Though U.S. auto sales showed signs of settling down in August, Vice Chairman of Toyota, Kazuo Okamoto, believes that it's still uncertain whether industry wide sales in America have hit bottom.
"It's hard to say whether the U.S. market has hit bottom," said Okamoto.
Toyota sales totaled just below 16.2 million vehicles in 2007, and a steep sales decline as a result of high gas prices, tighter credit and slumping housing market was recorded this spring and summer.
Okamoto also believes that even with the recent ease in oil prices, Toyota would still assume fuel costs would be higher over the long term for its product planning.
Jim Lentz, President of Toyota Motor Sales, told reporters that the Japanese automaker, now ranked second in U.S. auto sales, expects to sell more than 14 million units for the full 2008 year. And for 2009, Lentz predicts that industry wide sales "will be flat" from 2008.
+ Automotive News: Toyota is uncertain U.S. market has hit bottom

As part of a strategy to counter Mercedes-Benz recent decision to offer its four-cylinder diesel models in North America by 2010, BMW is supposedly close to committing to bring the four-cylinder gasoline engine for the 3-Series to U.S. and Canada.
The 167 horsepower 320i and 120i are both strong sellers in Europe and BMW's project director Oliver Friedmann thinks that they may be strong elsewhere. The automaker's North American offerings "would have a desirable effect on many fronts."
When asked about the four-cylinder diesels offered in the 123d and 320d, Friedmann and others claimed that the North American market weren't quite ready for them, particularly for the 3-Series.
+ Edmunds Inside Line: BMW May Bring North America a Four-Cylinder 3 Series
Filed under: Tuners, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, FIAT, Special/Limited Editions

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Etc., Green, Toyota, Opinion/Editorial
Vandals who mess with other people's cars are scum -- bottom-feeders who are beneath contempt. It doesn't matter what the vehicle being damaged is. Cars are a major purchase, there's often an emotional connection to them, and most importantly, they generally represent the owner's primary source of mobility -- getting him or her to work, to the store, to pick up the kids, and so on.
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Continue reading Lexus releases details on updated 2009 range
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It's no secret that the used car market is in a state of flux. As gas prices rise and fall, so does the value of the car currently sitting in your driveway, waiting to be traded in. To help dealerships assign a fair value to your car, the National Automobile Dealers Association has added two new categories for wholesale vehicle market. The new categories are "Rough" and "Average" and they join "Clean Trade-In," "Clean Loan" and "Clean Retail" as options for your ex-vehicle to fall into. Continue reading NADA adds 'Rough' and 'Average' categories for trade-ins
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