Wanna experience an ‘almost’ realistic driving environment using a safety testing simulator? Try Toyota’s offer.

The Japanese automaker’s domed driving device allows drivers to test safety without awkwardness.

Toyota Motor Corp. officials said the simulator is useful for testing safety features -- such as warning beeps about oncoming vehicles -- without endangering drivers. The machine will also be handy for analyzing how drowsiness and intoxication affect driving, they said.

The big unknown about making safe cars is understanding the human brain and other aspects of human behavior, and the simulator will help solve such questions, said Executive Vice President Kazuo Okamoto.

The dome and other moving parts of Toyota's simulator weighs 78 tons, Toyota said. The automaker, meanwhile, declined to say how much the simulator cost to make. There are no plans to sell the simulator, it added.

Takashi Yonekawa, the automaker’s engineer, said the simulator's purpose is not to test driving skills. It will be used to develop safety features tailor-made for various kinds of drivers, including the elderly and beginners, he said.

Koji Endo, auto analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said he thought the simulator was a long-term investment.

DetNews has this to say of the simulator:

A driver in Toyota's new safety testing simulator gets a 360-degree, synchronized view of the road and landscape, signs, pedestrians, street-side stores and faraway Mount Fuji. But the drive is only make-believe. The simulator has a Lexus inside a 15-foot-high, 23-foot-diameter dome that provides the sense of acceleration, vibration and sound of driving a car. The dome swivels, tips and swishes on a rail to deliver the sensations of driving while computer graphic imagery on the sides of the dome gives the impression that the trip is real.

In a demonstration for reporters Monday at a Toyota technology center, the dome moved in a 115-foot-long building, skidding on a rail horizontally and vertically.

The two reporters who drew lots to try out Toyota's simulator said the braking and acceleration felt much like real-life driving, although one reporter said the graphics weren't realistic enough.

There are no computer graphics of a crash. Hitting a computer-generated pedestrian merely makes the image disappear.

When a driver pushed on the brakes, the dome tilted forward to give the effect of stopping. When the driver turned the steering wheel to the right, the dome cocked to the right to give the feeling of turning.

Other automakers have developed driving simulators, but they tend to be stationary, giving the effect of driving by shaking, rocking and showing imagery only in one spot.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. has a machine similar to Toyota's that allows people to feel acceleration, braking and steering. Toyota said it had borrowed heavily from NHTSA's technology.

While I am making an Acura ball joint replacement purchase online, I can’t help but think of the simulator…Hmm. That must be something!

According to Mike Hanley, “The operation of the new Sequoia's second- and third-row seats is particularly interesting and well-executed. Lift a lever and the second row slides forward and out of your way for easy access to the third row.”

Moreover, Hanley describes the Toyota Sequoia including the seats and comfort it brings. He said, “The operation of the new Sequoia's second- and third-row seats is particularly interesting and well-executed. Lift a lever and the second row slides forward and out of your way for easy access to the third row.”

Hanley also never failed to mention what’s inside the new Sequoia. He even compared the Ford Expedition to the new Toyota Sequoia. He said, “As for the third row itself, it wins points for its power-reclining feature, which makes the seat more comfortable than the third row in the Ford Expedition, which has been one of the leaders in this regard. Getting out of the third row is simplified by a foot kick on the back of the middle row that lets it slide forward and out of your way.”

Of course, who will not be excited about the super famous Toyota Corolla? The Japanese car maker decided to give the famous brand a new design. Kelsey Mays from Cars.com was able to put her hands on the new car. The commentator was able to describe and praise the new car. Mays said, “Kudos to Toyota for including a two-tier glove compartment. It offers plenty of space and, in combination with the decent-sized center console, makes the Corolla one of the more storage-friendly compact cars out there. The A/C controls, in contrast, are a step down. I thought the previous Corolla had high-quality knobs and dials for a compact car, but Toyota seems to have ditched them for the cheaper controls from the Yaris.”

Everybody waits for the final revelation of the Toyota Matrix and just before we had the chance to drive the new car, Patrick Olsen of Kicking Tires had experienced driving it. He said, “As a small hatchback, the Matrix's interior was fairly roomy, and the one-hand-droppable second row was a nice touch. Legroom in the backseat was reasonable, and the trunk/hatch space was decent. I sat in the XRS 'prototype', and I liked its aggressive feel inside and out.”

Olsen continues, “As the dad of a soon-to-be teen driver, I might feel more comfortable letting my son drive the revamped Corolla (or, more likely, a 2003 Corolla); I'd be a little worried with him behind the wheel of the Matrix XRS' five-speed manual with the 158-hp engine. Yeah, it's a Toyota, but I can already smell the burnt rubber.” Of course, they are all filled with good quality even comparable to Acura shocks.

• 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine
• 132 hp @6,000 rpm
• 128 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,400 rpm
• Five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions
• 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine
• 158 hp @ 6,000 rpm
• 162 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4,000 rpm
• Five-speed manual and four and five-speed automatic transmissions

After the departure of Jim Press, another Jim has made the news for Toyota. This time though, Jim Lentz will not be jumping ship to a rival automaker but has been promoted as the president for United States sales, marketing and distribution operations of the Japanese automaker. Lentz has been a figure for Toyota for as long as we can remember.

Lentz joined Toyota back in 1982 and his previous position is executive vice-president for US sales. He had been in the auto industry for 29 years and his experience will be of great help to him in his new position.

Toyota Motor Sales Chairman Yuki Funo had this to say about the new president of Toyota Motor Sales in the United States: "Jim Lentz is especially well-qualified to lead TMS into the future as it marks 50 years in America. His experience spans all major operational areas, and he has an outstanding sense of what our customers, dealers and associates expect from Toyota."

The automaker is on track to become the world's largest automaker by next year. But Jim Press who has played a key role in the success of Toyota in the United States has defected to American rival Chrysler. His leaving has created a void at the top of the hierarchy and Lentz will be one of the new leaders that will take Toyota into next year with the goal of overtaking General Motors as the largest of them all.

Jim Lentz' current position has been occupied by Press in the past. Before being named as the head of North American sales fore Toyota, Press was the president of Toyota Motor Sales USA. For the sake of Toyota's bid to become the best automaker, it would be better if Lentz does not follow Press' footsteps to defect to the competition.

The Japanese car maker Toyota was seen at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show last week parking another new truck under its name. The AIADA newsletter reported that this new truck is also a Tundra but comes wearing the “Tundra Diesel Dually” name. This is actually a car concept.

The news calls it the “Tundra Diesel Dually Project Truck” which is also called the "Road Warrior" that happens to have the new line and luxury interior. The new truck from the Toyota Motor Corporation was given new car parts every truck enthusiast will surely love. The new truck is shown at the newest and freshest 2007 SEMA Show.

The new truck is matched with a medium duty diesel power plant plucked from a 35,000-pound commercial truck replacing the Tundra light duty pickup's stock engine. The one who makes the 8.0-liter inline six-cylinder high-torque engine was the Toyota affiliate Hino. The one who also modified the beefed-up driveline of the new Tundra truck is the Toyota Motorsports Technical Group.

Its hood is given a huge and more powerful powertrain. The maker ensures that the engine would definitely fit the new style of the truck. Other car parts installed on the new truck are the forged aluminum alloy 22.5-inch wheels custom made by Alcoa with a diamond plate-lined bed and the charcoal gray metallic flat paint finish. It also has the fifth wheel weighing 24,000 pounds. Other parts were hand-sewn ginger leather seats, headliner and dual rear captain's chairs, suede pillars. The individual DVD entertainment systems would be something anybody would love to have.

I visited theautochannel.com early this morning and this is what I found out:

Partners:

• Engineering by Motorsports Technical Group
  
• Interior by Fast Ed's Interiors
  
• Paint by Focus on Cars
  
• Wheels by Alcoa
  
• Power steps and fuel door by Amp Research
  
• Sound system by Kenwood
  
• Sound installation by Beach Auto Sound
  
• Lighting by PIAA
  
• Exhaust by Magnaflow
  
• 5th wheel hitch by Reese

Kia Motors maybe celebrating knowing that they are the biggest winner for last month’s car sales. The South Korean car maker was able to gain 20.5% from last years 20,097 units sold in October to 25,185 units this year. The HUMMER was the loser last month with a huge 33.2% decline in its sales from last year’s 5,565 units sold to only 3,864 cars last month.

Biggest Winner
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)

Biggest Loser
HUMMER -33.2% at 3,864 (10/06: 5,565)

GAINERS:
Kia 20.5% at 25,185 (10/06: 20,097)
Mercury 20.2% at 12,844 (10/06: 10,277)
Cadillac 19.9% at 21,267 (10/06: 17,052)
Porsche 16.9% at 2,862 (10/06: 2,355)
Mazda 13.3% at 22,201 (10/06: 18,843)
Lincoln 13% at 10,299 (10/06: 8,766)
Audi 10.9% at 7,421 (10/06: 6,431)
GMC 10.2% at 44,456 (10/06: 38,776)
Nissan 9.8% at 74,992 (10/06: 65,689)
BMW 8.3% at 23,451 (10/06: 20,822)
Mercedes 6.5% at 22,820 (10/06: 20,598)
Suzuki 5.6% at 6,536 (10/06: 5,950)
Volkswagen 4.1% at 17,260 (10/06: 15,942)
Honda 3.4% at 101,913 (10/06: 94,747)
Infiniti 1.8% at 9,955 (10/06: 9,406)
Land Rover 1.7% at 4,237 (10/06: 4,004)
Lexus 0.6% at 25,119 (10/06: 24,006)
Chevrolet 0.6% at 179,825 (10/06: 171,890)
Toyota 0.5% at 172,473 (10/06: 165,005)

This is not about the famous Dodge fender but I feel a little disappointed to know that the famous Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation only got a 0.5% increase from last year’s October sales of 165,005 units to 172,473 cars sold last October. Not quite disappointing since everybody is struggling so hard to gain in the US car market.