Time to make the best out of this bailout?
During CNBC Reports just a few minutes ago, Phil Lebeau - whom interviewed GM CEO Rick Wagoner this morning - stated that US automakers would be open to fuel economy strings for government cash.
Seems like a positive sign, and an angle that Congress should exploit.
Original post by Dahcredyns
Filed under: Hybrid, MPG, Toyota
For 2009, Toyota is granting its Highlander crossover a new base engine. Coming from the new Venza will be a 2.7-liter four cylinder powerplant that will be mated exclusively with a new six speed automatic transmission. Rated at 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque, the new four banger will move the 4,000-pound ‘ute to sixty in a little under 10 seconds, which isn’t all that bad considering it’s fuel mileage ratings of 20 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. It should be noted that the hybrid model, which will still be available for ‘09, is EPA rated at 27 city and 25 highway, meaning that the new 2.7 will actually outperform its hybrid sibling on the highway. Still, the hybrid’s combined rating of 26 miles per gallon easily bests the four’s 22 combined rating. For those who need to tow, the Highlander can still tow up to 3,500-pounds when equipped with the new base engine. It’s nice to see continued development on the platform despite the fact that it’s been already around a for a few years.
[Source: Toyota]
Continue reading Toyota Highlander gets 2.7L four for ‘09, beats hybrid’s highway mileage
Toyota Highlander gets 2.7L four for ‘09, beats hybrid’s highway mileage originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Set for launch late next year?
Last month, Toyota Prius sales were down 10 percent. Not bad, considering that October was one of the worst months ever in auto sales. And, while hybrid cars have helped Toyota’s sales strength the last few years, this recession is greatly hurting Toyota.
“At least there’s no red ink at the moment. But if the situation deteriorates we could be looking at that,” said Ashvin Chotai, managing director of Intelligence Automotive Asia reports the AFP.
Thus, “Planned factories, existing facilities, new projects; they [Toyota] are reviewing all of them,” said Toyota executive vice president Mitsuo Kinoshita.
If US auto buyers can’t afford anything but the cheapest cars, amidst declining gas prices, hybrid sales will take a hit. Such a hit, I’ll bet, could easily delay the launch of the 2010 Toyota Prius few months, and slow the launch of any consumer-orientated plug-in hybrids from Toyota as well. And that new Lexus hybrid? Why be in a rush when Lexus hybrid sales got hammered last month?
Original post by Dahcredyns
For some time now, Toyota has been contemplating the creation of a new Prius brand akin to Scion that would be dedicated to hybrid vehicles. This much is acknowledged by Toyota’s Group VP for communications, Irv Miller. However a report the other day on Left Lane News that Toyota had decided to move ahead with a Prius brand was apparently premature. In a blog post yesterday, Miller declared unequivocally that the unattributed story was “completely false.” At this point no decision has been made about moving ahead with a new hybrid only brand or even a timetable, according to Miller.
[Source: Toyota]
Toyota says Prius brand confirmation “Completely False!” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid
Here’s an intriguing question: Who invented the hybrid drivetrain? Was it Toyota with its seminal and ridiculously popular Prius? Or, maybe it was Honda, which beat Toyota to market in the United States with its initial Insight hybrid car. In fact, examples of vehicles with hybrid technology have been around since the late 1800’s, with the Lohner Porsche from 1899 often recognized as the first hybrid production vehicle. While nobody would argue against how Toyota has innovated many new features into its modern hybrid cars, the United States justice system awarded PAICE and Russian-born inventor Alexander Severinsky with hard court-fought patents to some key pieces of high voltage hybrid technology. This technologies are used by Toyota for its Hybrid Synergy Drive, which powers vehicles such as the Prius and Camry hybrid.
Now Mr. Severinsky has been recognized again for his contributions to fuel-savings and will be inducted on Thursday into the Innovation Hall of Fame at the University of Maryland′s A. James Clark School of Engineering. Severnisky had, in fact, wanted to work on fully electric cars but found that battery technology wasn’t quite ready to bear the responsibility of moving a few tons of vehicle down the roads. The rest, as they say, is history, and Severinsky will now forever be remembered by many as the man who helped invent the modern hybrid.
Gallery: LA 2007: Lohner-Porsche
Gallery: LA 2007: Lohner-Porsche hybrid
[Sources: Carscoop, Baltimore Sun]
Alex J. Severinsky wins recognition for “inventing the hybrid” originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Seeking some kaizen
Toyota has always been known for it’s kaizen-influenced business model, or the constant move towards efficiency in all elements of its business. From manufacturing to developing new automobiles, such as hybrid cars, kaizen influences every aspect of Toyota’s corporate culture.
CNBC just reported that there are now rumors that GM might seek some sort of assistance from Toyota to help turn GM’s business around. Is GM seeking some kaizen?
Original post by Dahcredyns
What you are looking at here may well be the first unofficial, official image of the third (fourth according to Toyota) generation Toyota Prius. The original hybrid isn′t supposed to debut until we get to Detroit in January, but three images that look like they may well be authentic have turned up on Prius forum. The shape we see here certainly fits with the camouflaged spy photos we’ve seen so far. The basic shape looks much like the current Prius, but the front has been re-shaped. The nose of the car fits in with the look of other current Toyotas but doesn′t seem to carry over much from the Hybrid X concept that appeared at Geneva 2007. If these photos are to be believed the interior unfortunately also carries over the interior concept of the current car with the center mounted gauges. We’ve contacted Toyota for a comment, but we don’t seriously expect anything other than a no comment. If we do learn anything more we’ll be sure to let you know. Thanks to Rafih for the tip!
Gallery: Possible leakage: 2010 Toyota Prius
[Source: PriusChat]
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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid
Coming to the UK in January, Toyota’s fortwo challenger (should we call it the foѷ+1?) will be priced at £9,495 (1.0 VVT-i manual version) and going up from there. Options include £700 leather seats and £950 satellite navigation. The 1.0 VVT-i manual version gets about 55 mpg U.S. and will have road-tax-avoiding CO2 emissions of just 99 grams, Toyota expects. Toyota will take your order now, and anyone who orders before March 1 of next year will get a free metallic paint upgrade.
The iQ comes in two trim levels: the iQ and the iQ2. Both versions have a lot of safety features, including that rear window airbag. The short descriptions of the differences from Toyota’s official announcement (pasted after the break) are as follows:
Gallery: Toyota iQ on the Road
[Source: Toyota]
Continue reading Toyota iQ prices start at £9,495, deliveries start in January
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
Coming to the UK in January, Toyota’s fortwo challenger (should we call it the foѷ+1?) will be priced at £9,495 (1.0 VVT-i manual version) and going up from there. Options include £700 leather seats and £950 satellite navigation. The 1.0 VVT-i manual version gets about 55 mpg U.S. and will have road-tax-avoiding CO2 emissions of just 99 grams, Toyota expects. Toyota will take your order now, and anyone who orders before March 1 of next year will get a free metallic paint upgrade.
The iQ comes in two trim levels: the iQ and the iQ2. Both versions have a lot of safety features, including that rear window airbag. The short descriptions of the differences from Toyota’s official announcement (pasted after the break) are as follows:
Gallery: Toyota iQ on the Road
[Source: Toyota]
Continue reading Toyota iQ prices start at £9,495, deliveries start in January
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
Not unless diesel fuel costs go down
Toyota is not interested in developing diesel hybrid vehicles due to the high cost of diesel fuel according to Green Car Congress. Even though diesel is the dominate fuel in Europe and many competitors are preparing diesel hybrids for the European market, Toyota believes gasoline hybrids still are more cost effective.
Original post by Dahcredyns
At some point everyone has probably heard the phrase “Tell me which side of the argument you are on and I will give you the statistics to prove you are right!” That is certainly true when applied to comments made by Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa at the Paris Motor Show this week. While speaking to reporters, Felisa claimed that Ferraris as a group produce fewer total emissions than Toyota Priuses. Now anyone who has ever seen a Ferrari fly by would surely have to question this claim, there is certainly some validity to it. But as usual Felisa comes by the statement by cherry picking certain useful facts and leaving everything else behind. The argument is based on the total number of vehicles times the miles driven times the emissions per mile. The keys are the first two data points. Toyota has at least two to three times as many Priuses in the past decade than the total number of cars to come from Maranello in the Italian company’s 61 year history. A large proportion of those Toyota hybrids are still on the road while many of the Ferraris are in Museums and other collections. Also Ferrari drivers who put more than just a few thousand miles on their cars annually are comparatively rare. So fewer cars and fewer miles means greener right? Well technically yes, but as usual the devil is in the details. In the grand scheme of things, the high cost of a Ferrari means the brand’s overall environmental impact is fairly negligible compared to mainstream cars. It’s probably all right to exempt low volume makers like Ferrari from some fuel efficiency standards. Still, making such an argument in general does come off looking rather silly.
Gallery: Detroit 2008: Ferrari 𑌞 BioFuel
[Source: Drive.com.au]
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Original post by Sam Abuelsamid
The Volt made a recent publicity stop at NASCAR
For many Americans, the Chevy Volt has become the savior of the US auto industry. A made in America foreign oil dependency freedom fighter. And, one day, it might just be that, but not any time soon.
In the interim, however, can it change the perception of GM and its ability to build quality automobiles?
Finish: Chevy Volt: Can it change perception of GM?
Original post by Dahcredyns
Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet, GM, Honda, Toyota
Bloggers love environmentally friendly cars. Or so it seems, according to research performed by J.D. Power and Associates. The most commonly referenced brands in blog posts over the last six months are Toyota, Honda and General Motors. This shouldn’t come as shocking news, considering that the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Chevy Volt are all hot topics right now and are all expected to be thoroughly redesigned or first introduced within the next few years. Naturally, then, these are the brands that are getting the most publicity and are likely the ones that you are most interested in hearing about.
Not all of the blog posts were positive, though, and JDP therefore kept separate numbers for each manufacturer counting how many good things were written about their sustainability and efforts to reduce global warming. The surprising winner of that group was Nissan, though that brand only got two percent of all mentions overall. We blog, they watch, we blog. Fun!
Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt Live Reveal
[Source: The Car Connection]
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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: Biodiesel, Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, Hybrid, Toyota, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily
As we gathered sleepily in the conference rooms early in the morning, host John Hanson said that Toyota’s hope with this one-day seminar was to present the complexity of the sustainability mobility situation and to highlight the challenges that the world is dealing with. The solution is not just the cleaner-than-they-used-to-be four-wheeled vehicles that Toyota is building, but also its partnerships and transportation alternatives, a reduction in how much energy and resource we use, better regulations, and so on and so on and so on. Seriously. By 3 p.m., our heads were swimming but still, Toyota succeeded in Hanson’s stated goal. The six or so hours of presentations and Q&A sessions provided a lot of answers and raised a few questions about just what we′re going to do in the coming decades. If nothing else, we learned that Toyota is thinking about the problem.
Follow us past the jump for the full story.
Continue reading Toyota Sustainable Mobility Seminar morning sessions: the bad news
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
Solar power is nothing new to Toyota, but the company’s latest solar array does offer something new to North America: the largest such single-roof installation on the continent.
According to Toyota, a new huge solar set-up (it covers 242,000 square feet and is made up of more than 10,000 modules) is gearing up for an early October start on the roof of Toyota’s North America Parts Center California (NAPCC), located in Ontario, Calif. This solar farm is bigger than any other such installation and will produce 3.7 million kilowatts a year, almost 60 percent of the energy needed at the NAPCC. The installation was put up by SunPower. In related news, two Toyota dealerships were awarded LEED status, with more on the way. Click past the break for the details.
[Source: Toyota]
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Original post by Sebastian Blanco
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