Yes, I still want one of these.
Toyota Motor Corp. will begin using a cheaper and smaller hybrid system from 2008, more than doubling production of the high-efficiency vehicles to 600,000 units a year by then, the Asahi daily reported on Wednesday.
Japan’s top auto maker would like to to spread the hybrid powertrain as the main fuel-efficient alternative to internal combustion engines in order to make up for initial spending on research and development and to lower high per-unit production costs.
Toyota is aiming to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles annually some time in the decade beginning in 2010.
By making the system smaller, Toyota aims to slash the premium [cost] by half and expand its use to most of its mid-sized or larger cars, the Asahi said, without citing sources.
Toyota executives have said they aimed to eventually make the powertrain available across its entire product line-up.
Toyota expects to build and sell about 250,000 hybrid vehicles this year through its eight model offerings.
Next year, that will rise to between 350,000 and 400,000 units, boosted by the addition of the Camry hybrid to be built in Kentucky from the latter half of 2006, and the China-built Prius, production of which has been targeted to begin by this year.
The Asahi said Toyota would begin making key components for the hybrid systems in the United States — the first time this manufacturing would be done outside Japan — in line with the auto maker’s stated aim to eventually procure such parts locally.
They could sell the US-produced hybrid systems to GM — if they’re still in business.
Since they make an engine/motor/transmission-system small enough to fit in a Prius, are they talking about reducing the size of the battery(ies)?
Or does the system not scale-up well, in the current generation?
I think CNN gave this to a Biz copywriter. Toyota is already “scaling-up” — if I understand your question — for the RX400H Lexus which has a V-6. The damned things are just as quiet as the Prius when they’re running on electric only while puttering through a parking lot. I almost stepped out in front of one while grocery shopping a couple weeks ago!
In fact, I think that’s the powertrain they used in the pickup truck concept up top.
Toyota is already “scaling-up” — if I understand your question — for the RS400H Lexus which has a V-6.
Yes, that is what I was wondering: The “original” design fits in a Prius, and the scaled-up design fits in a SUV – but are they having problems getting the Camry-sized version to fit in the existing space?
I was also wondering if it is less of an issue with engine-compartment space than of losing interior/luggage space to the larger batteries needed for a larger motor (unless the motor-power doesn’t need to increase as much as engine-power, in the scale-up to larger vehicles).
Can you please explain the point of such a thing? So a huge POS truck that normally gets terrible 20 MPG, now gets a slightly less terrible 23. So what? Talk about turd polishing. Anything under 35 is pathetic.
Considering one can get over 40 MGP in a deisel VW (in a Passat Estate, even), hybrids are just all hype to me. Its like people don’t even care what the actual MPG is, they just want “a hybrid”. This is the Web 2.0 of automobiles.
Also, when you buy a VW you actually get a decent car attached to that fuel efficient drivetrain. You also get power (sorry, but a 75 HP Prius is not for me), and good looks.
Toyota isn’t going to kill GM, they are becoming GM.
Many Americans are delusional and want to continue to drive huge vehicles and, “feel”, good about it. If you need a big truck for commerce, fine. Most people I know with them don’t need one. It’s far cheaper to rent a truck on the few occasions you may actually need it. People will not change until economics squeeze them enough to pursue and demand real fuel efficiency.
SignOfZeta — if you’re going to comment on motor vehicles, take the time to do some homework. The one owner of an RX400H I’ve spoken to gets exactly the sort of mileage advertised: 28-30 mpg. As I noted [above] that’s probably the same powertrain used in the FTX. Which, by definition, is lighter and should get even better mpg. Probably 32-35 mpg. By the time the critter ever gets to production it probably will offer a couple of hybrid powertrains. Including smaller and stingier. That is what the article is about, after all.
All without the emissions of a diesel. And in most of NM, diesel is more expensive than gasoline.
Like many of my neighbors — I heat my home with a wood burning stove. Where I live, that’s a renewable resource. We cut enough firewood each year — using a dead-and-down permit — to keep in stock for about 2 years out. Maybe you want to cut and haul 7 or 8 eight cords of wood over the summer to home in a VW. I certainly wouldn’t want to try it.
Living in rural NM, we don’t have taxpayer-funded trucks pulling up in front of the house, twice a week, to haul off neatly packaged trash. We make a dump run, twice a month. If you think making 4-6 trips a month in a VW makes sense, then you can pay for that extra diesel fuel.
Fact is, sensible motor vehicle design fills market needs for lots of different requirements. We really don’t all fit through the same urban cookie cutter.
I think that we’d all get 15-25% improvement in MPG just by adding something like the Toyota information console from their Hybrids. A friend of mine bought a Prius she was adamant that the car it trains you how to drive efficiently by giving a constant stream of easy to read data showing how you’re doing. Add some actual efficiency improvements to conventional cars and we’ll quickly see impressive gains in MPG with less $$ than going hybrid. I think we’re long overdue for a change to the CAFE standards.
Oh wait, the Republicans hate the Corporate Average Fuel Economy laws because they don’t work…. so I guess this is all BS (as Fox News will no doubt tell us).
The main thing keeping me away from a hybrid is that the price differential is just too high. If this story comes true I would strongly consider buying a car with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.
I’ll second Eideard’s comment 6 about the utility of pickup trucks, particularly in Western states like NM. However, I have a ’99 Toyota Tacoma, which gets betwen 25 MPG (whem the A/C’s on in the city) and 30 MPG on the freeway at 75. The Tacoma is a perfect truck for normal everyday hauling of everything from smaller quantites of wood to yard debris, to groceries from a Costco run. Can’t quite justify a full sized pickup for everyday hauling, though sometimes I wish I still had my old 4WD Toyota pickup for camping along the nasty back roads in NM.
Getting back to the original topic, a hybrid Tacoma actually designed for rough roads and hauling stuff (in other words, not the tarted up concept truck’s design) might be a worthwhile invstment if the hybrid could get 40 MPG or better.
Floyd, if I didn’t loath smiley faces, I’d probably [and often] include one to denote when my remarks are tongue in cheek. The Tacoma would be just fine. I’d want 4WD for most of the places where we go woodhauling in the Jemez.
The local Toyota folks figure 40-60% increase in mpg going to the hybrid Lexus RX400H. I would presume the FTX would do as well over a stock Tacoma. And, yes, I’d go for the smaller hybrid engine/motor package, too. Though I often need 4WD drive, I don’t need 250 on-demand bhp.
BTW — I think the dude sitting in the concept truck is really 4’5″ tall — sitting on a NYC phone book.
No. Chery, the Chinese car maker may kill GM…& Ford.
I own an ’06 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. Yes, it was more expensive than its gas-only counterpart. About $2500. But, I get a $2500 tax credit for purchasing it this year. Net is I got the Hybrid for “free”. This is the best driving vehicle I’ve owned. Quick, efficient, quiet and damn fun to drive. I now pull up to the pump once a week, instead of two.
Say all you want about extra cost… bash Toyota because they’re not headquartered in the U.S. The fact remains, they sell the type of vehicle designs many people want, they have above average quality and continually display industry average resale.
To me, that’s all it takes to make be a customer. No emotion, no politics, just facts.
Here in Brazil we have hibrids too. The cars can use either gasoline or alcohol. Alcohol is one of the most friendly fuels, because in order to obtain it, one have to grow sugar cane, which captures carbon from the atmosphere and converts solar light into the fuel. Besides it also helps our farmers.
This program have been running for 30 or so years and has been a very successful one. We went from being dependent of foreign oil to being self-sustainable. Now the government is experimenting with vegetable diesel fuel. Right now we add 2% of vegetable diesel in all diesel sold in the country. The diesel is obtained from all kinds of vegetable oils (soy for instance), and offer the same advantages of alcohol.
It should be noticed that although the market is controlled by the government, lots of foreign companies (Shell, Exxon, Texaco) are present in Brazillian market, developing and making money out of all this technology.