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Published: 04/22/11

Green Taxi Company Grows Fleet and Bottom Line

By  Susanna Baird - AOL News
Green Taxi Company Grows Fleet and Bottom Line

Discount Cab of Glendale, Ariz., has earned a green reputation by incrementally adding Toyota Prius cabs to its fleet. When it announced its "GreenCabs for Blue Skies" initiative on Earth Day 2008, the company hoped to ultimately acquire 250 Prius taxis. As of Earth Day 2011, the company owns 350. To celebrate Earth Day and the three-year anniversary of its green fleet, Discount Cab will attempt to best its own record of taxi trips dispatched in a day. Additionally, the company will donate $1 from every ride to the Phoenix-area nonprofit Homeward Bound, which assists families struggling with ...

Published: 11/30/10

Toyota to Fix 650,000 Prius Hybrids for Heat Risk

By  Lauren Frayer - AOL News
Toyota to Fix 650,000 Prius Hybrids for Heat Risk

(Nov. 30) -- Toyota says it will voluntarily fix 650,000 Prius hybrids worldwide because of a glitch with their water pumps that can cause the cars to overheat or lose power. Today's announcement isn't a formal recall, because the company says the problem isn't a safety issue and there have been no accidents or injuries, Toyota spokesman John Hanson told Bloomberg. A design flaw in the cars' water pumps can create air bubbles that disrupt the flow of coolant, which can lead to overheating, he said. Tim Boyle, Getty Images Toyota says it will cover the cost to repair Prius hybrids whose ...

Published: 07/23/10

Greener Machines From Honda, Toyota et al: This Year's Top 5 Hybrids

By  Kathryn Yao - AOL News
Greener Machines From Honda, Toyota et al: This Year's Top 5 Hybrids

(July 23) -- A Michigan husband and wife, Yu Qin and Shanshan Du, were arrested this week and charged with stealing information on hybrid cars from General Motors for a Chinese auto company. They've pleaded not guilty, but if convicted they could pay a steep price: up to 20 years in prison. Why is hybrid automotive technology such a hot commodity? For starters, hybrid cars are in demand because they aren't gas-guzzlers, and therefore save their owners on gas money. They also run on electricity, which is better for the environment. Automakers were quick to seize on this opportunity. For ...

Published: 03/15/10

Toyota Fights 'Runaway Prius' Claim

By  Russell Berman - AOL News
Toyota Fights 'Runaway Prius' Claim

(March 15) -- After months of apologizing, Toyota is fighting back. Top U.S. executives for the embattled automaker convened a televised press briefing today to dispute the claim of a California man who said his 2008 Prius sped out of control because of the same accelerator problem that has forced the company to recall millions of its vehicles. The driver, James Sikes, said his car had reached 94 mph on a San Diego freeway on March 8 and would not stop even when he jammed on the brakes. After he called 911, a California Highway Patrol officer drove up alongside him, instructing him to ...

Published: 03/4/10

Are Today's Cars Too Smart for Their Own Good?

By  David Knowles - AOL News
Are Today's Cars Too Smart for Their Own Good?

(March 4) -- Today's cars are technical wonders largely controlled by complex computer systems. But as Toyota struggles to identify the cause of the sudden acceleration problems that are believed to have contributed to the deaths of dozens of people, some are wondering whether all that technology is really such a good thing. This week, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed a Senate Commerce Committee hearing trying to determine how the government can do a better job identifying safety risks in cars. "We're looking at the possibility of recommending the brake override system in all ...

Published: 02/15/10

34 Deaths Alleged in Toyotas Since 2000, US Reports

By  not in system - AOL News
34 Deaths Alleged in Toyotas Since 2000, US Reports

WASHINGTON (Feb. 15) -- Complaints of deaths connected to sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles have surged in recent weeks, with the alleged death toll reaching 34 since 2000, according to new consumer data gathered by the government. Complaints to a database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the popular Toyota Prius hybrid grew by nearly 1,000 in just over a week. On Monday, Transportation Department spokeswoman Olivia Alair said NHTSA is quickly gathering information to help guide the government's examination of sudden acceleration, the Prius braking ...

Published: 02/15/10

Toyota's Problems Could Be Suppliers' Problems

By  Kimberly Johnson - AOL News
Toyota's Problems Could Be Suppliers' Problems

(Feb. 15) – They don't make Toyotas. But they make the parts that make Toyotas run. And in cities like Elkhart, Ind., and Orangeburg, S.C., factory workers and other employees could be severely affected by the Japanese automaker's massive recalls of about 8 million passenger vehicles. "I think any of us who are suppliers for Toyota, it has opened our eyes even further," said Stephen Hudson, human resources manager for Koyo Corp. USA, a ball-bearings manufacturer in Orangeburg. "It's all of our problems now," he said. All as in all of the more than 2,000 auto suppliers in the United ...

Published: 02/9/10

Toyota Joins Apology Ad Parade With 'Commitment'

By  Steve Pendlebury - AOL News
Toyota Joins Apology Ad Parade With 'Commitment'

(Feb. 9) -- Forget about Betty White and Abe Vigoda, talking babies, screaming chickens and men without pants. The commercial that's generating buzz now didn't even run during the Super Bowl. It's Toyota's one-minute mea culpa for recent acceleration and braking problems that forced the automaker to recall millions of vehicles. In hopes of salvaging his company's long-held reputation for quality, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda apologized at a hastily scheduled news conference Friday and again Tuesday in a Washington Post op-ed. "Great companies learn from their mistakes," wrote the grandson of the ...

Published: 02/8/10

Toyota Recalls Prius in Japan for Braking Problems

By  not in system - AOL News
Toyota Recalls Prius in Japan for Braking Problems

TOKYO (Feb. 9) -- Toyota said Tuesday it is recalling 170,000 Prius hybrid cars in Japan for braking problems and will soon disclose details of its global plans for a fix. The automaker will hold a news conference at its Tokyo office Tuesday to outline details of the braking problem, including plans for a possible recall in the U.S. Toyota Motor Corp. said it will inform the Japanese Transport Ministry later in the day it is recalling the 2010 Prius gas-electric hybrid that went on sale last year. Also being recalled are two other hybrid models - the Lexus HS250h sedan and the Sai, which is ...

Published: 02/7/10

Toyota Set to Announce Prius Response

By  not in system - AOL News
Toyota Set to Announce Prius Response

TOKYO (Feb. 7) - Toyota said Sunday that it will soon announce plans to deal with braking problems in its prized Prius hybrid amid reports it has decided to issue a recall for the latest model in Japan, a possible new embarrassment for the world's biggest automaker. Toyota Motor Corp. has already had to recall more than 7 million other cars in the U.S., Europe and China over a sticky accelerator and floor mats that can get caught in the gas pedal. Those problems and criticism of Toyota's response to them have sullied the stellar reputation for quality long enjoyed by one of Japan's corporate ...

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