Blogs

The Sasol SA National Rally Championship starts in a few weeks and we're very excited about this year's season.

Listed below are the events and dates:  read more »

• Total Tour Natal Rally on 13 March
• Toyota Dealer Cape Rally on 3 April
• Sasol Rally 2009 on 24 April
• Mpumulanga Rally on 21 May
• Volkswagen Rally 2009 on 10 July
• Osram Rally on 21 August
• Swartland Rally on 18 September
• PMC Rally on 23 October

Join the Toyota Clubhouse to become part of the official Toyota community in South Africa.

There are discussions, competitions, fanatics news, a regular e-zine just for members and much more. All what you have to do to join is visit http://www.toyota.co.za/clubhouse/ and follow the instructions. You do not have to be a Toyota vehicle owner or even own a vehicle at all; it's open to everyone.

When you're done signing up and checking out the place, please come back to the Auris Blog to tell us all about how you're enjoying Clubhouse benefits.

One of my favourite shows at the moment is Top Gear. A chance to see guys like Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and of course The Stig would be a great opportunity. Lucky for me, these guys are going to be coming to South Africa very soon. Actually, they're probably here already, their first show is on Thursday.

Of course, it's not the Top Gear show, it's the MPH Live Motoring Theatre. An hour and a half of stunts, thrills, and spills, brought to you by BP Ultimate and hosted by the Top Gear guys and well known motoring enthusiast and 5fm DJ, Sasha Martinengo. Not only will you be treated to never before seen stunts, but there's a full on motor show, 4x4 stand, and a car sales gallery. It sounds like it's going to be one heck of a great show.  read more »

Did 2008 fly by or what? It's hard to believe it's already 2009. We're pretty excited here at the Auris Blog. 2009 promises to be one cracker of a year. We'll be covering all the latest Toyota innovations and developments as well as another exciting rally season to look forward to. Don't forget our competitions, with great Toyota gear up for grabs.

We're looking forward to watching our community grow and thrive. If you have any Auris related stories or experiences, feel free to blog them right here. We're always keen to hear them. If you haven't registered yet, go here.

With all that said, we hope you have a brilliant 2009, keep safe, and most importantly, have fun!

The introduction of Stop/Start technology in the new UK Toyota Auris 1.3 petrol model (1.33-litre Dual VVT-i engine) is particularly great news for city drivers. This technology will improve fuel consumption and lower CO₂ emissions, amongst others.

When the car is not in motion, the clutch isn't engaged and the transmission's in neutral, the engine cuts off. It restarts quickly (0.4 seconds) and smoothly once the driver puts their foot back on the clutch.

This new technology forms part of the Toyota Optimal Drive plan.  read more »

I braved the rainy weather on Sunday to make the trip out to Nasrec to go to the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS), and it was well worth it. There were representatives there from almost all the major car (and bike) manufacturers, and it was just fascinating to see all the new models and concept cars on display.

One of the more interesting (and certainly one of the most attractive concept cars) was Toyotas concept hybrid car : The FT-HS. When you first see it, it's really hard to believe that this thing of beauty is actually a hybrid. The car features a 3.5 liter V6 coupled to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system.  read more »