Generation III 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid Preview
March 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota has been staging a series of media briefings, bringing in key engineers from Japan as well as its North American technical center in Southern California, to discuss technical improvements of the new hybrid over its immediate predecessor, the 2004-2009 Generation II Prius. This is in preparation for the global launch of the much-anticipated 2010 Prius hybrid, informally referred to as “Generation III” or “Gen III”,
The vehicle was also previewed this weekend in Los Angeles via its “Prius Connection” program for select early adopters and enthusiast forum participants, attracting potential buyers from across the US and Canada. Read more
Toyota Australia Unveils Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle at Melbourne 2009
February 23, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota’s Australian arm will begin producing its own Camry Hybrids one year from now. To mark the new contract, Toyota Australia has created a new concept called the HC-CV (Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle), and it has just debuted at the 2009 Melbourne Auto Show. Starting with the refreshed 2010 Camry Hybrid as a base, the HC-CV features a redesigned front fascia that’s highlighted by vertical fog lights and a lower grille with a random pattern said to be inspired by nature. Read more
Toyota to Make Their Own Fuel
February 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
New reports from Reuters say that ToMoCo, along with other Japanse firms, will work to develop low-cost cellulosic ethanol.
The Japanese automaker has mostly steered clear of the biofuel unlike many American brands that are keen to use as much as they can. This probably due the psychology and the agricultural state of the two nations. Read more
Toyota Unveils Electric Car Concept FT-EV at Detroit 2009
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota has announced that it will bring a plug-in extended range Prius to market by the end of this year. Prior to the opening of the Detroit show, Toyota sent out a press release with some news about its electric vehicle plans. It will introduce as many as ten completely new hybrids by the early 2010s, and will bring a fully electric car to market in 2012.
Toyota will be showing a battery electric concept here in Detroit called the FT-EV, in addition to the new third generation Prius and its sibling the Lexus HS250h. As previously suspected, the car is based on Toyota’s new iQ mini-car (pictured above). Read more
Hybrid Sales Drop 42.7% in December
January 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Reported sales of hybrids in the US dropped 42.7% in December 2008 year-on-year to 17,698 units—the lowest December figure since 2004, when there were only four hybrid models on the market. Overall light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 35.5% in the month. For the full year, total reported hybrid sales dropped 10% to 313,781 units, while total light duty vehicle sales were down 18%.
The hybrid percentage share of new vehicles sold dropped to just below 2% (1.97%) in December. For the year, hybrids held a 2.4% share of the new vehicle market. Read more
2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid Teaser Video
January 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The next-generation Prius hybrid is scheduled to make its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January, however new images of the car, plus this latest teaser video, showing up-close details of the interior and exterior of the new hybrid from Toyota.
Read more
US Hybrid Sales Down 50 Percent in November
December 9, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
US sales of hybrids dropped 50% in November to 16,571 units from November 2007—a volume slightly above that of November 2005. Overall light duty vehicle sales in the US in November dropped 36.7%. (Earlier post.) For November, hybrids represented 2.22% of the new vehicle light duty market; year-to-date, hybrids hold a 2.4% share of new vehicle sales. November 2007 and 2008 had the same number of selling days. Read more
Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid Concept: LA 2008
November 19, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Toyota Camry CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) Hybrid concept debuts this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. With a pair of tanks instead of a spare tyre, doable because of run-flat tyres, the CNG-fueled Camry Hybrid has a range of up to 250 miles.
The benefits are that compressed natural gas burns cleaner, emitting fewer particulate emissions than gasoline, and CNG is still a little cheaper per gallon than petrol in the US. The downside is that CNG must be stored in cylindrical containers, so the designers lose the flexibility of being able to shape the fuel tank to suit the car’s optimal packaging. CNG’s also less dense than gas, which means less overall power than a comparable, conventionally-powered car. The big one is the usual story when it comes to new liquid fuel options, finding a filling station! Toyota says there are around 1,000 CNG pumps in the USA, and most of them aren not open to the public. So this concept is likely to remain a concept especially with the T. Boone Pickens plan off the table for now.
2008 LA Auto Show Green Car Preview
November 11, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
We will be covering the LA Auto Show during the press days on November 19-20. Until then we have lined up preview of some of the Hybrid and Electric cars that will be on display.
This years show could prove to be a real turning point in the future of the automobile as electric cars, hybrid cars and other high mpg designs become the showstopping stars. Pointing the way towards a clean-tech future that enables cars to remain as part of the personal transport solution.
Toyota increases hybrid development, but cuts overall spending
November 8, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota plans to spend less money overall but more on hybrid development, with its larger vehicles being affected the most by the budget cuts. This is exactly the strategy that General Motors is taking, except that GM is extremely close to running completely out of money while Toyota has got plenty in reserve. GM’s continued life depends on its fuel-savers while Toyota’s motive is continued profitability, making it obvious that GM should have started on its hybrids and EVs much sooner.
Even mighty Toyota isn’t immune to the downturn in sales in the United States due to the current economic climate and credit crisis. Revenue is down almost 70 percent for the Japanese giant. In response, Toyota has created a team headed by its President Katsuaki Watanabe that will focus on ways to spend less money. Expect the carmaker to extend incentives to more of its fuel efficient models, and move quickly to bring more fuel-saving models to market as quickly as possible, especially new hybrids.
