All-Electric iQ Revealed, but Only 100 will be Produced as Toyota Prefers to Focus on PHEVs

While electric vehicles may not yet have substantial range to be as versatile as hybrids or internal-combustion engine models, if the their use is confined in daily commute in cities, theoretically then, their range is more than enough to satisfy most drivers’ needs.

The iQ city car (sold under the Scion nameplate in North America) is designed specifically designed to be used in an urban environment. Prototypes were displayed at both the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in the form of the FT-EV III concept and this year’s Geneva Auto Show. Now Toyota has officially revealed a plug-in all-electric variant – but it will not enter full production.

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Electric Vehicles , New Cars , Paris Auto Show , Reports , Toyota , Toyota Videos , Toyota-Scion iQ , Video

Thunderstruck: Russian Mayor's Toyota Land Cruiser Almost Hit by Lightning on the Road

It’s never a boring day on Russian roads as there's always something interesting to be captured on film by the myriad of dashboard-mounted cameras used by local drivers.

Just the other day (never mind the 2100 date on the video), a resident of the Russian town of Zheleznogorsk, which as we learned, was established in 1950 for the production of weapons-grade plutonium, was minding his own business when all of a sudden thunder struck down on the road at the same time that a Toyota Land Cruiser was passing by.

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Accidents , Offbeat News , Russia , Toyota Land Cruiser , Toyota Videos , Video

Hagwalah: And the Award for the Most Imprudent Driver and Crowd Goes to…

We have seen a slew of eventful episodes from Middle Eastern and especially Saudi Arabian drivers practicing the popular but unlawful art of drifting on public roads locally known as "Hagwalah", but never before have we encountered something like this.

For around two minutes, we see the driver of a baby blue pickup truck that had been involved in one too many accidents judging from the condition of the body panels, spinning the car on a public road.

Nothing new, right? Well, not exactly, as the driver was going in drifting circles right in the middle of a massive crowd with some people getting right in front of the truck as it was drifting!

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Accidents , Middle East , Offbeat News , Toyota , Toyota Hilux , Toyota Videos , Video

Eco Warriors: Watch Two Toyota Prius Drivers Slowly and Greenly Squabble on a California Highway

After conquering the hearts of many Asian and even more Russian drivers, dashboard mounted cameras are slowly starting to gain popularity in the United States.

While not as near as wild as some incidents in Russia, you could say that this video provides a taster of what's to come if more Americans start fitting their vehicles with cameras.

The clip was shot on California's Interstate 405 and involves two drivers bickering on the road.

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Hybrids , Offbeat News , Toyota Prius , Toyota Videos , Video

2013 Toyota Auris Comes Out of the Closet Again, Stars in Video with Transgender Singer Avu-Chan

We don't know if Toyota is doing it on purpose, but the new 2013 Auris seems set to become the new automotive face of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community.

For a second time in a week and after two television spots from Japan starring Stav Strashko, a 19-year old male model with feminine characteristics who was born in the Ukraine and raised in Israel, Toyota's new Auris is featured in another clip with a transgender person.

This time, it's Avu-chan, a 19-year old trans woman of African-American and Japanese descent who is the lead singer of Ziyoou-vachi (“Queen Bee”), a gender-bending teenage glamrock band from Japan.

The video is named "DAS × AURIS BUTTOCKS DRIVE!!" and it was made for the "Daikanyama Art Street" (DAS) art and music festival held from August 20 to 26 in Daikanyama, Tokyo.

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Japan , Offbeat News , Toyota , Toyota Auris , Toyota Videos , Video

Watch Saudi Arabian Drifters Chase Down a Police Officer

We all know how popular (there's even a music video) but also how dangerous the Saudi Arabian street drifting practice known as 'Hagwalah' is.

We also suspect that all of you who have watched the numerous videos on CarScoop and other websites have surely wondered about the absence of law enforcement, especially with so many deaths and injuries caused by reckless drifters.

Well, here's a video that shows a police car arriving at a gathering of drifters, reportedly in Saudi Arabia (if this incident took place somewhere else, drop us a message and we'll rectify it).

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Middle East , Offbeat News , Police Cars , Racing , Toyota , Toyota Camry , Toyota Videos , Video

Toyota gets Nonsensical with 2013 Auris Hatchback "Spanking Orchestra"

At first, we had the "Not in trend, not casual, not for everyone" TV commercial staring 19-year old androgynous model Stav Strashko, and now, Toyota's Japanese arm has employed the help of Nobumichi Tosa, founder of Maywa Denki, a company known for its "Nonsense Machines" such as remote-controlled tap shoes and musical backpacks, to promote the new Auris hatchback. Read more »

gadgets , Japan , Offbeat News , Toyota , Toyota Auris , Toyota Videos , Video

Toyota GT 86 Comes Face-to-Face with its 1980s AE86 Predecessor

The Toyota GT 86 and its Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ siblings are all the talk these days with video comparisons popping left and right every week, sometimes even more often.

While Chris Harris recently tested the GT 86 against the closely priced Nissan 370Z and a used Porsche Cayman S, Autoexpress magazine's Owen Mildenhall took a different approach by comparing the rear-wheel drive sports coupe against its forefather and the car that inspired its creation, the Corolla Levin AE86 from the 1980s.

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Classics , Toyota , Toyota GT 86 , Toyota Videos , Video

Chris Harris Compares Toyota GT86 Against Nissan 370Z and Used Porsche Cayman S

Like the rest of the motoring press, experienced road test editor Chris Harris has already driven the Toyota GT86 (Scion FR-S in the US) during its official launch in Spain. To say he came out all-enthusiastic would probably be an understatement; Harris was raving.

Cars, however, are not only judged on their own but against their rivals as well. Harris decided to test the GT86 on English roads to see if it feels as good as it did at the Spanish track six months ago. He also brought some stiff competition for good measure.

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Nissan , Nissan 370Z , Nissan Videos , Porsche , Porsche Cayman , Porsche Videos , Toyota , Toyota GT 86 , Toyota Videos , Video

New Photos and Videos of JDM 2013 Toyota Auris Hatchback

The compact hatchback segment is heating up in Europe as most major carmakers have already presented or are getting ready to launch new models into the market.

The new proposals range from the upscale and pricier 2013MY Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class to the mainstream and more affordable Kia Cee'd, the upcoming VW Golf MK7 and of course, the second generation of the Auris.

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Japan , New Cars , Toyota , Toyota Auris , Toyota Videos , Video

Angry Driver Takes Care of Wheel Boot Problem with a…Circular Saw

Everybody hates receiving a parking ticket or even worse, having their vehicle booted or towed, regardless if they are at fault

And while it's true that most people learn to deal with it one way or another, there are some drivers that simply refuse to let it go like the Ferrari 458 Spider owner in Manhattan who ran over a NYC cop's foot with painful results or the man you're about to watch in the video that follows past the break.

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Offbeat News , South Africa , Toyota , Toyota Hilux , Toyota Videos , Video