Toyota

Toyota has finished its first domestic robot trial in the US, putting a prototype Human Support Robot in the home of a paralyzed US war veteran. The robot, known as the HSR, is part of Toyota's "partner robots" project, exploring how technology can enable those with limited mobility and other restrictions to live more productive and independent lives. For vet Romy Carmago, in Florida, that means a robot nurse-cum-butler to help in ways he's unable to.

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Is it hard to get excited about the all-new 2018 Toyota Camry? After all, this is a car that has been at the top of the mid-size sedan heap for decades, reaping handsomely the rewards having sown so much loyalty amongst families seeking affordable and above all reliable transportation. How much better can it get, really - and how noteworthy would an improvement actually be when it's already such a dominant force in its class?

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Even while most car makers are still settling down on the self-driving car trend, Japanese automaker Toyota is already settings its eyes on the skies. And waters as well. Yes, Toyota is getting into the flying car craze that is slowly coming out of the woodwork. And although it’s very late to the game, it has set for itself a rather ambitious goal: carrying the torch for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Given its first outdoor test flight, it’s going to need all the help it can get.

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Google and Apple (and BlackBerry) take heed. There's a new big player in the automotive platform market and its uniting rather than dividing diverse car makers, companies, and pieces of software. More importantly, it is one that is not interested in selling user data to the highest bidders or advertisers. Hosted by the Linux Foundation, the Automotive Grade Linux or AGL is preparing to prove it has just as much bite as bark and will be making its commercial debut in the 2018 Toyota Camry coming later this year.

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The 2017 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro seems prepped to bridge the gap between traditional, 'yeah, it's got four-wheel drive' pickup fare and hardcore desert-racing rides like the Ford F-150 Raptor. The full-size truck delivers when it comes to attitude, and it certainly boasts all the right upgrades to tackle extra-harsh terrain, but at the same time it maintains a veneer of civilization that makes it livable on a daily basis.

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Toyota clearly hasn't given up its toy box, as a Tonka truck come to life is really the best way to describe its FT-4X concept at the NYIAS 2017 this week. Pitched as an "always ready" SUV for city-dwelling Generation Y drivers, the chunky 4x4 can't resist every automaker's current obsession: Millennials. As Toyota sees it, they're looking for "Rugged Charm".

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At some point growing up, most kids spent some time playing in sand or dirt with big yellow toy trucks — more thank likely those from Hasbro's Tonka Trucks line. Those with fond memories of those times are just who Toyota is looking to appeal to with its latest concept: a 2016 HiLux pickup designed to resemble a life-sized Tonka Truck. Outfitted with plenty of off-road gear, it looks just as if a kid's toy was brought to life.

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The Scion FR-S is dead, long live the 2017 Toyota 86. Claiming a new badge and assuming the same name as the affordable coupe already sported outside of the US, the refreshed version of the 2-liter two-seater sticks with its winning formula. In the process, it underscores a lesson many more expensive sports cars could do worse than learn.

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There's more than one way to get to Las Vegas from downtown Los Angeles. You could hop on a jet at LAX and be there before you're half-way through your in-flight movie. There's always I-15, that shimmering ribbon of sun-baked asphalt that takes you through Barstow and Baker before spitting you out across the Nevada line within spitting distance of Sin City. Then there's the road less traveled - where's there's not really any road at all - that runs you through the network of casually-maintained desert paths frequented by utility companies, park rangers, rattlesnakes, and in my case, a pack of brand-new 2017 Toyota TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro pickups.

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You'd be forgiven for thinking the 2018 Toyota C-HR was the Japanese automaker's play for car-eschewing Millennials, but really the crossover curiosity is the first major push in its safety tech offensive. Originally revealed as a Scion concept back in late 2015, and then promptly rescued by the mother-brand after the Scion nameplate ended up in the dumpster, the C-HR certainly fits a gap in Toyota's line-up. After all, while other automakers have plenty of compact crossover options, Toyota's ever-enlarging RAV4 may have grown itself out of the segment.

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Toyota Research Institute's autonomous driving tests seem to be moving right along, with the auto maker today introducing its 2.0 generation autonomous test vehicle. The plug-and-play test platform has been built on the back of the Lexus LS600hL, and is designed to explore two important facets of autonomous driving.

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GM and Toyota will pressure lawmakers to loosen rules on self-driving cars, arguing that restrictive current regulations are leading to thousands of preventable deaths. Representatives from the two automakers will appear in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Tuesday this week, and according to prepared remarks will criticize existing laws on autonomous vehicles and the testing of such vehicles. Among their complaints are restrictions that demand traditional controls must be available.

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