Archive for the ‘Highlander’ Category

Cross-shop the new 2010 Toyota Highlander versus the 2009 one and you'll find them virtually indistinguishable from each other without the help of a window sticker. But there's one very significant change underneath it all: the 2010 Toyota Highlander is American-made. Production of the 2010 Toyota Highlander is ramping up today in Princeton, Indiana. The Highlander joins the Sienna minivan and Sequoia full-size SUV on the production line at Princeton as the twelfth Toyota model to be built in North America.

The move is the result of a $450 million investment in the plant that's part of the company's manufacturing-capacity changes....

Although many economists have begun to see light at the end of the recessionary tunnel, Toyota Motor America chairman Yoshimi Inaba claims that Toyota is not currently profitable in North America, even though the company has taken numerous cost-cutting measures in recent months. According to Inaba, Toyota is reviewing its entire U.S. operations plan, and among the major decisions facing the company is whether to open its new factory in Mississippi (still under construction) and what to do with the NUMMI plant in California.

The shell of the Blue Springs, Mississippi facility has been completed, but no factory equipment has been installed. ...

TheCarConnection.com's esteemed writers have driven the 2009 Toyota Highlander in V-6 and Highlander Hybrid form. But there's a new game in Highlander town this year, a revamped four-cylinder edition that I scored for a long weekend of much-needed beach time. Time for a "Driven," right?

Focusing on the four-cylinder version reminds me that too often, our exposure to new cars on press drives neglects the base versions that many shoppers want to see and drive. The plush six-cylinder, leather-lined editions can top $35,000--but this Highlander, with the four-cylinder and six-speed automatic and almost no options, is essentially the least...