This weekend is all about Dad! Here's 5 of the top Father's Day activities. Can you guess which is the most popular?

Toyota displays family-oriented Camatte concept at toy show [w/video]

Toyota is out to spur a passion for cars in young families with its new Camatte Concept. Unveiled at the 2012 International Tokyo Toy Show, the vehicle features a number of interchangeable body panels that can easily be swapped for different colors or styles.

The concept seats three in a unique triangular configuration that Toyota says is designed to facilitate communication between parents behind the wheel and children in the back. But that's not the only kid-friendly aspect. The Camatte also features configurable pedals, which can allow a child to develop driving skills while a parent takes care of important tasks like steering and braking.

Clearly, this sucker isn't headed to production, and that's a shame. We love the bare-bones utilitarianism of the design, and the open-wheel front is enough to garner a smile from us as well. It's almost as if Toyota decided to bring the Volkswagen Kubelwagen into the modern age. Check out the quick breakdown video below for yourself.

*courtesy of autoblog.com

The Greddy tuned FR-S Drifting Around Laguna Seca

Toyota TS030 Hybrid makes successful Le Mans debut during test day

 

TOYOTA Racing's pair of TS030 HYBRID cars achieved another milestone today by successfully participating in the traditional test day to prepare for the Le Mans 24 Hours on 16-17 June.

For the first time, TOYOTA Racing had two cars in action, having completed all testing so far with only the #7 car. A brief shakedown for the #8 car on Friday capped a huge effort from the team at Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) to complete the car in time for the test.

Both TS030 HYBRIDs, displaying their new TOYOTA hybrid-blue livery, were in action immediately when the lights went green at 9am, beginning another new chapter for the team with its first multi-car test.

The complete driver line-up for car #7 of Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima took part in the test while the #8 featured Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi.

It was decided that Stéphane Sarrazin should miss today's activities to give him additional time to recover from cuts and bruises sustained in a cycling accident. Stéphane will return to driving duties for TOYOTA Racing for the Le Mans race week.

One priority for today's test was for Le Mans newcomers Kazuki and Sébastien to complete the mandatory 10 laps required to allow participation in the race. This was comfortably achieved in the morning.

Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: "Today was a significant step for us because it was our first chance to see the car on track against our opposition at Le Mans. It's hard to judge lap times but it certainly strengthens our racing spirit. Overall we are satisfied to complete a full day's running with both cars without any significant issue; the only interruptions came with some minor bodywork damage. Unfortunately we only had five drivers with us following Stéphane's accident. But he's an experienced driver so we have no concerns; he'll be on top form for the race I'm sure."

Hisatake Murata, Hybrid Project Leader: "To see the TOYOTA HYBRID System – Racing on track at Le Mans is a day we have been anticipating for a long time. We are continuously adjusting and improving the system, so each test day brings a step forward and that was true again today. The combination of downshifting, braking and charging is really working in harmony; it's like an elaborate dance. I would like to express my thanks to all the guys at Cologne and Higashifuji who have worked so hard to prepare for this. From a personal point of view, today really brought back memories of my last time working as part of a TOYOTA team here. I was engine engineer for the #33 TS010 back in 1992 when we finished in second place, so after a 20-year break it's great to be back."

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Three Toyota Models Selected as Best Family Cars of 2012

See the full gallery on Posterous

 

Three Toyota models have been selected as among the Best Family Cars of 2012 by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com. This is their fifth annual list, which will appear online today and on newsstands June 12.

Toyota earned picks across three categories including Prius v in the high-mileage category; Camry in the sedan category and the Sienna minivan in the large vehicle category. Vehicles considered were evaluated on a number of criteria important to families including safety, fuel economy, and kid-friendly features, as well as ride comfort, styling and handling.

“We’re proud to have several Toyota models on the list of best family cars for the fifth year in a row,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. “Families know they can always depend on Toyota for safety, quality and durability, but they also recognize the importance of the convenience and technology features in our vehicles that help make their lives easier.”

In the high-mileage car category, the editors chose vehicles with more than 40 miles per gallon on the highway and offering safety features and modern conveniences. As a new member of the Prius family this year, the Prius v was cited for its stable ride and ample cargo space and was praised for its versatility and standard technology features including the Entune^® mulitmedia system and a hands-free smart key, which unlocks the driver’s side door as you approach the door handle.

The 2012 Camry was highlighted as a best pick in the sedan category. Completely redesigned for 2012, the all-new seventh generation Camry was chosen for its updated styling, convenient technology including Entune, excellent fuel economy, quiet ride and ample trunk space. The Camry is America’s best-selling car, and as an IIHS Top Safety Pick for 2012 it is extremely popular with families.

Rounding out the best family cars in the large vehicle category is the Sienna minivan, chosen for its flexible configurations to fit every type of trip, family and cargo combination. The Sienna was completely redesigned in 2010, catering to traditional family van needs while also meeting growing demands for more responsive driving characteristics, contemporary styling and onboard entertainment technology. With state-of-the-art features and rewarding driving dynamics, the Sienna is a vehicle that families of any size will find satisfying to drive.

The Sienna is manufactured at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc. while the Camry is built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc.

“Toyota has a long history of satisfying the automotive needs of American families,” said Scott Oldham, editor-in-chief, Edmunds.com. “The Sienna minivan, the redesigned Camry and the all-new Prius v hybrid are leaders in their respective segments, offering America’s families the spacious, fun, fuel-efficient and reliable transportation they need.”

25 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Cars

 

This list was compiled from various sites around the web:

1) The first cars did not have steering wheels, so drivers steered with a lever.
2) The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
3) The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
4) In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords.
5) The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
6) In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported among these were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
7) The first car radio was invented in 1929.
8) Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
9) The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
10) Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
11) On average there is about 3,000 feet of electrical wiring in every car.
12) If you drove at 100mph for four years you would still not cover every stretch of road in the USA.
13) Car airbags explode at 200 miles per hour.
14) British Petroleum makes a profit of £3,800.00 per second!
15) On average a human being spends two weeks of their entire lives waiting for traffic lights to change.
16) The first person to be killed in an auto accident in the United States was Henry H. Bliss, a 68-year-old real estate broker. On September 14, 1899, in New York City, Mr. Bliss stepped from a streetcar, turned to assist a woman passenger, and was hit by a cab.
17) The 1st automobile racetrack in the US was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which consists of 3 million cobblestones.
18) In 2003, 17,013 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in the United States. This amounts to one death almost every half-hour.
19) The city with the most Rolls Royce’s per capita is Hong Kong.
20) The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At the time, the most known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
21) The number of cars recycled in 1997 alone – nearly 13 million – would cause a traffic jam circling the Earth more than one and three quarter times.
22) Recycling just one car saves 2,500 pounds of iron ore, 1,400 pounds of coal and 120 pounds of limestone.
23) Virtually every car taken off the road today is recycled – thanks to the steel and iron content!
24) It takes about 45 seconds to shred the average automobile into fist-sized pieces of steel for recycling.
25) The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today.