Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to gain enough to take over Ford Motor Co. as the second largest automaker in the United States next to General Motors. According to some auto analysts, they saw large sales in December on the part of Ford. This is perceived to be in favor of the struggling Japanese automaker.

Edmunds.com tracked auto sales data and stated that Ford could suffer a remarkable 19.6 percent drop in December compared to last year’s record. On the one hand, Ronald Tadross, Bank of America analyst, expects that Ford would drop by 10 to 12 percent range. Also, several analysts expect that Toyota has the nerve to unseat the ailing Ford.

If auto analysts’ prediction would turn into reality, it would happen for the second month in a row and the third month of 2006. Jesse Toprak, chief economist for Edmunds, said Toyota likely will claim the No. 2 spot for the year in 2007, although Ford could bounce back for a few months during the first half of the new year. Toprak added, “They’re [Ford] going to be down in pretty much every single segment. They really did not have any new products that will bring excitement and showroom traffic to a great extent.”

Toprak also noted that the sales drop of Ford is attributed to the cessation of Taurus production. Taurus is a midsize front wheel drive vehicle. The car was introduced in 1985 to replace the Fairmont. Taurus auto parts are known for their reliability. No wonder why the car is loved by a lot of aficionados even up to this present time.

Toprak also expects that the sale of Ford’s bread and butter trucks will also decline. One of Ford’s pride vehicles is the F-150, the best-selling pickup in America. This is the very reason why Ford is meticulously supervising the manufacture and assembly of auto parts Ford F-150. “We cannot be distracted about things like that,” said George Pipas, Ford’s top sales analyst. He added that Ford is focused on returning its business to profitability.

It can be recalled that Ford has lost $7 billion during the first three quarters of 2006. Moreover, more declines in sales are expected to overwhelm the automaker. Toyota, on the one hand, is expected to yield a 7.3 percent increase in December.

What would be the horsepower and the maximum top speed. It has 160 mph on the dash but it’s been tested to hit 135mph but no more because of the governor on the engine. It’s horsepower is 180. How much increase in horsepower and top speed am I looking at if I buy a supercharger for the 2000 Toyota Celica GT-S?

Six Tundras drivers finished in the top-10 at Memphis: Jack Sprague (second), Mike Skinner (fourth), Aaron Fike (fifth), Ryan Mathews (No. 36 Lilly Company/Toyota Industrial Equipment Tundra, sixth), Johnny Benson (No. 23 360 OTC Tundra, seventh) and Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Tundra, eighth). Other drivers in the field were Brad Keselowski (16th), Terry Cook (No. 59 Harris Trucking Tundra, 29th) and Ken Butler (No. 00 Aaron?s Lucky Dog Tundra, 33rd).

Keselowski started, for the first of his NCTS career, on the pole in the No. 9 Team ASE Tundra for Germain Racing and led three times for 23 laps. Skinner led 16 laps, and has now led at least one lap in the season?s first 12 races. As a result, he tied the NCTS record for consecutive races led to start a season (Jason Leffler, 2002).

No. 60 Con-way Freight Tundra driver Jack Sprague said that it was a difficult race. He explains that they were horrible but they did a great job with we made some great adjustments. According to him, his truck was a little loose but cooperated by rotating pretty well in the center. He added that they have to give up something at this race track because it is not going to be perfect on both ends.

No. 5 Toyota Tundra diver Mike Skinner said that the truck was very consistent though each set of tires they put on it was a bit different. He considers the recent race as the best run they have ever had in Memphis.

No. 1 RFMS Tundra diver Aaron Fike said that they were looses the whole race but it was their first top-five of the season. He added that they probably should have had a couple top-fives already this year, but they caught a couple bad breaks. He further said that they been in the top-10 in points all year so it is nice to get a good finish and keep the truck up there in points.

No. 9 Team ASE Tundra driver Brad Kaselowski commented that they had a strong truck all night, but it just did not end how they wanted it to. He said that he used everything he had to get to Travis and pass him. Kaselowski caught a little break in traffic to get by Travis. The two got into more traffic and could not get around a couple lapped trucks, and used the rear tires a little too hard and used them up. Though disappointed, Kaselowski was certain that it was the best run he has ever had.

Toyota’s History in America Motorsports

Aside from making quality auto parts such as Toyota Highlander parts, Toyota is also into the world of Motorsports.

Challenges abound as Toyota prepares to face its biggest motorsports test ever in North America when it enters the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series this year.

In 2006, a pair of manufacturer’s championships, a driver’s title and a win in America’s most prestigious sports car race was all a part of the rich motorsports history. Todd Bodine bagged Toyota’s first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Driver’s Championship with three victories. Furthermore, Bodine led a sweep of the top six positions by Toyota Tundra drivers to give Toyota its first Manufacturer’s Championship. For the season, Tundra drivers would achieve victory 12 times in the 25-race campaign.

For the first time this season, Toyota has earned its NASCAR Nextel Cup pole position, thanks to Dave Blaney, who drove his No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry and set the fastest lap time in the recent practice test that took place at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon.

Blaney pushed his Toyota “Car of Tomorrow” Camry equipped with Toyota Sway Bar Link to reach a maximum speed of 129.437 mph, and clocked in at 29.426 leaving other drivers behind. Blaney’s achievement is a milestone for Toyota Racing team as this is the first time that a Toyota car obtained a pole finish. Dave Blaney will put his Toyota Camry in the number 1 starting position at the upcoming Lenox Industrial Tools 300 race this coming July.

Check out what Dave Blaney said after the qualifying race.

“It feels good to get the first pole for Toyota and hopefully this is the first step in many successful days of poles and wins. We’ve been good all day and been getting a lot of speed out of the car. All of the Toyotas have been real good lately and Brian Vickers has had some good runs lately too. The Toyota side is definitely working hard and I just can’t thank everyone at Bill Davis Racing enough. Especially Tommy Baldwin, Bill Davis, Mike Brown and everybody. We’ve had a trying year with problems and DNFs. It’s been tough being out of the top-35 because it’s hard to concentrate on the races when you have to concentrate on getting into them. This is a big confidence booster for the whole team and any day where you can build confidence in your entire team and driver makes for a good day.”

The press asked Blaney if he already had the feeling that he would grab the pole, and he said:

“I watched everybody early and I saw that some of their speeds were falling off some from practice. I wasn’t sure what we could run and I knew we didn’t really change anything from practice. But in my situation I have to focus on getting into the race more than going for the pole. I can’t make a mistake and risk not getting into the race. I was a little conservative on my first lap, but when I found out that it was fast enough to get into the show — I gave that second lap a little more and I was able to put it on top of the board. It’s a tough position to be in because you have to be cautious enough to get it, but aggressive enough to get in the race. But yeah – I thought we could get the pole.”

NASCAR fans will surely watch out for the upcoming race in Loudon and see if Dave Blaney can give his Toyota team its first NASCAR victory.

Toyota proves to be still one of the most famous automobile brands in the industry. Five of its surely most awaited concept vehicles include the PM, NLSV, Hybrid X, FT-SX, and the FT-HS.

The PM is a personal mobility vehicle that fits car race. Its very small appearance makes it very sporty yet stylish. According to the Toyota website, the car?s cutting-edge vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies are employed under the concept of “meeting, linking and hanging out together”.

The NLSV meanwhile, features a huge, wireless electric sliding door on the passenger side and a flatter and wider floor. On the exterior, it has a narrow bumper, but the interior is exceptionally wide.

Toyota rewrites the rules for conceptualizing hybrid cars in its production of the Hybrid X. The company says Hybrid X might establish the norm in building hybrid cars in the future. A key concept on this vehicle is the Vibrant Clarity. It is a design establishing all design works in a unique and emotionally vibrant identity that definitely speaks of Toyota.

It offers sustainable mobility for modern families. Through this car, Toyota is making one step closer to its vision of a zero smog-forming emission future because of its environmentally advanced technology.

Inside the car, the driver sets the mood using an internal interface that controls lighting, and music. Complete driver control is experienced through technological innovations in interactive navigation, driving information and comfort control.

Resembling a tamed tiger, the FT-SX is an exploration of an entirely new genre of automobile. This car delivers complete function, luxury and sporty performance, and is conveyed visually by its imposing size and sleek silhouette. Making it incredibly versatile are the powerful V6 engine, all-wheel drive, 21-inch wheels, four doors, an inventive rear hatch and multi-functional glass roof.

Loading large and heavy objects is easy in this car. A loading tray that automatically extends when the lower hatch is opened makes the rear cargo area extremely user-friendly.

The interior has a sleek, sporty design of the exterior, with “flying speed board” gauge clusters. Added to this is the luxury of natural woods, soft leathers and durable metals.

Finally, the FT-HS — according to Toyota, the

car answers the question ?What sports car suits the 21st century concept?? The FT-HS is a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology and emotion, pairing a potent hybrid power train with essential sports-car fundamentals.

Using a powerful V6 3.5L engine, the FT-HS is coupled with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive to produce a target power output of approximately 400 horsepower and a projected zero-to-60 acceleration in the four-second range.

The roof has a distinctive scooped-out section designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and provide head room at the key areas.

The FT-HS’s interior features ?create a dedicated driver’s cockpit? that includes a cross-car instrument panel structure and delta-wing driver pod. Creating an enclosed pod effect an integrated instrument panel surrounds the driver. When the roof retracts, the 4 seats are converted to a seat good for two. This is another milestone from Toyota.

Common among this 5 and the other new concept cars are the well enhanced Toyota mufflers.

As an advocate of clean exhaust emissions, Toyota is already producing the brand-new ZR engine at the second plant of Tianjin FAW Toyota Engine Co., Ltd., as announced recently by the Tianjin Economic- Technological Development Area (TEDA).

This engine meets the tail gas emissions set-out by the Euro III standard. According to Toyota, it also has the potential to meet the Euro IV standard, will be installed in Toyota’s new Corolla. The said car will be produced at the third plant of Tianjin FAW Toyota Engine Co., Ltd. next month.

The manufacturer of the ZR engine, Tianjin FAW Toyota Engine Co. Ltd., is the core parts manufacturer of Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. The ZR engine has the characteristics of high performance yet low fuel consumption and low emissions. It ranks top among its international competitors in terms of motive power, fuel economy and environmental protection.

The environmentally-friendly engines are produced simultaneously and its output will reach 220,000 sets every year. It therefore means the Chinese market is playing an increasingly important role for Toyota and the position of Tianjin Binhai New Area is undoubtedly more and more prominent in its strategy for the China market.

Aside from the announcement of the initial production of the brand-new ZR engine, Toyota also announced today its plans to continue providing its city-gas-powered 1-kW residential fuel cell cogeneration system to Toho Gas Co., Ltd. (Toho), which is participating in the 2007 Large-Scale Stationary Fuel Cell Demonstration Project of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry by installing and monitoring the system in ordinary homes.

Toyota Motor Company’s residential fuel cell cogeneration system combines a stationary fuel cell – jointly developed with Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin) – and a hot water storage tank. TMC is going to manufacture 28 units of the system for Toho. These are planned to be installed inside the houses in three prefectures – Aichi, Gifu and Mie – of Japan’s Tokai District to collect data for a two-year period ending in March 2010.

TMC has considered global environmental preservation as a priority management issue in terms of its corporate social responsibility. Consequently, it has been actively developing technologies and marketing products that will help solve environmental problems especially air pollution. Toyota Motor Company?s continuing research and development of residential fuel cell cogeneration systems is part of this effort.

Toyota is also in the process of enhancing Toyota muffler to provide smoothness both in the engine and the exhaust.

During the three-year period from 2005 through 2007, every year, the New Energy Foundation, the organization carrying out Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Large-Scale Stationary Fuel Cell Demonstration Project, has been encouraging energy suppliers to participate in its verification project. Last year, Toyota Motor Company, as a fuel cell system manufacturer, provided 24 residential fuel cell cogeneration systems to energy supplier Toho.

The results of the new studies conducted on Dearborn automakers comprising of Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda—shows that the initial vehicle quality of Ford Motor Co. is in only in par with Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Corp. The three automakers were ranked second place. On the other hand, Honda Motor Co. was chosen as the quality leader.

The RDA Group is a market research firm based in Bloomfield Hills that conducts a survey for Ford manufacturer of top-of-the-line Mercury mufflers. The research group in ask 31,000 new vehicle owners of 2007 model cars and trucks from all full-line manufacturers regarding problems that they encountered during the first 90 days of ownership.

The Detroit News in turn evaluates the findings with sources familiar with the report. And according to these sources four Ford vehicles namely the Mercury Milan, Ford Expedition EL, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Shelby GT-500 — led their segments in initial quality. The main objective of Ford for hiring a research group is to improve further its quality as it tries to hold on to the remaining US market share after years of continuously losing to foreign competitors.

The results of the RDA study show that Ford cars and trucks had 1,458 problems per 1000 vehicles which is 32 problems short of the industry average of 1,490 and 128 lower than what Ford customers has reported last year.

For Ford’s North American brands the results were even better showing Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln with only 1,456 problems per 1,000 vehicles. According to some sources the overall number was slightly affected by the automaker’s European brands. The Mercury Milan with its quality Mercury muffler was one of Ford’s problem-free vehicles obtaining only 910 problems per 1000 vehicles.

Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari has confirmed the existence of the report but refused to give any details of the said findings. However she said that the company will release the details as soon as possible but they prefer to tell the employees first. She also added that the company’s main concern for now is improving quality which is the very core of the company’s Way Forward turnaround plan.

According to Gattari, “We are pleased with the direction of our quality, but we’re not satisfied. This is something we have to continue to be diligent with. Quality, along with safety, innovation and design, are our top priorities in delivering more vehicles that customers want.”

Attracting consumers…

Although the RDA study has shown that Ford is catching up with its Japanese rivals but it is still behind its Asian competitors when it comes to customer satisfaction which is vital since it determines whether or not customers would endorse the brand to other buyers.

RDA has been conducting an annual survey for Ford way back late 1990s. The research group is also doing the same studies for other automakers. Its findings are as reliable as the closely-watched initial quality survey conducted independently by J.D. Power and Associates of Westlake Village, California. And same with the RDA findings, the J.D. Power study has also shown that Ford’s brands only comes second to Toyota.

Other independent analysts are also conducting their own studies such as the notably Consumer Reports magazine which has taken note of the quality improvement in Ford and recently announced the Milan and its Blue Oval sibling, the Ford Fusion as the most impressive new vehicles for the 2007 model year.

David Champion, senior director for automotive testing at Consumer Reports said, “We see Ford as the top domestic in many ways. They’ve realized they’re going to be eaten for lunch if they don’t produce reliable vehicles.”

Champion also added that the new products of Ford shows some remarkable improvement compared to the previous products that the automaker was offering a few years back. He said that it’s good that Ford is finally learning from its past mistakes as well as from its Japanese affiliate, Mazda Motor Corp. which shares similar production practices with Toyota. However he also said that it would take more than strong initial quality reports to convince car buyer to patronize the brand.

The exhaust system of Toyota is made up of a number of working components and parts. To have even just one failing part in the system, the performance of the exhaust assembly and the entire auto will be compromised. One of the integral exhaust parts of every Toyota model is the Toyota Exhaust Manifold. The exhaust manifold, also known as the header, works well with the other pipes which make up the entire exhaust system. Technically, the exhaust manifold is a pipe that is designed to collect the exhaust gases from the multiple cylinders of the engine, directing these gases into just one pipe. Because of the special function that this part performs, the exhaust manifold may also serve as a connection point for the pipes in the system. Depending on the model and the year of the auto, as well as the emission equipment that is installed in the vehicle, the header may also serve as the mounting location for the hardware of the air injection system or for the oxygen sensor. Typically, the Toyota Exhaust Manifold is crafted from durable materials like cast iron or tubular steel. This exhaust device is usually installed and mounted in the exhaust side of the cylinder head. To make the manifold leak-proof and keep the gases within the pipes, a reliable exhaust gasket is used for the effective sealing of the said part. And although simple cast irons are typically employed in the crafting of the manifold, a restrictive tube may be replaced with individual headers which are designed and tuned for low restriction and better performance if the vehicle owner wants to upgrade the efficiency of the exhaust system and the power-producing capacity of the engine. The headers which are available in the market today can be classified into two. The collector type of headers uses pipes that will merge the collector and can be used in conjunction with the mufflers. The zoomie headers, on the other hand, have no collectors and are used primarily on race cars for racing applications. These aftermarket parts are hardworking components in the Toyota exhaust system. And though these performance components are expected to perform overtime in the system, they rarely encounter problems on the road. However, though the manifold may not be replaced often, it is still imperative to check on the said part regularly. The only thing that the vehicle owner should worry about is the warping that could happen to the pipes because of excessive heat. The use of straightedge or the feeler gauge will allow drivers and vehicle owners to check the machined surface of the exhaust manifold. Another problem that could probably torment every manifold is cracking. This problem is due to the extreme pressure and the high temperature that is generated by the Toyota engine. Typically, this will occur after the Toyota auto passes through a bump on the road and cold water suddenly splashes on its hot surface. If the manifold is warped beyond repair and damaged for a number of reasons, it is better to replace the said part immediately. A replacement Toyota Exhaust Manifold can be easily secured from aftermarket auto parts stores and automotive specialty shops.

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