Tag Archives: toyota

Toyota Corona ads like this helped establish the brand in the US

Toyota’s entry into the US market was famously disastrous. The Toyopet Crown was built for crowded Japanese alleys, not wide American highways, and its troubled launch almost sent Toyota back to Japan entirely. What redeemed the company was the introduction … Continue reading

Posted in cm | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Baby Toyota Land Cruiser rumored to arrive next year

Since last fall there have been rumblings of a baby Land Cruiser joining the Toyota lineup, a vehicle said to be called a “Jimny killer” internally. A new report out of Japan suggests that, whatever it’s called, the public could … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Ex-race car driver and Japan National Diet member Junko Mihara just had her car stolen

Japan is a famously safe nation, but car thefts have been on the rise. Among the most popular targets are high-end Toyotas like the Alphard, Land Cruiser, and Lexus LX. The thefts have even struck some of the highest-ranking people … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Toyota 4Runner’s sixth generation answers one big question about the new Land Cruiser

Ever since the Toyota Land Cruiser nameplate was revived last August, we at JNC have been a bit flummoxed about it. Though it wore the legendary name, it didn’t feel like a real Land Cruiser. It just felt off somehow, … Continue reading

Posted in Next Version | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Toyota USA Museum is crushing a classic Cressida and record-setting Prius

We are sad to report that the Toyota USA Museum appears to be sending two of its cars to the crusher. A gold 1978 Cressida and a 2003 Prius with a very distinct livery have surfaced in a recycling yard … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Toyota GT-One arrives in Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7‘s latest update packs some serious horsepower. Notably, it marks the return of the Toyota GT-One, among the most beautiful and the most tragic Le Mans racers of the last 25 years. The 780-horsepower monster was a force … Continue reading

Posted in Video Games | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Japanese detailers clean up a Toyota TE27 Corolla Levin

After seeing several detailers work their magic on classic Nihon steel, we wondered how such things are done in Japan. We weren’t able to unearth a video of anyone cleaning a full-on rat poop-infested husk, but we were able to … Continue reading

Posted in Video | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Tokyo Vice‘s cars elevate a pretty great yakuza series to something totally unprecedented

The yakuza series Tokyo Vice is currently on its second season. It’s not the most mind-blowing crime story, but one thing it has going for it is its excellent use of period correct Japanese cars. The series is set in … Continue reading

Posted in Film/TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Toyota GR cars fight off boring autonomous vehicles in anime series GRip

Toyota has launched an anime miniseries to promote its Gazoo Racing lineup of sports cars. It’s called GRip: A Toyota Story, and its first two letters cleverly match the prefix in the series’ three star cars, the GR Corolla, GR … Continue reading

Posted in Film/TV | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Toyota MR2 revival reportedly mulling single or double decklids

According to reports from Japan Toyota’s upcoming MR2 is progressing nicely. The question apparently isn’t whether they should pursue an MR2 at all, but whether it should have one or two decklids. On the one hand, a single rear door … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Happy Year of the Dragon from JNC

Today, February 10, is the Lunar New Year, and that means it’s officially the Year of the Dragon. The A20 Toyota Celica is the car that represents this mythical beast. For a creature that is so prominent in Asian culture, … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Watch a Toyota 85C Le Mans racer take on a touge road

The Toyota 85C was built for flying down the Mulsanne straight at 180 mph, not for slinging around winding roads in the Japanese mountains. The wild, 500-horsepower prototype is a rolling aero wedge. But there’s something exhilarating in watching a … Continue reading

Posted in motorsport | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why Toyota had a used Suzuki Jimny at its Tokyo Auto Salon booth

The main stage at Toyota’s 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon booth is a strange place to find a Suzuki. Or a Yamaha. But this year Toyota surprised attendees with a showcase of seemingly unrelated cars. In lieu of a formal press … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Restored S13 Silvia, Nissan Bluebird Cube, Toyota S-FR roadster: Incredible creations by Japan’s tech school students

NATS always has a big presence at the Tokyo Auto Salon but it’s not the only school with cars to display. There are many technical colleges across Japan that all get to display their projects at the country’s biggest custom … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

An FJ40 on a J70 chassis kicks off Toyota’s Land Cruiser customization business

If you have an old Land Cruiser there is probably no better place to get it customized than Toyota itself. At the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon what appeared to be a yellow FJ40 was displayed, but it was no ordinary … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

TOM’s launches Toyota restoration business to mark 50th anniversary

Tachi Oiwa Motorsport, better known as TOM’s, has been modifying the latest and greatest Toyotas for 50 years. To mark the occasion, the famed tuning house announced at the 2024 Tokyo Auto Salon that it has started its own restoration … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mini Kenmeri Skyline, Corona lowrider, slammed Jimny: the wild Tokyo Auto Salon customs by NATS

One of the most reliably entertaining booths at the Tokyo Auto Salon is that of NATS, the Nihon Automobile Technical School. The college teaches auto repair, but each year students get to indulge several far-out projects that end up on … Continue reading

Posted in Tokyo Auto Salon | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Shaking Toyota Land Cruiser demonstrates force of 7.5M earthquake

Rescue and relief efforts are still under way in Japan after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan on New Year’s Day. Demonstrating the force of the tremor, an eyewitness video shows a parked Toyota Land Cruiser being rocked on its … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Toyota releases map of drivable roads after New Year’s Day earthquake

This is not how we wanted to start off 2024, but on New Year’s Day a 7.5 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan. The epicenter was in the Sea of Japan, just off the Noto Peninsula near Ishikawa Prefecture. The death … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Drive a classic Toyota Supra when you stay at the Fuji Speedway Hotel

If you’re planning to visit Fuji Speedway soon, you might want to look into the Supra Winter Festival. The program lets guests of the Fuji Speedway Hotel drive a Supra during their stay. While the main purpose of the promotion … Continue reading

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments