LA Times Slander of Toyota Continues

LA Times journalists V&B are at it again – we criticized them a few weeks ago for using inflammatory images and unsubstantiated opinions to stoke consumer fears of Toyotas and unintended acceleration, and now we find them accusing Toyota’s electronic throttle system of being defective (link)…with only manipulated and incomplete data to support their claims.

The LA Times and Consumer Reports use incomplete, manipulated data to accuse Toyota of faulty electronic throttles.

The LA Times and Consumer Reports use incomplete, manipulated data to accuse Toyota of faulty electronic throttles.

To be clear, we have no business criticizing others for journalistic integrity…but we feel obligated to evaluate these accusations critically considering how many Toyota owners are driving in fear. Here’s why this reporting (link) from the L.A. Times is slanderous: Read more…

Updating the Diesel Tundra Story

In what we hope will not be the last post we ever write about the subject, we’ve taken some time to create a page dedicated to the story of the diesel Tundra.

As you may or may not know, Toyota has flirted with the notion of building a diesel version of the Toyota Tundra for some time. Originally, Toyota’s plan was to attack the truck market with both a big powerful HD diesel Tundra AND a powerful yet fuel-efficient diesel version of the half-ton Tundra. Sadly, slow sales and a slow economy have halted these plans.

In what may be considered good news, we have it on high authority that Toyota has done more than just design a half-ton diesel – rumors of an actual working half-ton diesel Tundra seem to be legitimate (yet we have no photos). Read more…

20 Most Influential Auto Blogs – 2009 Edition

In an effort to improve our little blog, a few weeks ago we started profiling some popular auto blogs for our own purposes. At first, we were only looking for ideas on layout, content, and features. After a while we realized that it might be interesting to put together a list of the most influential auto blogs on the internet (focused on the USA).

The 20 most influential automotive blogs of 2009

The 20 most influential automotive blogs of 2009

For our purposes influence means that a blog is both authoritative and popular. Here’s our criteria for blogs and how we attempted to determine authority and popularity: Read more…

The Connection Between Currency Exchange Rates And Cars

When most Americans evaluate the global aspects of the auto industry, the issue of currency exchange is rarely discussed. However, currency exchange rates are of pivotal importance to all automakers. What follows is a simplified illustration of currency exchange and how it can impact profits.

See how currency exchange rates impact the auto industry

See how currency exchange rates impact the auto industry

Hopefully, it will be more interesting than it sounds! Read more…

5 Cheap Gift Ideas For Truck Owners (That Don’t Suck)

We’ve already told you what the great, “cool” gifts for truck owners are, but they’re all sort of expensive (except maybe the Carriage Works chrome billet grille).

Five cheap gift ideas for anyone who owns a pickup truck.

Five cheap gift ideas for anyone who owns a pickup truck.

If you’re not looking to spend a ton of cash, here’s a list of gifts for truck owners that don’t cost a lot of money. Read more…