Industry
Mazda Toyota's Alabama Plant Builds Its One-Millionth Vehicle Five Years After Opening
The 50/50 joint venture builds the Corolla Cross and CX-50 side by side, and it marked the milestone with $120,000 in workforce-training grants.
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Concepts
Toyota Builds Five Woodland Concepts for SEMA, From a Lifted Sienna to an Off-Road bZ
The RAV4 PHEV, Sienna, bZ, Grand Highlander, and Crown Signia share a lift, all-terrain tires, and Horizon Blue paint. Only the Crown Signia lacks a showroom Woodland grade.
Industry
Toyota's Texas Truck Plant Tops 4,000 Workers, Sets 2029 Start for Tacoma Hiring
The Tundra and Sequoia plant has fully staffed its new axle factory, and hiring for the $3.6 billion line that brings Tacoma production from Mexico begins in 2029.
Autonomy
Waymo's Next Robotaxi Is a Toyota bZ4X — but It's Headed to Japan, Not the US
Toyota will build self-driving bZ4X SUVs for Waymo at a Japanese plant, with testing from 2027 and the UK to follow. No US rollout has been named.
Concepts
Toyota Crown Signia GT-S Concept Drops Nearly 5 Inches for SEMA, Keeps the Stock Hybrid
Toyota Motorsports Garage gave the hybrid wagon one-off coilovers, 295-section tires, and Lexus RX calipers. It's the second GT-S concept in a row to skip extra power.
Concepts
Toyota Snowhunter Concepts Put Snow Tracks on Five Trucks and SUVs for SEMA
The Tundra, Tacoma, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia get white tracks and racks for Las Vegas. Toyota's last big SEMA overland build became the Trailhunter.
Recalls
Toyota Sienna Recall: 228,367 Hybrid Minivans Get a Software Fix for Unlocking Seatbacks
Seat belt pretensioners can shake the second-row recliners loose in a frontal crash. Most vans get an SRS software update; about 200 Mobility-as-a-Service vans get new seatbacks.
Industry
Inside Toyota's U.S. Plants: Rain Booths, Weld Ultrasounds and Medical-Grade CT Scans
From rain booths to medical-grade CT scanners, Toyota lists five checks its U.S. plants run. They catch build flaws, not the software faults behind its latest recalls.
Buying Advice
Buy the 2026, Not the 2027: Every Model Where the Outgoing Year Is the Better Deal
The 2027 model year is mostly subtraction: small price bumps, deleted trims, and four plug-ins gone. Here is every model where the leftover 2026 wins, and three where it doesn't.
Buying Advice
Every Hybrid Pickup You Can Buy, Ranked by How Fast It Pays for Itself
At $4.29 gas, the Maverick Hybrid earns back its premium in about 16 months. Every other hybrid truck takes eight years or more, and most buyers pay for torque.
New Cars
The New Toyota RAV4 Just Missed an IIHS Award. The Back Seat Is Why
The hybrid rated Acceptable and the plug-in Marginal in the rear-passenger test, while a seat belt fix turned the Nissan Kicks into a Top Safety Pick.
Pricing
Toyota Crown Signia Limited Now Costs $51,155, but the Advanced Tech Pack Comes Standard
The Limited climbs $2,365 but folds in the formerly optional Advanced Technology Package. The XLE rises $500 to $44,890, and the 238-hp hybrid carries over.
Analysis
Camry, RAV4, Now the Lexus NX: Toyota Is Quietly Killing the Base Gas Car in America
The Camry, RAV4, and now the NX have lost their gas versions. On the first two, entry prices rose about $2,000, a hybrid premium rivals still can't match.
Comparison
Lexus NX 450h+ vs. Toyota RAV4 PHEV: What You Actually Get for the Premium
Same platform, same 324 hp. The RAV4 goes farther on electricity and costs less to fuel; the 2027 Lexus counters with standard DC charging and a longer warranty.
Recalls
Toyota Recalls Nearly 106,000 Land Cruisers Over a Fuel Leak It Can't Yet Explain
A fuel tube on the tank can disconnect and leak, raising the risk of fire. Owner letters go out from Nov. 29, and Toyota still can't say why.
Comparison
Altima vs. Camry: Is Saving $1,930 Up Front Worth Giving Up the Hybrid?
The gas Altima SV is $1,930 cheaper than the hybrid Camry LE. At $4.28 a gallon the Toyota erases that in about 33,000 miles; its AWD version costs $535 more.
Trucks
Toyota's Hydrogen Semis Can Now Refuel in 8 Minutes for 450 Miles
Tests with a federal lab show diesel-like fill times, and Toyota is now fueling heavy trucks in Southern California ahead of its own powertrain's 2027 debut.
Analysis
Subaru Just Showed a 509-HP EV It Built Without Toyota. That Changes More Than the Solterra
A reported 509-hp Outback-bodied prototype is Subaru's first EV engineered without Toyota. The real story is Panasonic cells, a 2029 date, and what Honda and Mazda already got wrong.
Comparison
Palisade Hybrid vs. Grand Highlander Hybrid: Which Costs Less to Own Over 5 Years?
Both are rated at 34 mpg and start near $47,000 with destination. We ran five years of fuel, interest, and warranty math to see which costs less to live with.
Comparison
Jeep Cherokee vs. Toyota RAV4: What $3,775 More Buys, and What It Doesn't
Jeep's hybrid compact starts $3,775 above a RAV4 and tows more, but Toyota wins on mpg, warranty, and a plug-in. The Jeep's real edge: it's on the lot.