Charles Barker Toyota

We are excited to announce that for the first time since the quake-tsunami disaster struck on March 11 Toyota has successfully resumed production at all of its facilities in Japan.  But, as the world's top automaker continues to struggle to secure approximately 150 different types of auto components, the plants will operate only at half capacity.

Even so, this comes as a welcome development for Toyota employees, car dealers, and car buyers around the globe. The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and following tsunami required the Japanese automaker to provisionally shut down all plants except for three, which have continued to…

In 2008, Toyota guaranteed to display a CNG-electric hybrid Camry at the Las Angeles Auto Show. Just prior to the show, Irv Miller, Vice President, Toyota Motor Sales' U.S. division said, "With this concept, we are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG [natural gas]."¹ Following that, however, all we heard on the subject was static. Perhaps, the automaker's interest in CNG fell in the shadows of their poster child, the Prius.

According to a recent report, Toyota's interest in pursuing natural gas is stronger than ever. It indicates that Toyota Motor Corp.'s North American engineering…