1979 Toyota Fj45 Troop Carrier Landcruiser on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota Matrix discontinued for 2014

Between its slow sales and the upcoming redesign of the closely related Corolla sedan, things haven't been looking good for the Toyota Matrix (for some time now). After 10 years on the market, Toyota has officially announced that it will drop the Matrix from its US lineup following the 2013 model year.
The announcement was made as a part of a press release breaking down what's new for Toyota in 2014, but for now, it doesn't look like any Toyota-branded product will fill the Matrix's spot. The Matrix and its sister car, the defunct Pontiac Vibe, were the final vehicles developed under the joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, an arrangement launched back to 1984.

Watch Congress sample Toyota's i-Road 3-wheeler concept

Toyota brought its new i-Road, a three-wheeled, all-electric low-speed vehicle that debuted in 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show, to the Capitol for some of our elected officials to test out. As easy as it is to forget that politicians are people, too, it was refreshing to see a human side to many of them as they zipped about one of the Capitol's many meeting rooms.
We'd say their reactions were surprisingly positive. Of course, some were just down there because Toyota is a big presence in their respective districts, but the bulk of the senators and representatives seemed like they just wanted to zip about the makeshift indoor course on the leaning trike.
Take a look below at the video from Bloomberg.

Automakers donating money, vehicles and supplies to Oklahoma tornado relief effort

Judging by the destruction the Oklahoma City area experienced earlier this week, residents are going to need a lot of help in coming months. Fortunately, a number of automakers - including General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota - have stepped up to donate money, supplies and vehicles to aid in the recovery and rebuilding processes.
Here's a quick rundown of which automakers have pitched in and what each contributed so far:
Ford Motor Company has donating $250,000 and a Transit Connect to the American Red Cross, and it will match all other donations made to the Red Cross (up to $250,000) using a special URL tied to the latter's website (link here). Additionally, its local Oklahoma dealers have thrown in an extra $150,000 for the United Way and the automaker will be offering an extra $500 toward the purchase of a new Ford vehicle.