Toyota News - Toyota’s low-cost hybrid to be based on Yaris

Toyota’s low-cost hybrid to be based on Yaris

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Green Daily

The speculation can finally end. After weeks of hearing rumors regarding an impending low-cost hybrid from Toyota, reports are now coming out of Japan that the automaker is working on getting a hybrid drivetrain installed in the Yaris platform. The new car will use the same Hybrid Synergy Drive technology as the Prius but will cost considerably less when it goes on sale, possibly as early as 2011.

This new development is a direct response to the new Honda Insight, a hybrid hatchback that ostensibly competes with the Toyota Prius but costs thousands less due to its slightly smaller size, including a downsized engine and battery pack. When Toyota’s Insight-fighter hits the market, we’d expect it to carry an engine that roughly matches the Insight’s 1.3 liters, a full half-liter smaller than the powerplant in the 2010 Prius.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Toyota’s low-cost hybrid to be based on Yaris originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[tags]toyota cars, toyota news, toyota suv, toyota[/tags]

Toyota News - Could Toyota base new low-cost hybrid on Auris platform?

Could Toyota base new low-cost hybrid on Auris platform?

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota

There’s been lots of internet chatter over the last few weeks surrounding rumors in Japan that Toyota is hard at work developing a new low-cost hybrid model that would use Prius technology but be priced to match the new Honda Insight. It’s no secret that the Insight’s big claim to fame is its low asking price, and much of that attractive sticker can be attributed to Honda’s decision to base most of the car on existing platforms and technologies.

Like the Civic Hybrid, the 2010 Honda Insight uses the automaker’s proprietary Integrated Motor Assist technology, but instead of using the rest of the Civic platform, Honda cribbed a large portion of the Insight’s chassis on the Fit. This allowed for a substantial cost savings, and Toyota may choose to do the same for its next hybrid passenger car by placing its Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain in a mass-market vehicle platform.

One attractive prospect might be to borrow the architecture used in the Toyota Auris, a hatchback that’s sold in Europe and Asia that shares underpinnings with the American Corolla. We can’t say that these rumors are true, but it does seem like one logical way to save a huge chunk of money on development costs.

[Source: Burlapp Cars via All About Prius]

Could Toyota base new low-cost hybrid on Auris platform? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[tags]toyota cars, toyota news, toyota suv, toyota[/tags]

Toyota News - 2010 Prius, new Insight given the onceover by SoCal Honda dealers

2010 Prius, new Insight given the onceover by SoCal Honda dealers

Filed under: Hybrid, Honda, Toyota, Green Daily

Price war, price war, price war. By now, you’re probably all pretty familiar with the battle that is brewing between the numbers that will grace the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. Aside from the price, though, these two vehicles are different in size and handling and features. Honda dealers, at least those in Southern California, are getting a hands-on look at what those differences are. Green Car Advisor’s Greg Johnson happened to see a parade of Insights and Priuses cruise down the street to where the dealers were learning about the new Insight, which goes on sale next week, and that tipped him off that the Prius is also part of their education. He asked around and found his hunch was right. Honda didn’t say exactly what the dealers are being told, but you can trust that they’ll be looking to move as many as possible before the Prius actually goes on sale later this spring.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

2010 Prius, new Insight given the onceover by SoCal Honda dealers originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota News - Enter the Rumormill: cheaper Prius on the way?

Enter the Rumormill: cheaper Prius on the way?

Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota, Japan

The success that Honda has had with its new Insight has surely caught the attention of Toyota, its chief rival in the hybrid vehicle games. In its home market of Japan, Honda sold 18,000 Insight hybrids in its first month on sale. This figure beat the automaker’s predictions, and a good deal of these early adopters likely chose the Insight over the Prius due to its low price, which undercuts its competitor by a few thousand dollars (or a few million yen, depending on your location).

To properly combat the Insight, rumors are swirling that Toyota is hard at work developing a new low-cost hybrid vehicle that would be priced well under that of the standard Prius. The new model would use similar hybrid technology but would cost 20-30 percent less than its big brother. True or not, Toyota has confirmed that they will continue to sell the previous-generation Prius in Japan for at least the 2010 model year at a price point that should be close to that of the Insight. Toyota told AutoblogGreen that American buyers will not be able to chose a new older Prius once the new model goes on sale.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Enter the Rumormill: cheaper Prius on the way? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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[tags]toyota cars, toyota news, toyota suv, toyota[/tags]

Toyota News - Toyota to Ford: 100,000 hybrids? That’s cute. We’ve sold a million in the U.S.

Toyota to Ford: 100,000 hybrids? That’s cute. We’ve sold a million in the U.S.

Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus, Toyota, Green Daily, USA

Yesterday, Ford announced it had built its 100,000th hybrid SUV. Today, Toyota coyly released a statement that outshines the Blue Oval 10-to-1. Toyota Motor Sales has now sold more than one million Toyota and Lexus hybrids in the U.S. and dominates 75 percent of the hybrid market here. TMS has sold six hybrid models in America, including the Prius, the Highlander hybrid SUV, the Camry hybrid and the Lexus GS 450h, LS 600h and RX 400h models. This summer, the new RX 450h and HS 250h will appear. Oh, and the new 2010 Prius.

The amazing thing is that, through the end of January 2009, 1.7 million Toyota and Lexus hybrids have been sold around the world. In June 2007, Toyota announced it had sold a million hybrids and, last spring, total Prius sales topped the 1m mark. Toyota had said they hope to be building a million hybrids a year by 2020, but they have moved up the date to “early in the next decade.” Toyota will introduce ten new hybrid models globally by 2012.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota to Ford: 100,000 hybrids? That’s cute. We’ve sold a million in the U.S.

Toyota to Ford: 100,000 hybrids? That’s cute. We’ve sold a million in the U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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