Like other Japanese automakers, Toyota continues to be affected deeply by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Now the company is saying that it will be at least 6 months before they can resume production at levels before the disasters.

By November, Toyota is hoping that production, both overseas and American, will return to normal—with suppliers bringing in parts at a steady rate and factory work suspensions slowing down. Toyota is the first major automaker to make such a prediction.

“By telling dealers the timing of the recovery, they can have a better conversation with their customers,” said Akio Toyoda, the company’s president. “Dealers right now cannot talk to their customers about delivery timing. They can’t talk about specifics. Sales people are having a difficult time.”

Right now, Japanese production is right around 50% of capability. The normal rate, Toyota believes, will resume by July as issues in the supply chain are slowly, gradually worked out.

[Source: Automotive News]

Earlier this year, Team Lotus, (a private company) has been in legal battle with Group Lotus (the manufacturer of Lotus cars) over the rightful use of the company’s name. Since the case is still in court, Lotus essentially has two teams in Formula-One at the moment.

Now news comes that Team Lotus wants to tie itself more closely with the Lotus brand by acquiring Caterham cars. As all car enthusiasts know, Caterham bought the manufacturing rights to continue producing the old Lotus 7 back in 1973 and ever since has been developing newer and faster versions of this basic sportscar.

If Team Lotus actually acquires Caterham cars, it will bring an interesting new twist to this automotive soap opera. Rumor is, a press conference will be held next week regarding this matter. We can’t wait to see this story unravel.

[Source: Autosport]

It’s just a concept right now, but Ram‘s Heavy-Duty based Long Hauler, is already making waves. Based on a Class 5 Heavy Duty Chassis Cab, it features an 8-foot long dually pickup box and extra fuel provisions – a 60 gallon resevoir mounted between the cab and the bed, plus a further bed mounted fuel tank that holds 50 gallons.

That results in a total fuel capacity of 162 gallons, which, combined with the proven Cummins 6.7-liter straight-six diesel and six-speed automatic, should give this truck the ability to cover distances of around 1,600 miles between fill ups when pulling a large trailer (think tri-axle). That means, you could drive this thing from the East Coast to the West, only having to stop for fuel twice.

As it’s been conceived for long-distance hauling, this rig is not surprisingly loaded to the gunwhales with creature comforts; adjustable rear foot rests, tray tables, built-in refrigerator and Wi-Fi are just some of the features.

Given that the Long Hauler has a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCW) of a staggering 37,500 lbs, it needs a suspension that is up to the task, as a result the front and rear 19.5 inch wheels and tires are connected to a Kelderman air-bag suspension with automatic self-leveling.

Whether Ram division will actually build the Long Hauler remains to be seen, though there is undoubtedly a gap in the market between 1-ton pickups and Class 6 over-the-road trucks like baby Freightliners and Peterbilts, especially for those that need a tow vehicle for rodeos or high-end race cars.

Currently, the Long Hauler is doing the rounds at various events across the US to gauge public opinion. It’s next appearance is scheduled for the Kentucky Derby on May 6-7. So, if the Long Hauler is something that floats your boat and you happen to be in Louisville that weekend, be sure to check it out.

Mapping out electric car charging stations onto an open source format like Google Maps seems like something totally self-evident, but the Department of Energy and Google are undertaking an official initiative to overlay EV charge points onto of a mapping application.

The project will be known as the GeoEVSE forum, and comprise of a database of 600 charging stations, which allows users to search by location, charger type and payment methods. Private companies like BestBuy are also getting on board, and the various entities involved hope that the project will help further public trust in electric vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure.

Toyota is voluntarily recalling 51,000 Tundra pick-up trucks regarding a defect that reportedly occurs in 0.05 percent of Tundras sold. A drive shaft component, known as the slip yoke, may have been casted incorrectly, leading to a possible part failure.

Although no injuries or deaths have been reported, Toyota is notifying dealers to be on the look out for a specific batch of part numbers, and instructing owners via first class mail on how to have their truck inspected. The process only takes 10 minutes, however the driveshaft may have to be placed, necessitating much more time in the shop.

Owners who wish to contact Toyota regarding the recall can do so at www.toyota.com/recall or by calling the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Despite Ford’s aggressive marketing campaign for its new, more ‘fuel efficient’ engines in the 2011 F-series, along with currently high fuel prices, GM has said it has no plans to move up the launch of its updated full-size twins, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Speaking at a press conference, GM’s CEO Dan Akerson said “trucks would not be a program we move up in a mileage sensitive market.”

That said, the General does have plans to speed up the introduction of some passenger cars, notably the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, which is now planned for launch some four months ahead of the original schedule.

However, there are many who think GM would be wise to rethink its strategy on the next iterations of its 1/2 ton full-size pickups. The new trucks are said to not only employ new, more efficient six and eight-cylinder engines along with hybrid drivetrains, but are also rumored to boast significant weight savings over their current counterparts.

In fact, given that trucks are still a huge profit center for GM and that dealers are increasingly clamoring for new pickup offerings, on many levels, a speedier introduction of the new Silverado and Sierra makes sense.

Having said that, the General is still grappling with limited resources following its bankruptcy and re-structuring, which delayed many introductions, including the original introduction of the upcoming Silverado and Sierra.

Nevertheless, current market conditions could provide GM with the perfect opportunity to hit one out of the park in the pickup segment.

[Source: pickuptrucks.com]

Saab’s attempt at selling off assets to a Russian financial magnate Vladimir Antonov has stalled after the European Investment Bank told the Swedish auto maker to essentially find a new partner within a set time frame.

The EIB and other parties have expressed concerns regarding Antonov’s reported Russian mafia connections. All parties involved are understandably reluctant to elaborate on specifics, but Saab parent company Spyker said in a statement that “Saab Automobile is working with all parties involved on a solution to complete the sale of the property and will have further talks with the EIB today,” Spyker said.

Saab has borrowed $400 million from the EIB, but a cash crunch has also seen the company owe its supplier $49 million, leading to parts supply disruptions and a mere trickle of cars built due to the disputes. Saab has also been courting Chinese auto makers for a variety of deals, but said that it has nothing to do with Volvo, Saab’s fellow Swedish auto maker, currently owned by a Chinese corporation.

Apparently a new trend has been set in China. If you’re wealthy and getting married, better whip out every supercar exotic you can get your hands on and take them out on the street. This particular wedding, in Wenzhou, featured 28 exotic supercars from Ferrari’s 458 Italia to Bentley’s Flying Spur.

At first, it was fun to watch all the supercars parade around for a wedding, but now many local Chinese are finding it a tad repulsive. As with any country experiencing an abundant of wealth, the separation from lower to middle class and middle class to upper class starts to widen. Without surprise some aren’t finding it as amusing as others back in China. As for us? We can’t wait until someone rolls out their own wedding entourage with millions of dollars worth of exotics.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: Jalopnik]

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After tinkering around with Bugatti’s extensive online configurator for their Veyron, we find it hard to believe anyone special ordering their Veyron would end up with an identical one as someone else. But as if a ridiculously high number of combinations weren’t enough, Bugatti has released two more special edition Veyrons out in Shanghai featuring unique color and trim combinations.

The special edition Grand Sport, Veyron’s convertible, features a matte white with blue carbon fiber combination. On the inside, matching blue interior with white stitching can be seen. While that may be cool enough for some, what’s really awesome is the Veyron 16.4 Super Sport for China. The 1,100-hp Super Sport features a carbon black exterior while the interior is a mix of Snow Beige and Beluga Black. Carbon fiber continues in the interior as accents as well.

No pricing was announced, but Bugatti is well aware of how ripe China’s market is for exotic supercars. One of their 16.4 Super Sport’s has already been sold to a customer in China.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Bugatti Veyron Special Editions

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The Nissan Leaf has been in the press quite a bit recently. While it recently took top honor of “World Car of the Year” at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, it has been in the news recently that some Leaf owners have been left stranded on the road because the battery indicator was incorrect and hence they had much less actual range than the indicator suggested.

Still, this electric vehicle has achieved many milestones in its short life, and now it seems to have its sights set on a peak. Pikes Peak to be exact, which is undoubtedly the most famous hill climb event in North America, probably even the world.

Nissan will enter a completely stock Leaf EV at this years event and it will be piloted by Chad Hord, a professional off-road truck racer from the TORC series.

Last year, Pikes Peak had a class just for electric cars, so it will be interesting to see what this stock 110-hp car can achieve against purpose built electric racers. Guess we’ll have to wait until June 26th to find out.