Toyota’s CUE 4 is essentially an AI-powered robot that stands nearly 7-feet-tall, and it made an appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics during Team USA’s basketball match against France. Unlike its predecessors, CUE 4 is now capable of running from one position to the next, while its power cables were replaced with a small powerful motor, and given human-like gripping hands so it could grasp a ball securely. Read more for two videos and additional information.
For those who don’t know, the Toyota Venza is basically a five-passenger crossover SUV for the North American market or a rebadged XU80 series Harrier for the Japanese market. Albermo’s XH42 body kit transforms this basic SUV into a knockoff Lamborghini Urus, complete with a new front bumper, hood, large inlets with horizontal strakes, and a crosspiece for all of the large openings. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
SVI’s MAX 3 Troopy looks like a vehicle straight from a heist movie, but in reality, it’s just a heavily modified Toyota Land Cruiser 79. It’s designed to be an armored personnel carrier (APC) and also offered in a civilian specification for use in security, riot control, anti-poaching, convoy protection, or just for personal safety. There’s room up for up to eight people inside, while the conversion includes removing the soft-skin body of the Toyota Land Cruiser 79 and replacing it with an ultra rugged steel body manufactured from armor plate. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Barrett-Jackson
Forget the replicas, you could own an actual Toyota Supra driven by Paul Walker in the first entry in the “Fast Saga”. More specifically, this was the vehicle was used for multiple interior and exterior shots during the filming of 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious” and 2003’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” built by Eddie Paul at The Shark Shop in El Segundo. Everything has been restored to showroom condition, including the interior. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
H/t: Jalopnik
Toyota’s experimental Corolla race car is powered by a hydrogen combustion-engine and its sound may surprise you. In a recent video by Toyota Times, you can hear it drive off and onto a track, with no signs of it being a zero-emissions car. Those who have driven it claim that the Corolla drives just like a gasoline-powered model. What sets this apart from the Mirai as well as other hydrogen vehicles? It’s not powered by a fuel cell, but rather a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that uses hydrogen instead of gasoline. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Some Toyota GR Supra owners may still prefer how its predecessor, the fourth-generation (A80) models looked, and Avante Design could have just the body kit for that group. Up front, you’ll find a completely revamped bumper, along with a large intake scoop, while the splitter comes equipped with aero flicks and sit right below the headlights vents. Side skirt extensions give it a more aggressive look that makes the vehicle look lower to the ground. Read more for additional pictures.
The Toyota bZ4X Concept has made its official debut, and this is the start of a vision for the first of a global series of battery-electric vehicles to be introduced under the “Toyota bZ” brand umbrella. By 2025, the company will use this platform for around 70 electrified models, with at least 15 dedicated BEVs, including seven carrying the bZ (Beyond Zero) brand moniker. Plus, Toyota plans to electrify its pickup truck lineup in the near future, including hybrid and BEV powertrains. Read more for two videos, additional pictures and information.
HGK Racing is best known for their BMW E92 Eurofighter, but this is the first A90 Toyota Supra they decided to tune, and not just with a few simple bolt-on parts. Starting off, it boasts a full carbon fiber and kevlar body, with the doors alone setting you back a cool $2,725, while the rear fender adds on another $1,192. The BMW-sourced B58 turbocharged and direct-injected 3.0-liter inline-six has been tuned to now make an astonishing 1,000-horsepower, mated to either a 4-speed and 5-speed Samsonas Sequential Gearbox. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.
Toyota Research Institute (TRI) collaborated with Stanford University to develop self-driving technology that may help prevent accidents on the road, and the testing involves installing autonomous systems in modern cars, like the GR Supra. To showcase this achievement, they recently installed the system on Toyota’s latest sports car and computer-controlled drifting ensued. For those who remember, Standford created a self-drifting DeLorean back in 2019. Read more for the video and a bonus.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid Hypercar has been officially uncovered, equipped with a powerful four-wheel drive racing hybrid powertrain consisting of a twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine making 680hp, combined with a front-axle hybrid motor generator unit, developed by AISIN AW and DENSO. The racing team enters its ninth season in WEC with the same driver line-up which brought Le Mans and World Championship glory to the team in the 2019-2020 campaign. World Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López will helm the #7 vehicle while Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley race with the #8 car. Read more for a video, additional pictures and information.