THROUGHOUT Toyota's global operations, managers are scrambling to cut costs in the wake of record losses.
But at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant, managers have the opposite problem: meeting demand for the third generation of the Prius, which has become a hit in Japan and is rolling into US showrooms now. The Prius plant has brought back overtime - a rarity these days, given Japan's weak economy - and recruited workers from Toyota factories across the country.

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The new Toyota Fortuner range has taken the South African market by storm – to such an extent that virtually from its launch date, there has been a long and lengthy waiting list for this exciting SUV.
It's been a long time a-coming but if the response from the market is anything to go by, it's been worth the wait. Most things with engines and wheels built by Toyota are dependable, safe, comfortable, well-priced and economical to run, albeit more functional than exciting.

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With the Maruti Suzuki Ritz - a Superior stance hatchback positioned at the premium- end of the compact car market - Maruti Suzuki consolidates its leadership in the highly competitive compact car segment. The Maruti Ritz comes with the BS-IV and OBD-I compliance much ahead of the regulation being enforced in the country. The company commands the largest market share of 58 per cent in the compact car (A2) segment.

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Bajaj has announced the launch of Kawasaki Ninja 250R in May this year. Kawasaki Ninja 250R is one of the best selling bikes from the Kawasaki stables. Speaking at the launch, MD Rajiv Bajaj said "The Kawasaki Ninja 250 will be launched by May or June.: He added that the Kawasaki Ninja would be priced around Rs 2 lakh. Kawasaki Ninja 250R bike is renowned for its splendid combination of power and fuel efficiency.

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CDC (Classic Design Concepts) has released their well known convertible light bar for the 2010 Ford Mustang. The CDC light bars have been popular now for decades giving Mustang convertibles a signature look that was first seen in the 1968 Shelby GT-350 and GT-500. In the 1980’s and 1990’s the look returned as the light bar became standard fare on Saleen and Roush Mustangs to name a few.

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The much hyped Toyota's Lexus would soon be available in India. The Lexus is a dream vehicle for many luxury car aspirants in the country. A late arrival in the Indian markets, Toyota's Lexus will have to compete with current luxury car market leader BMW and its closest rival Mercedes Benz. It is to be mentioned here that with a 22 per cent increase in luxury car sales reported for the domestic market for the financial year that ended in March, both the German manufacturers have announced expansion plans in India.

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Our friends at Roush Performance have made available a number of new ROUSH body parts now available for the 2010 Mustang at your local parts outlets. In addition, they have also announced new low pricing for their popular ROUSHCharger M-90 based supercharger system that fits the 2005-2009 Mustangs. The new 2010 ROUSH Mustang was unveiled in March and has begun to be seen on the street. If you cant afford a new ROUSH Mustang you will be glad to know that you can now buy pre-painted ROUSH body kits and individual parts for your new 2010 Mustang.

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Drivers using the road toll system in Dubai, known as Salik, have a new way to pay. The city’s Roads and Transport Authority has brought out a range of scratch cards to make topping up the Salik account easier.
The cards are available initially from RTA Customer Service centres around Dubai, but there are plans to make them available in more places, such as petrol station, soon. The cards are available in 50, 100 and 200 dirham denominations. Each one has a code, revealed by scratching off a panel.

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We wish we were making it up, but we're not: the British Army has put in an order for 50 Toyota Priuses as part of an Armed Forces drive to cut carbon monoxide emissions. Maybe they're misunderstanding Toyota's reputation for ‘bulletproof build quality'. Not actual bullets, guys. In fairness, the Priuses won't be deployed on the front line in Afghanistan. Instead, they'll be used for non-operational purposes in the British Isles. The army intends to reduce average emissions of its 3,000-strong ‘white fleet' to under 130g/km of CO2.

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India's number one carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Limited is set to launch India's first BS-IV compliant passenger car, Maruti Ritz (Maruti Splash), on May 15. Maruti Ritz is a tallboy hatchback, positioned in the premium A2 market segment. The Maruti Suzuki Ritz, adopts a contemporary European design and is positioned at the growing premium-end of the compact car market.

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Did anyone even notice that the weekly thriller featuring a Shelby GT-500KR that can morph into an F-150, Fusion or an aquarium was missing from the nightly schedule? NBC has indeed killed the show after only 17 heart stopping episodes, in the middle of the production season. Yes, we will have to do without one more brain cell-depleting display of bad acting, vacant writing and B-Grade computer generated graphics. It is sad really that this show was so awfully bad. And make no mistake.

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The Indo-Austrian motorcycle alliance of Bajaj Auto and KTM would soon be launching their first streetbikes in the Indian market. The Streetbikes will be introduced at the biennial Auto Expo in 2010. KTM, the Austrian company manufactures motorcycles having engines ranging from 50cc to 1,200cc. and the Pune-based Bajaj Auto, India’s second-largest two-wheeler maker, has 31.72 per cent stake in it. Bajaj & KTM have been working on the development of 125cc and 250cc motorcycles following an agreement in November 2007. Both bikes will be powered by liquid-cooled four-stroke engines.

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With the introduction of the CR-V in 1996, Honda helped establish the market for smaller, more manageable SUVs. While other mini-utes are straying away from the small dimensions that made them popular, the CR-V maintains a similar size to that of the original. The biggest difference between the earlier generations and the one released for 2007 is that the new model is three inches wider and offers improved ride quality, handling capabilities and interior comfort.

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If you fancy dawdling 10 minutes away configuring your dream muscle car, have a look at www.camaroarabia.com.
Chevrolet has created the site to let people create a virtual version of the 2010 Camaro before it arrives in the region this July. It allows you to apply paint, options, wheels and so on to either the Camaro SS or the LT. Our dream machine is pictured above. The configurator is fairly basic – a lot of the options listed don’t actually show up in picture when you select them – but it’s still a fairly amusing way of passing a tea break.

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Steve Saleen, his name being synonymous with fast Mustangs, would not be Steve if he kept his hands off Ford's newest pony. On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the launch of the original Mustang in 1964, and in reflection on his 25 year association with America's iconic sports car, Steve celebrates with Mustang aficionados and SMS Superclub members from around the world in launching first sketches of the 2010 SMS 460 and SMS 460X Mustangs at the 45th Anniversary Celebrations in Birmingham, Alabama.

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