit, which we all know is roomy enough for Wilt Chamberlain! Then it kicks Honda's ass by having a longitudinally-mounted engine, though we're not sure quite how that's an advantage in a front-wheel-drive car.

How much proof is actually necessary to conclude cats are the spawn of Satan and tolerate humans only to keep a reserve of flesh around in case times get tough? Not much for some of us, but it's a constant struggle to get the truth across. A case-in-point here comes from Folsom, California were an elderly driver was attacked about the face by her cat while driving her Toyota Solara, lost control, and crashed into an area diner. Nobody was seriously injured, but we would pay good money to watch that hidden camera footage. No kitty — no! That's a bad kitty! [SacBee]

Though we found the Cadillac CTS Convertible to be rather fetching, it didn't stand up to some of the four-door convertibles our industrious commentariat located. That being said, we're a little disappointed none of you found this Prius by NCE, which is both a hybrid and a four-door convertible. We're curious to see what kind of fuel economy this things get, as convertibles tend to ruin the carefully crafted, low-resistance shells of other cars.

Not to mention the weight of that soft top and the other necessary pieces probably has to do a number on mileage as well. Most importantly, while the idea of a hybrid convertible doesn't necessarily have to be a bad idea, it doesn't suit the Prius. This is more like a roofless car than a convertible. This is the automotive equivalent of asking Fall Out Boy to guest on your hip hop album. [Winding Road via eGMCarTech]

The Toyota R and its amazing 43-year run make it tough for other Toyota engines to grab the spotlight, even in the case of an engine family that was born in 1978 and is still being manufactured today. The Toyota A certainly deserves some attention, having been dropped into everything from snoreworthy econoboxes to screamin' factory hot rods. Corollas, Camrys, MR2s, Tercels, Celicas; if Toyota (or, in some cases, GM) made it, chances are it could be had with some flavor of A engine. The A has been made with 2, 4, or 5 valves per cylinder, one or two cams, natural aspiration or supercharging. [Wikipedia]

We like when dealers try and take advantage of trends to make the special editions that the automakers were just too wimpy or cheap to attempt. In this case, we've got a Toyota dealer that's taking advantage of Tony Stewart and his racing a Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. How does it work? Take a black Toyota Camry, add gaudy orange touches, blacked-out NASCAR wheels, festoon with the #20 and charge an additional $7K. This makes sense to us as most NASCAR fans drive Toyotas, right? One thing you'll notice has not been added to this car is the name "Tony Stewart" as this would almost certainly draw a lawsuit. Anyone have an idea what stadium this is outside of?

(Hat tip to Zerin!) [Dubspeed Racing]

Since yesterday's Packard Straight Eight Swap Edition (which was won by the '37 Pontiac) was so much fun, we're going to stick with Alternative Powerplant Hell for another day. All engine swaps are fun, of course, but the best ones involve stuffing an engine much, much larger than anything the car's designers ever considered. When you accomplish such a swap, you get respect; when you start with the knuckle-shredding, sanity-destroyingly tight engine compartment of a small mid-engined car (say, a Fiero or MR2)... well, that's when folks start treating you with the deference reserved for the truly mad!

We're going to pull our punches here and choose a V8 that's not only fairly small for a DOHC unit but already set up for a front-wheel-drive application. That means the engine and associated transaxles are already lined up in correct orientation in the recipient cars' chassis. So whip out $1,600 and drop a Buy It Now bomb on this 300-horse late-90s Northstar engine, then head to the junkyard for some transaxle shopping fun.

You won't be the first lunatic ambitious project builder to take on the Northstar Fiero project. Far from it- why, it's been done many times! Here's a guy who makes the whole process look pretty straightforward. You can keep repeating to yourself the mantra "GM engine... GM car... easy swap..." as you head on down to pick up this very reasonably priced '84 Fiero (go here if the ad disappears). Only 400 bucks asking price! You can go ahead and make plans to have your new 300-horsepower Fiero terrorizing your town on the very same weekend, that's how easy it's sure to be... well, actually, you might need to spend some time fixing brakes and stuff, since the car has been sitting for "5 or 6" years (probable translation: 10 or 12 years). So let's say two weekends, tops!

Isn't it cheating to swap in an engine made by the same corporation that made the car? The Northstar might even bolt up to a GM transmission that fits perfectly in the Fiero, and where's the fun there? Not only that, the Fiero came with a V6 from the factory, which means there's room for a somewhat wide engine. That's why you need to spring for an extra hundred bucks and buy this '86 Toyota MR2 (go here if the ad disappears). Dad says it's gotta go, and when Orange County dads say it's gotta go, they mean it! All we know about the car is that it "NEEDS WORK," because the owner, Steve, needs to repeat his phone number four times and runs out of motivation for describing the car itself; hey, it works on radio ads, so why shouldn't it be even more effective in print? You might think that shoehorning a Northstar into an MR2 would be damn near impossible, what with the fact that the little Toyota came with only an inline-four engine and all, but it's been done! With 300 horsepower (or more, since you might as well add supercharging to this already-hopeless challenging project), your MR2 should have the kind of power-to-weight ratio seen only on racetracks (and in car-crash stories that make the national news).

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American automakers aren't the only ones who play the bechmaltzed patriotism card in their ads, nor even the only ones who break out the mawkish country music in those ads. Here Toyota is letting Australians see how loving their land is the same as loving their Toyotas. It's not quite Morning In America, but it's striving for the same lump-in-throat effect.

People will do some pretty stupid things for a TV, or so we're learning today. First, it was the idiot burglar with the alligator in his Buick Regal and now we have the story of a trio of not-so-bright Tennesseans who really wanted to get a television home. But there were three of them and a television, and not all of them could fit in the passenger area of their Toyota Corolla. Their solution? Put the kid in the trunk and the television in the backseat. They'd have gotten away with it, too, but someone called the cops after seeing the kid, who apparently consented, get into the trunk.

Everyone was okay, but the man and woman who were lucky enough to sit inside the car were arrested over what looks like a shitty television anyways. If only these idiots read books. Oh well, at least the sheriff seemed to get a good laugh out of it. Bonnie and Cylde were actually ratted out by a relative who saw the event unfolding. If that may seem cold just remember that most people in Tennessee are related. [WSMV]

Today must be vigilante day at Jalopnik with fire sprees and identity theft already going on. Now, a vandal in the Santa Rose, Calif. area has a thing against people looking to get some good gas mileage as he or she has vandalized six Toyota Priuses (Priusi? Priuii?) in the same area. The reports say that five of the occurrences involved a brick, rock or hammer thrown through the window with another occurrence involving a dented fender and all are likely related. You know, if the vandal really wanted to get back at the Prius owners, he or she should just fill up the vehicles tank with gasoline. Yeah! That'll show those no-good environment lovers. [Press Democrat] (Image)

The 2011 Lexus LF-A — or maybe it's the 2010, or even 2012, depending on reports — supercar's been shot by the quick to the snap spy photographers at KGP. The speedy little spy shooters caught the supercar-to-be as it appeared to be getting ready to hit the Nürburgring. They're expecting hot laps won't be far behind, but we're wondering what's taking the super number one best awesome automaker from the land of the rising sun from gettin' 'er done with their first entry into the world of super car performance. It's been like, what, almost three years already since the Lexus LF-A first started hitting the auto show circuit? And in that time we've seen more versions of the LF-A concept than we're able to keep track of. We distinctly remember at least, you know, like three — one in 2005, a revised LF-A concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show and the roadster concept as well as definitive word we'll be seeing our dreams of a sexy luxe cousin to the son of Supra come true, plus a price point of around $170K. So, we're still talking about something like a six-year development cycle here, aren't we?

Jeez, and people get all pissy when an automaker takes a couple of years to develop a new muscle car. Anyway, despite the development time, we're still excited to see this new Lexus in showrooms in either a V10 or V8-plus-hybrid flavor. And no, it's not just because we want to play with the retractable wing until it breaks off. Though that does sound like fun. Full spy report from KGP below.

The Lexus LF-A has hit the roads around the 'Ring, and some hot laps can't be far behind. The LF-A's retractable rear wing can be seen lowering in this sequence of shots.

This prototype is obviously still wearing some preproduction lighting, and some details are clearly lacking production-finished trim, but the styling looks basically unchanged form last year's prototype. It appears that Lexus may have finally locked-in the bulk of the LF-A's final design.

In a recent interview, Lexus' Australian chief executive confirmed that the LF-A is still being readied for production, although it may not reach showrooms until 2011. Even if that claim refers to the 2010 calendar year as a 2011 model, that still means a lengthy development course ahead. At that point, the LF-A's gestation will be approaching six years. Such a long development process is almost unheard of in today's automotive industry, although the Hyundai's recent entry into the luxury market with its new Genesis is another recent example. The Genesis showcased many design changes right up to its auto show debut, and the Lexus LF-A has been similarly tweaked over the course of its development.

One can't help but sense a whiff of uncertainty in Lexus' entry into the rarefied supercar realm, but they're certainly going to great lengths to see that its right when it finally reaches the market.

Our last Japanese representative on DOTS Truck Monday was the '80 Plymouth Arrow, but the last one actually bearing the name of an overseas manufacturer was the '74 Datsun of a couple months ago. That means we're due for another Japanese Truck Monday, so let's take a look at this fine tape-striped Late Malaise Toyota pickup. Oh, sure, these things are still everywhere (including the motor pools of every strongman, warlord, and wannabe Lord Humungus in the world), but immortality shouldn't disqualify a vehicle from Down On The Street!

I found this rack-equipped 4X4 parked on the same block as the '53 Packard Cavalier and just around the corner from the '74 Plymouth Satellite Sundance Edition; perhaps the presence of those two stellar DOTS heroes blinded me to the presence of this fine work truck for all these months.


Check out these fine Late Malaise tape stripes! It's true that the 22R engine in this truck might not have been the mighty bass-boat-haulin' powerhouse that truck buyers require today for their luxurious bloatmobiles, but the Toyota R's reliability was pure Warlord Grade bulletproof.


It takes very little imagination to picture an entire platoon of AK-wielding troops hanging off that rack as this truck bounces down a dirt road in (insert name of lawless Thirld World hotspt here). For now, however, this truck will continue to earn its keep hauling plumbing supplies to Bay Area job sites.

In honor of our Vantastic QOTD, we've got some video of the once omnipresent and always strange-looking Toyota Previa getting sideways Tokyo drift style. Known as the Estima in Japan, this giant orange people mover comes complete with a carbon fiber-esque hood, manual tranny, racing harness and soon-to-be-shredded tires. Why would someone drift a Previa? If you have to ask, you're clearly far too sane for your own good. [YouTube via JPCNews]

Hide your children, let your pets outside, the advertisers have finally stumbled upon a new gimmick in advertising. Little did anyone know the word truck rhymes with and sounds like that familiar four-letter f-word. What will happen when your kids start going around spouting off the word truck? Is it time to bring back whoopings? Is Toyota to blame with this Tundra advertisement? More at 11*. (Hat tip to Buckster!) [via Youtube]

* If you come back at 11 there will not be any more information, but feel free to keep watching the commercial.

Technically, the Peugeot Mi16 beat the Mercedes-Benz 6.9 in last Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll, but we're talking 327 to 317 votes here. When all is said and done, however, France still needs to take on Britain in a PCH Superpower Challenge... but we're postponing that apocalyptic battle for another day, because tipster EdNiedermeyer sent in a mighty Wankelized contender from not-often-seen-in-PCH Japan (earning a half-credit towards a Project Car Hell Tipster T-shirt in the process), and we've found a Rotarian opponent that stacks up pretty well against it. So throw those pistons in the trash and stagger into the sumo ring to face your 800-pound opponent, because it's Rotary Swap Hell Day!

We dove into the searing flames of Hayabusa Honda 600 Hell a few months back, but the problem with the Hayabusa is that it has pistons. What a Honda 600 really needs is an engine with no reciprocating mass and an even more deadly potential power-to-weight ratio than the Hayabusa (and besides, the Honda 600 came with a motorcycle engine from the factory). That's why we're pleased that EdNiedermeyer found us this 1971 Honda 600 with Mazda 12A rotary engine. The starting bid is $3,500, there are three days to go, and there are no bids yet! The seller, a stickler for the eBay Motors CAPS LOCK tradition, tells us "I GUESS I DON'T HAVE TO EXAGERATE WHEN I'M SAYING THAT THE CAR IS VERY FAST," and we tend to agree. In fact, we'd go a bit further and say that this setup wants to kill you, in one of those wrecks so grisly that the paramedics involved will be required to go on long-term psychological disability leave. It appears that the car has a shortened Mazda RX-2 chassis, plus evidence of quite the junkyard shopping spree, including a spoiler off a Blazer and an Alfa Romeo brake booster. It's been sitting for a long time, it's probably packed with all manner of scary hacks and workarounds, and the engine needs more power... but you'll solve all those problems. A little turbocharging here, a few months of puzzling out wiring and linkages there, and you'll be ready to wail down the highway at three times the top speed of a stock 600!

Converting a front-wheel-drive car to rear-wheel-drive, just so you can Wankel away? Why do that when there's a perfectly good rear-wheel-drive Japanese machine that's not a whole lot heavier than the Honda 600? Yes, the Toyota Starlet, the car with the best fuel economy in America. Once you ditch the pushrod four-banger for a powerplant with no pushrods (or valves, for that matter), you can make quite the impression at the dragstrip if you so choose. And if you've got $3,000 in your pocket ("only cash in person please," in one of those stating-the-obvious moments you often get in car ads), you can have your very own 12A-powered 1982 Toyota Starlet. The seller doesn't indicate whether it runs or not, but that won't matter much to you. You see, that's because you'll need to make this thing street-legal. Roll cage, nitrous, 4.62:1 rear and all! Sure, there will be plenty of work required, but imagine the glory of commuting to work in this howling-mad brute!

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It wasn't too long ago that Toyota announced they were going to extend the rust-perforation warranty on about 813,000 model-year 1995 to 2000 Tacoma pickups due to serious issues with corrosion of the frame in certain areas. This means that you could add 15 years onto the model year and, if you had problems, take it in to a dealer to have it looked at. If there is damage, which is possible if you live in an area where salt is frequently used on roads, Toyota will either repair or offer to repurchase your vehicle. This is where it gets interesting. No matter what condition your truck is in, Toyota will buy it back at 150% the KBB "excellent condition" price.

Toyota is looking for serious rust that has perforated the frame and not rust on the outside of the car and has issued guidelines for the dealerships, i.e. they will not buy back a truck if they just have to replace a rusty bolt. That being said, if your truck does exhibit some rust they'll give you a loaner car and enter the details in their system to be evaluated by Toyota. Just to test how much value there could be, we built a non-TRD 2000 Tacoma Xtra Cab with moderate options with 120K in the Chicago area and got a value of $10,900, meaning that Toyota would have to give the owner of such a truck $16,350 if the damage was serious enough. The flipside of this is that, if you own a Tacoma without rust, the resale value of your truck could diminish due to a perception of poor quality. If you're lucky, maybe you can trade up to a 1997 Tacoma, before the sudden and unexpected acceleration investigation leads to yet another truck buyback. (Thanks to Bryan for the tip and good luck with your Taco)

[Dealer Communication (PDF), Warranty Policy (PDF), Vehicle Inspection Form (PDF)]

Mark Twain once said "a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." Thanks to radio and the web, it can now travel all the way around the world. Remember that list of automotive April Fools' Day jokes? Remember that C&D and Automobile joke about Toyota securing Olds' naming rights? Someone took it to be the truth. And that person was Ron Chapman, filling in for Paul Harvey on his extremely popular ABC Radio show. Ugh. In case you were curious, the appropriate Trademarks are here and here, and they are both owned by GM and good until 2011 according to the US Patent and Trademark Office. The crappy urban legend in the making below the jump.

VMSoA Broadcast Transcript

Date April 02, 2008
Time 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Station Syndicated Radio
Location Network
Program Paul Harvey

RON CHAPMAN, anchor:

And remember about four years ago, General Motors
discontinued their car line known as Oldsmobile. I saw
this story yesterday and I kind of thought it was an April
Fools'. It turns out it's not.

General Motors stopped manufacturing Oldsmobiles, stopped
making them in 2004. David Gluckman of Automobile Magazine
says they apparently also stopped paying any attention to
the name Oldsmobile as well and the copyright on the
Oldsmobile name ran out and nobody at General Motors
noticed. But one person in the US Copyright Office did,
saw the name was freely available, called a relative who
worked for Toyota.

So, as of this day, the name Oldsmobile belongs not to GM
but to Toyota. And they're thinking of using it on a new
mid-level luxury model to be marketed where? Right here in
the United States.

Once again. TOYOTA DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO PRODUCE OLDSMOBILE. Nor are they stupid enough to try and resurrect that brand. (h/t to good ol' Phil).

[Source: Video Monitoring Services of America]

The leftist propaganda machine that is Slate recently made an attempt to quash rumors saying the Hummer H2 has a smaller overall environmental impact than a Toyota Prius. The argument goes that the manufacturing process is so energy intensive, and the materials so environmentally damaging, the Toyota Prius is actually worse for the environment in the long run than buying a Hummer H2. Of course the commies at Slate start talking about "science, studies and analysis" — all code words to their conspirators we're sure. We're on to you Slate. [Slate.com]

The Toyota Grand Prix, slated for April 18 - 20, will feature more than F1 ChampCar IRL The Tony George Racing League cars hauling ass around the track. As part of the Long Beach festivities, a Robotic Grand Prix will pit three of the biggest, most badass unmanned vehicles against each other. Junior, Boss and Ben are the three robo-racers that will tackle the 1.97-mile 11-turn circuit course. The three completely autonomous vehicles will have to complete one lap of the course and the fastest time will be awarded first place.

Boss is a 2007 Chevy Tahoe that was the work of student and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University. This is the same Boss that won the DARPA Grand Challenge. Junior is a 2006 VW Passat that was the runner up at the DARPA Grand Challenge and Ben is a Toyota Prius that took sixth at the Grand Challenge.

Don't get too pumped, the three vehicles have an average speed in the teens when completing a course. It may sound like a yawner, but autonomous vehicles are the future. Haven't you seen i Robot? [GPLB via BotJunkie]

BusinessWeek's David Kiley had a fun idea to spend some time talking with some industry heavy-hitters about CAFE and fuel economy. He spent a few minutes talking to both former Toyota USA President and current #2 at Chrysler, Jim Press, as well as GM Vice-Chairman "Maximum" Bob Lutz. The topic was the fuel efficient topic of choice among greenies, hybrids. In the article, Lutz claimed the upcoming Chevy Vaporware Volt might end up with a sticker price at around $48K. Normally that would make a pretty spectacular lead for us, especially given it's a price tag that's betwen 33% and 60% higher than originally stated by the brand all about the 'merican revolution and the GM exec born from jets. Fortunately for him, his comments were eclipsed by Press on the Prius.

And why not, as Press noted the inherent unfairness of competition from Toyota in the hybrid game, saying

"...the Japanese government paid for 100% of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius."

Phew, that's nice work by an automaker if you can get it. Here in the US, we're lucky if we can get a bailout for our automakers if they're about to go bankrupt. Oh wait, sorry Jim, Chrysler already used up that chit. But, we know how keen US politicians seem to be on helping out an industry which employs millions of people and effects almost every American's daily life, we're assuming similar plans are in the works. Yeah, right. [MSNBC]

Straight from the bowels of eBay comes the Salet GT5 Concept. We'll have to admit this is one of the better Toyota MR2 custom builds we've seen, but we're betting the 19 PSI turbo system will have that four cylinder blowing oil all over the fire wall in no time. It will be a quick car until that happens though, power is a claimed 302 HP and with such a light car it's probably a hoot. This one comes from the always unpredictable fakers at rarecars.org who seem to have a penchant for building exotic cars based on the Fiero. Why does this remind us of a certain horrible yellow Russian Cayenne? [eBay]

Here's another in a long line of jittery Japanese-market car ads, this one showing how a pack of tie-wearing Toyota shoprats can whomp together an '84 Corolla for fashion-deranged monogloved chopsocky experts and fedora-wearing, flask-in-bottom-drawer newsies alike, all thanks to the mighty powers of the Munificent Plutonium Wrench.

It always sucks for us when auto-lovers wants something so badly and so blindly they end up seeing things that just aren't there. It's even harder for us when we have to break the hearts of our beloved forum fan-boys — like in the case of the so-called third generation Solara spy photos from Friday. Sorry Solara-lovers, that ain't what you think it is. If there is a "new Solara" coming out, these shots aren't it.

As most of our commenters have already pointed out, what you're really looking at is a Hyundai Genesis sedan prototype. What caused all the ruckus with the lovers of the Solara is the fact that this Genesis prototype is still sporting a little of its pre-debut camouflage. Why's it wearing all the camo considering it was already officially revealed in both Korea and here at the Detroit Auto Show? Well, sometimes manufacturers will neglect to take off camouflage because, quite honestly, it's stuck on the car pretty well and it's a hassle. Though we bet sometimes they leave it on just to screw with us and all those forum fan-boys out there. That's right Solara Guy, we're looking directly at you on this one.

You think Kitt and her trusty canine sidekick have given up looking for cool old cars in their Denver neighborhood? No way! After the big-block El Camino last week, we're getting a Toyota Land Cruiser that's still in service as a painter's work truck. I've given up trying to guess the years on these things, especially when they've been modified, though the side marker lights may indicate a late-60s/early-70s model here. Make the jump for an additional gallery.

Scion Speak is a new online custom graphics generator from the company that brought you the Hako. Don't think the factory dubs and the chrome skull gear lever are custom accoutrement enough? Now you can create free semi-custom coats of arms from a selection of hundreds of graffiti artist designed templates. Once you're done, you can save your design and take it to a sticker maker or paint shop and pay real money to have it made.

I threw together the un-official Jalopnik Scion crest above and plan to make stickers out of it that will adorn every single review vehicle that we come across. (Not really, PR folks)

Apparently, Scion held focus groups in which Scion drivers said they would like a build-your-own, canned creativity, graffiti generator. I know you enjoy your Scion, but a cheesy crest, really? [Scion Speak via CarScoop]

There's a trend I'm beginning to notice around the massive halls of auto shows: scattered among the sheet metal, booth babes and PR flacks, there's a hell of a lot of video games — both your standard issue Xbox-PlayStation3 setups as well as the more elaborate simulators. Taking a look at just a few of the many examples that appeared at the New York Auto Show this past week, I think this is more than just a way of giving journalists something to do between press conferences — it's representative of a trend. Here's our carmaker-by-carmaker breakdown of what has to be construed as either a strategy of building "appeal with the youths" — or an attempt by the car companies to distract everyone from their impending new "Second Malaise Era" with flashing lights and loud noises.

Lexus:
Lexus brought a video game setup that made me do a double-take. It wasn't big, gaudy or flashy, but it was a great partnership. Lexus had three driving simulators set up running the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 5 Prologue that's due out in mid-April. Since it was obviously a Lexus partnership, the only vehicle available to try was the Lexus IS-F. You'll get my first impressions on the game later, but it was unique how much Polyphony, the developer of the Gran Turismo series, put into this event. The first day of the show, the simulator was running a custom-build platform (meaning the developers sent out a special copy of the game just for the show), but Polyphony managed to overnight Japanese retail builds of the full game to be used on the simulators. A groggy representative told me he was up until 3 a.m. waiting for the retail build and setting up the simulators to properly work with a PlayStation 3 and the Japanese game. That a lot of midnight oil for a cross-marketing opportunity.

Saleen:
Saleen didn't have the biggest or most prominent booth at the New York Auto Show, but there was definitely a strong presence, at least from the video game perspective. Saleen and Rockstar games recently announced a partnership for Midnight Club Los Angeles. This game is slated for a third or fourth quarter release this year. However, Rockstar was happy to have a setup that allowed everyone, even our intrepid senior editor, the opportunity to play the game and showcase the exclusive partnership with Saleen right now. This was one of the more interesting video game integrations because Rockstar pulled out all of the stops to get the game to the show and promote both their new game; the Saleen Mustang S302 Extreme was also the star of the game. The game looks pretty good, and will probably keep people hanging around the Saleen booth. Obviously, the better a car comes off in a game, the more likely it is that the excitement embodied in an automotive brand will rub off on gamers.

Subaru:
Subaru has been at it with the video games for quite some time. This year, as at many past trade shows, they featured triple-screen simulators running Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. There were three simulators available, and a decent sized area of the Subaru booth was roped off to accommodate waiting lines. Subaru seems to have figured out that the game both keeps people hanging around the booth and, because it showcases the WRX STi, reinforces Subaru's devotion to motorsports. We're not just for hippies in Vermont and families in Berkeley, the message seems to be. We're down with speed and handling as well.

Toyota:
Toyota deployed a slightly different gaming setup to promote its big pickup truck. The Tundra Game had the look and feel of Paperboy and served as more of an advergame than something that was legitimate fun. Nevertheless, it shows that Toyota went to the effort of hiring designers and developers to create something game-like to include in the Toyota trucks booth, thereby catching a ride on the trend.

Volkswagen:
VW brought a nausea-inducing game. A driver's seat and steering wheel were attached to platform that spun around as the unlucky participant piloted a GTi. Spinouts could have induced vomiting. Note to the board of directors: You've got to play this video-game gambit right—causing potential customers to retch isn't the way to go.

State Farm Insurance:
State Farm brings their driving simulator to almost every show. It's a full-sized rig that sits on actuators, mimicking all of the bumps and bruises of real-world driving. Also included in the booth were three individual driving simulators running the Nascar 2003 game, unfortunately. State Farm continues to promote driving safe, but it doesn't seem to know that there are some new games out there. Oh well,"A" for effort, and for being something of a pioneer in this trade-show sub-genre.

Jeep:
The Jeep booth boasted two Nintendo Wii setups, running a skateboard game. There's no explanation why, but it seems that the Jeep booth is so boring that event-planning staff figure they need Wiis to keep people entertained. There's a sub-trend here, as Wii seems to show up in a lot of boring media-oriented contexts these days. I guess journalist have a lot of free time to perfect their Guitar Hero skills.

Conclusion
It's apparent that auto-related video games can be a big part of any enthusiast's life, so I'm happy to see Polyphony and Rockstar go balls to the wall by getting involved in the auto industry and recognizing the natural cross-branding and promotional opportunities at trade shows. And I would like to see more companies getting involved. How about Logitech setting up a booth demonstrating the wheels and pedals that they offer? What about seeing some of the other big racing-game developers? Burnout and Forza are a couple racing series that seemed to be absent from the show.

Sure, the L.A. Auto Show will never replace E3, or at least what used to be E3. But the video game industry is definitely beginning to link itself more closely with the auto industry—and the car biz is recognizing that hooking up with the massively profitable-game industry can provide it with a variety of marketing opportunities. Car shows tend to be about actual experiences; you finally see the cars in the flesh, as opposed to in photos or on videos. But this actual experience is fairly static, because the vehicles don't do anything except sit there and look pretty. Bringing them to life in a virtual realm can only help.

Scion is known for trying to be hip with the kids, but I have a feeling its latest concept, the Hako, is a couple steps too far, even for the spikey haired, angsty kids of America. Hako means box and this is very boxy, even more boxy than the xB. If you remember, Scion originally teased the Hako Coupe concept two weeks ago, but here she is in all of her ugly glory. Original speculation suggested that this could take the place of the xA, but something tells me that wouldn't fly too well.

The Hako Coupe was designed by Scion's Tokyo design division and it was supposedly inspired by the emergence of American vintage style among young Japanese trendsetters. If this is American vintage, then I don't know if I want to be American. I'm sorry, Scion, this is a bit much. Oh and if you are wondering, on the rear, the right circle on the lower side is the exhaust, and the matching one on the left is the reverse light. Yes, very strange.

This inside of the Hako Coupe is a bit more valid than the exterior. The inside is chock full of futuristic doodads including a trackball-like interface on the steering wheel. The passenger side has two LCD displays where media can be controlled. The backseat of the Hako also includes screens that are connected to video cameras placed on the outside of the Hako. Let the YouTube hoonage commence.

Scion Reveals Hako Coupe Concept At The 2008 New York International Auto Show Related Media

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03/19/2008

March 19, 2008 - New York - Scion unveiled its Hako Coupe Concept vehicle at a press conference today at the New York International Auto Show.

Scion's Hako Coupe was developed by Tokyo Design Division, which studied global, youth-inspired trends. Japanese and American youth cultures often influence each other and are interpreted with a unique twist. The Hako Coupe Concept was inspired by the iconic xB and the emergence of American vintage style among young Tokyo trendsetters.

"Scion's Hako Coupe Concept embodies a distinct global perspective on today's youth," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "This type of forward thinking complements the Scion philosophy of intently listening to our customers and being willing to take risks to help us see where our brand should be. We took the xB's iconic boxy shape and explored something more vivacious, yet just as emotionally appealing. This concept is the sporty version of a box."

Tokyo Design developed the Hako Coupe with classic American coupes in mind. The car's geometric profile conveys a powerful stance in a compact and bold package. Its trapezoidal LED headlights lie parallel with a large and aggressive, rectangular upper grille. The lower rectangular grille anchors the front fascia and continues to communicate the Hako's aggressive attitude. Round fog lights, symmetrically placed high on the front bumper, have integrated turn signals.

The Hako's silhouette is accentuated by slim, race-car-inspired side mirrors that also feature integrated turn signals. Powerful, flared fenders add dimension and contrast to the concept's boxy shape and smooth surface planes. The Hako concept hugs the road with custom 18-inch deep dish five-spoke wheels and tires with a "Scion" custom tread.

The Hako Coupe features a vertical windshield as the concept sits upright and ready to attack the road. A high linear beltline along with a blackened and chopped greenhouse seamlessly wrap around the rear to provide a mysterious profile. As an example of potential personalization, the concept is equipped with a flat, panorama roof that features a random, barcode-like pattern that can be seen on the exterior and from the interior.

The rear features LED taillights that echo the shape of the headlights. To complete the package, the rear bumper has an integrated fog and back up light on the left and exhaust on the right.

Inside, the Hako is accented with orange and metallic detailing that exudes a modern environment with entertainment possibilities. The front and rear seats are covered with urethane and rubber-like upholstery for easy cleaning. The contemporary front bucket seats flow to the floor and incorporate a geometric design on the seatback. The seats are separated by a center console that features a large storage crevice for storing magazines, cell phones, and other small items. Two cockpit-like rear seats also share a storage crevice.

The orange driver's seat has a gaming theme. Instrumentation and warning lights cascade from the art inspired instrument panel to the steering wheel. The shifter, located on the center console, resembles a large joystick. On the steering wheel is a simple button to start the engine and a track-ball type control for the Hako's entertainment system located on the passenger dash. The entertainment system consists of two video monitor screens mounted on the dash for radio, video, and music capabilities. Users can upload their videos and music through a Bluetooth® connection. The front passenger controls the system using a large rollerball mounted on the center of the dash. A black seat differentiates the front passenger area.

Video monitors located on each door and on each side of the rear seating area project distorted fish-eye images from orange filtered cameras mounted beneath the A-pillars. While the vehicle is parked the driver and passenger can edit the scenes captured by the cameras to show their friends where they have been and perhaps even post the clip online for others to see.

"As you know, polarizing style fits in well with our lineup," said Hollis. "And of course we love a good box. We'll listen to the feedback from this concept to help us determine how our brand could evolve and grow over the next five years."

It was like a scene from The Sting, with yours truly and Robert Farago of The Truth About Cars as the fast talking, quick thinking con men (we'll let you decide who is Newman and who is Redford). The Scion press room was surrounded with security but the awkward prize, the new Scion Hako (aka Scion tC replacement), was waiting within. Farago deftly distracts the first guard with the old "Excuse me ma'am but have you seen my puppy" trick while I used my mistakingly printed manufacturer's pass to sneak past the second one. We were able to get on stage and snap a few pics before a security official put his chest into my camera. More coming soon.

Sometimes, less is more. These three-wheeled knock offs of western cars might be such a case. Sure, they're not safe, they're poorly made and they're slow, but who wouldn't want to drive one? More cute and cuddly than their western counterparts, Jin Da Lu's copies are likely to be way more efficient too, powered by an assortment of electric motors and two-stroke gasoline engines.

Our favorite is the pilfered Prius. By using just three wheels rolling resistance is sure to be reduced, as is weight, due to the absense of safety equipment. To top it all off, the lack of a tail pipe may mean the Chinese have beaten Toyota, offering the first all-electric, plug-in Prius on the market. [Via CarScoop]

The funny thing about Toyota's 1985 claim that 95% of all Toyota trucks ever built were still on the road is that it's probably still true today (although perhaps the attrition rate is higher among Warlord Edition™ Hiluxes, what with all the high-explosive ordnance they tend to encounter in their daily routine). Here we have some wholesome-looking farmers telling us why Toyota trucks are their first choice for hauling sacks of sugar out to the moonshine still.