New Toyota Tacoma boasts American-made muscle



It's hard to blame Toyota for dragging its feet on a Toyota Tacoma update; almost two decades after its last major redesign, it's still the best-selling mid-size pickup in the world.

But there's a limit to the patience of even the most dedicated Taco driver. Which is why the automaker finally gave the beloved workhouse a major makeover for 2024. It was worth the wait.

The first thing you notice is the modern and comfortable interior, which finally catches the Tacoma up to competitors like the Chevy Colorado and the Ford Ranger. But this vehicle's improvements go more than skin deep — this is a better truck in every way.

The TRD Sport-trimmed Tacomas in particular are highly configurable. Gone is the old V6; the new Tacomas come equipped with your choice of a turbocharged, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine (with 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque) or the i-Force Max hybrid (with 326 hp and 465 lb-ft).

The TRD Sport also offers a six-speed manual option in addition to an eight-speed automatic, and you can spec either 2WD or 4WD. Toyota does make one restriction: This one's available only as a double cab (crew cab).

One major drawback is the price. With an MSRP of $65,395, the TRD Sport is a full $17,000 more expensive the similarly-specced Colorado. That said, even the more basic trims offer huge improvements.

These engines, by the way, come from Toyota's Huntsville, Alabama, plant, which the company recently expanded with a $222 million investment.

Check out my in-depth review of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport below:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

'The market will decide': Toyota chairman says EVs will never dominate global market even with 'political power'



The chairman of car manufacturer Toyota continued his push against electric vehicles in favor of hybrid vehicles and claimed that EVs will never have a majority share in the global market.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda's remarks published on the Toyota website echoed previous comments made by the executive, in which he stated that there is a better path to reducing carbon than the enforcement of electric vehicles.

"No matter how much progress [EVs] make, I think they will still only have a 30% market share. Then, the remaining 70% will be [hybrid vehicles], [hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles], and hydrogen engines," Toyoda said, according to a translation provided by NewsMax.

"[Gasoline] engine cars will definitely remain. This is something that customers and the market will decide, not regulatory values or political power."

Toyoda previously stated that people were "finally seeing reality" regarding the EV market. He added that there were "many ways to climb the mountain that is achieving carbon neutrality."

In 2022, the chairman also remarked on the auto industry having a "silent majority" who wondered "whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option."

"One billion people around the world live in areas without electricity," Toyoda reportedly said on the company's site. "In the case of Toyota, we also supply vehicles to these regions, so a single [EV] option cannot provide transportation for everyone."

"Do not deprive freedom of movement from any region, country, or income group," the chairman exclaimed.

The chairman also boasted that "Japan is the only developed country to have reduced CO2 emissions by 23%" through the use of hybrid vehicles.

Stories have been flooding the media landscape with reports of slowed production and usage of EVs, which have not come anywhere close to industry or government projections.

Asheville, North Carolina, said it was "pressing pause" on EVs after a fleet of electric buses broke down. The city was reportedly looking to reinvest in biodiesel-powered buses after investing millions of dollars in an electric fleet that is only partly operable.

Ford also implemented job cuts for its production of electric F-150 Lightning trucks in January 2024 and transferred manpower to a different production facility to produce gas-powered vehicles.

At the same time, European car dealers reported that the number of electric vehicles making their way into the European Union's used-car market was far lower than expected.

The rate of used-car purchases was just 2% or lower in select EU countries, with contributing factors including a higher purchase price, a perceived lack of charging stations, and the fact that the consumer worries about the driving range of plug-in cars.

AVERE, an EV advocacy group from Brussels, Belgium, disagreed with the figures put forth by the car dealers.

There is a "lack of trustful and aligned data," said Philippe Vangeel, AVERE secretary general. The advocate also blamed car dealers for lacking knowledge in electric vehicles, which he said made them less inclined to push the EV models.

Vangeel noted that there should be an increase of electric vehicle purchases in Europe when governments eventually force consumers to go electric through the implementation of low-emission zones.

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Starter Cars Are Still Out There If You Put Your Luxury Expectations In Park

Years of a generally growing economy and cheap credit might have made us set our sights too high for our first cars.

Toyota president says auto industry 'silent majority' wonders if electric vehicles 'are really OK to have as a single option'



While electric vehicles may seem to be all the rage in the automotive space, Toyota Motor Corporation president Akio Toyoda is pumping the breaks on the idea of an all-in approach.

"People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority," Toyoda told reporters during a trip to Thailand, according to the Wall Street Journal. "That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it's the trend so they can't speak out loudly."

"Because the right answer is still unclear, we shouldn't limit ourselves to just one option," he said, according to the outlet — during the prior few years, he said, he has attempted to communicate this idea to stakeholders in the automotive space, including government figures, but he indicated that his effort had been tiring at points.

"Is there interest in electric vehicles? Yes. Is it more than 10% to 15% of our customer base? No way," Ryan Gremore, a dealer based in Illinois who owns a number of brand franchises, said, according to the outlet.

According to the Journal, Toyoda said that other options like hydrogen-powered vehicles were starting to receive a better reception from government leaders, media figures, and people in the vehicle industry.

The left has been fanatically pushing electric vehicles as it peddles climate change alarmism.

But electric vehicles remain impractical in many cases — for instance, they require significant time to recharge, which could be an inconvenience when recharging in the middle of a long trip. They are also less affordable to purchase than traditional gas-powered vehicles.

Toyota Cuts Off Donations To 2020 Election Objectors After Repeatedly Funding Democrat Objectors From 2016

Toyota originally claimed it didn't fund lawmakers 'based on their votes on the electoral certification' but later flip-flopped to meet mob demands.

Toyota Says It Will Stop Donating To Republicans Who Objected To The 2020 Election

'Troubled some stakeholders'

Toyota tramples cancel mob after being targeted over donations to GOP 'election objectors'



Over the weekend, Toyota became the latest company to be targeted for donating to Republican "election objectors." But the automaker isn't taking the heat lying down.

What happened?

In an article published Sunday by Axios, reporter Lachlan Markay chastised the Japanese automaker for donating money to a range of Republican lawmakers who on Jan. 6. objected to certifying President Joe Bide's Electoral College victory.

The article pointed out that based on data compiled by the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Toyota "gave $55,000 to 37 GOP objectors this year," outspending other companies by a "substantial margin."

"Toyota gave more than twice as much — and to nearly five times as many members of Congress — as the No. 2 company on the list," Markay noted.

He was also keen to point out that the donations aided lawmakers who remain "deeply enmeshed in the pro-Trump conspiracy theories that fueled the Capitol attack."

While Markay's article represented itself as a simple listing of facts, in reality, it gave a voice to a partisan smear campaign against companies who dare to give to conservative legislators.

CREW's intention in publishing the data was clear. In the report, the group labeled the entire Republican Party as the "Sedition Caucus" and characterized the corporate donors to Republicans as "sacrificing democratic government for access and influence."

In a tweet, CREW bluntly stated: "Don't buy a Toyota."

Don't buy a Toyota. But they're not the only corporate funders of the Sedition Caucus. Find out who else to boyco… https://t.co/qEXWAE4OXI

— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) 1624903259.0

Sure enough, CREW's boycott message was immediately received and regurgitated by the cancel mob online.

What else?

But in response to the hit piece, Toyota has chosen to stand its ground and not cave to pressure — at least for now.

The company replied to Axios' request for comment, stating plainly, "We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification."

Besides, the auto company noted, it did in fact choose not to donate to certain lawmakers over concerns that they undermined the legitimacy of elections. Though Toyota did not specify as to which lawmakers were affected.

"Based on our thorough review, we decided against giving to some members who, through their statements and actions, undermine the legitimacy of our elections and institutions," the automaker stated.

Anything else?

Curiously, Axios failed to post Toyota's full statement in its coverage, including important context that frame's the company's purpose and perspective in donating to politicians.

In response to inquiries, a Toyota spokesperson sent TheBlaze a copy of the statement, which is posted below, in full:

Toyota's PAC, by design, is bipartisan in nature and we contribute equally to the Democratic and Republican parties. Toyota supports candidates based on their position on issues that are important to the auto industry and the company. We do not believe it is appropriate to judge members of Congress solely based on their votes on the electoral certification. Based on our thorough review, we decided against giving to some members who, through their statements and actions, undermine the legitimacy of our elections and institutions.

In the first portion, Toyota notes that it contributes "equally" to Democratic and Republican politicians and that it is primarily concerned with a lawmaker's stance on "issues that are important to the auto industry and the company."

Toyota is an auto company, after all, so it seems reasonable that its contributions would serve to advance company interests and not an unrelated social or political cause.

Toyota Doubles Down, Defends Donations To Republicans After Online Outrage

Toyota donated a total of $55,000 to 37 GOP objectors