Larry P. Vellequette

A standard hybrid powertrain, vastly improved towing capability and refined interior creature comforts and technology should allow the redesigned 2023 Sequoia to make inroads into a segment dominated by domestic automakers.

A select few Toyota and Lexus dealers this month will be pioneers in an expansion of the brands' digital retailing systems.

The electrified ultraluxury car feels and acts much like its V-8 counterpart, except that it's capable of about 25 miles of EV-only operation from its onboard 18.9-kilowatt-hour battery pack.

A sneak peek posted to Toyota's media website shows that the Sequoia large SUV will be upscaled to fill in some white space left by the end of the Land Cruiser.

Volkswagen plans to reveal its much-hyped ID Buzz electric van March 9, along with pricing and reservation information, but U.S. sales may still be two years away.

The increase was led by an 11 percent increase in the U.S., the brand's largest market.

The new halo version of the full-size pickup will ride on standard 22-inch chrome wheels and be loaded with standard options to compete with domestic plush pickups.

U.S. auto sales in 2021 were upended by COVID-19 and chip shortages, elevating some, knocking down others, boosting dealer profits and sidelining millions of consumers.

VW also granted factory employees in its plant in Tennessee a 10 percent wage increase for 2022, CEO Scott Keogh said Friday.

VW said 2021 was its best year for U.S. sales since 2013, despite an 11 percent fourth-quarter drop. Audi deliveries fell 47 percent in the quarter, but was still up 5 percent for the year.

Subaru of America said U.S. sales declined 20 percent in December. For the year, the Japanese brand finished down 4.6 percent.

Continuing inventory and supply woes severely limited Toyota Motor North America sales in December. Still, the Japanese automaker took the U.S. sales crown for 2021 from General Motors, which had been the nation's top-selling automaker continuously since 1931.

Toyota Motor finished 2021 as the nation's top-selling automaker, the first time since 1931 that any automaker other than GM could make that claim in the U.S.

Encouraging those who drive older, less fuel-efficient vehicles to move into something more efficient would have a greater overall environmental impact than incentivizing EV purchases.