Yes, we know Toyota recently held a vote and insists the plural of “Prius” is “Prii”. We’re pretty sure 4Chan was involved in that one.

Anyway, as you might have guessed, the original green status symbol and butt of thousands of jokes by cranky old people who don’t get why the kids care so much about that durned global warming Glenn Beck told them was fake is officially grown up, selling a big-boy 1 million cars as of April 5th. So what’s next?

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Well it looks like the Subota will be joined in Geneva by an all-new Toyota FT-86. Toyota teased its second FT-86 today, indicating that the new coupe will provide “the clearest indication yet of the final design for Toyota’s next sports car.” In other words, it will be nearly identical to the production version.

Toyota hasn’t shown much in the teaser, but the FT-86 II, as it calls it, has a redesigned front-end with a new set of headlights. We like what we see so far, but will reserve our judgment until the full unveil.

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When we saw the first billboard-styled teaser for the Prius MPV, we could make out a puzzle theme. And indeed, in its latest teaser, Toyota made it clear that it plans to stick with the whole puzzle thing, showing a puzzle-piece-shaped teaser image depicting the push-button ignition and some audio controls.

Toyota does realize that the world isn’t really that excited about the Prius MPV, right? So to tease it in the form of something even less exciting–a puzzle–just doesn’t seem like the way to hype its big Prius up. Unless of course, it plans to only sell Prius MPVs to the old ladies that still enjoy a good puzzle.

Hopefully the readers will forgive us, but we think we’ll be skipping the rest of the puzzle teasers. [via Carscoop]

The Toyota Prius is in the process of starting a family, with small, large and plug-in versions on the way within the next two years. In celebrating 10 years of Prius in the U.S., Toyota provided the first peek at the Prius MPV,the larger version of the hybrid.

We can’t exactly see much of the Prius MPV in the billboard picture that Toyota posted on Facebook, but we can tell that it is slightly longer and higher than the standard Prius. It’s supposed to be 300 mm longer, to be exact, and have an extra bench in the back, making room for a total of seven adults. The roof is higher and straighter, which will give all passengers a little extra headroom.

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Well, it looks like the Toyota FT-86 is going to be a family. It’s pregnant with a sedan!

We’ve already heard that due to cost issues with the FT-86, Toyota is planning a smaller version to meet its original goal of a sub-$20K sports coupe, and today’s rumors indicate that Toyota is also working on a four-door variant of the FT-86.

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In the midst of an intensifying NHTSA investigation, Toyota issued a voluntary recall of 1.13 million 2005 to 2008 Corolla and Corolla Matrix models. The recall relates to problems with engine stalling.

Here’s Toyota’s official explanation:

On vehicles equipped with the 1ZZ-FE engine and two-wheel drive, there is a possibility that a crack may develop at certain solder points or on the electronic component used to protect circuits against excessive voltage (varistor), on the ECM’s circuit board. In most cases, if a crack occurs at certain solder points or on certain varistors, the check engine may illuminate, harsh shifting could result, or the engine may not start. In limited instances, if cracking occurs on particular solder points or varistors, the engine could stop while the vehicle is being driven.

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It looks like Toyota may have another major recall in the works for the disastrous year of 2010. According to the NY Times, the NHTSA has raised its investigation of stalling Toyotas from “preliminary evaluation” to “engineering analysis,” which is one step below a full-blown recall. The investigation applies to 1.2 million 2005 to 2007 Corolla and Matrix models.

The NHTSA began its preliminary evaluation last November, and has received 163 complaints about an issue that relates to the engine suddenly stalling without any warning–a rather different problem than the oh-so-popular “unintended acceleration.” The engine control unit is thought to be the cause of the stalling. Toyota said that it received six complaints of accidents but no injuries were reported. [ NY Times via Carscoop]

We’ve heard all kinds of details about the Toyota FT-86, but so far Subaru’s model has remained in the shadows. Today, Autocar blasted a beam of light over Subaru’s own sports car, a more powerful, more aggressive version of the FT-86.

Like the Toyota FT-86, Subaru’s version (no name yet) will feature a 200-hp version of Subaru’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. However, Subaru plans to add a little extra pep to its coupe by offering it with a 260-hp version of the turbocharged Boxer engine used in the Impreza WRX STi. The engines will deliver momentum to the rear wheels via six-speed manual transmissions.

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Toyota announced today that it will recall 412,000 U.S. vehicles for a steering issue beginning next month. Models affected are 2000 to 2004 Toyota Avalons and 2003 to 2007 Lexus LX 470 models.

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