Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Toyota reveals new customizable Camatte57s kid-friendly concepts

Toyota plans to follow up last year's kid-friendly Camatte concept with two new versions: the Camatte57s and Camatte57s Sport. Like the original Camatte, the two new concepts will make their debut at the International Tokyo Toy Show.

Not much has changed with these two new Camatte models. Like their predecessor, they both feature detachable body panels (the count is up to 57), a 1+2 seating array and reconfigurable pedals that allow children to operate the gas and brakes while Mom or Dad steers. What is new is an open-top roadster design that even eschews doors in favor of easier ingress/egress. They look like something a tourist would rent to get around a Hawaiian island, though we dig the distinct personalities of each model's design.

Both cars are all-electric, though Toyota hasn't provided any other specifications, like what makes the Sport model sporty besides its more aggressive body panels and silver, black and red color scheme. That's just as well, as neither concept, like the original Camatte before them, is street legal.

And in case you're wondering from where Toyota conjured these concepts' odd name, "Camatte" is the Japanese for word for "care." According to the automaker, it's intended to signify both caring for others and caring for cars, while the lone 's' at the end of each name stands for "touch," and the number corresponds to the number of body panels.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Shuttle-hauling Tundra finds permanent home in science exhibit

The idea of lifting a full-size pickup truck completely off the ground by hand might seem as likely as, say, said pickup truck towing a 150,000-pound space shuttle, but... hurray, physics! The same Toyota Tundra that towed the Space Shuttle Endeavour to its final resting place at the California Science Center is now on permanent display there as an exhibit that shows how a lever works.

Like all levers, this exhibit uses a fulcrum allowing people other than Superman to lift the 5,625-pound pickup (plus an extra 1,000 pounds for the rig). That's almost as impressive as the Tundra pulling 17 times its rated towing capacity back in October. Regardless, Toyota is once again cashing in on the publicity stunt and visitors to the science center get a live demonstration of a simple machine – we call that a win-win.

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

Monday, June 3, 2013

Here’s your Car Care Tip of the Week: Empty Your Pockets fans!

The average guy spends 67 minutes each day behind the wheel. A thick wallet in your back pocket raises one hip above the other, twisting your spine and straining your lower back. Plus it can put pressure on your sciatic nerve, a common source of lower-back pain.