AUTOS

Toyota Accused of Inflating Car Prices: Prompted by a former sales manager’s disclosures, consumer lawyers have filed suit accusing Toyota of inflating prices to hundreds of thousands of Californians through secret dealer kickbacks. Toyota had no immediate comment. Evan Fragiadakis, the former dealership manager whose complaints launched the case, said the company offered a settlement earlier this year that would have given former buyers $100 discounts on their next new Toyota. The first lawsuit was filed last week in Contra Costa County Superior Court. On Wednesday, lawyers who formerly represented Fragiadakis filed a similar suit on behalf of a customer in U.S. District Court, seeking to represent Toyota purchasers nationwide.