http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/ Autoblog Comments for Toyota developing cheaper hybrids http://www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
Do you think if you tell a lie frequently enough it will somehow become true?]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
The article doesn't say that Toyota is moving away from the full hybrids it's been pioneering, and replacing them with mild hybrids.

The way I read it, they're trying to make the system smaller, but still emphasising the benefit of the full hybrid system.

The Lexus RX400h and the Highlander Hybrid have smaller motors and a less bulky battery than the current Prius, but does not sacrifice the power of either the motors or battery.

]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
The automaker will also begin to make key components for gasoline-electric hybrid systems in the United States, the first time this manufacturing has been done outside Japan, according to the newspaper report."
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/11/new_smaller_hyb.html

I'm guessing these are the first dividends in picking up the Subie share from GM.]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
STFU and start your own blog.

]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
Try again.
http://bioage.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/hybrid_sales_oct05_2.PNG]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
In any case, it doesn't matter if you (and a lot of other people) think the technology is not worth it-they sell well, don't they?

(Did I use enough parethesises?)]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
Probably not.]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
Um, that would be Ford, not Toyota.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10081251/]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/

"Try again.
http://bioage.typepad.com/photos/uncat
egorized/hybrid_sales_…"


LOL, I think it's called sarcasm...]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
I have to take issue with geotpf's arguments in favor of the Prius. A Prius is really more comparable in size to the significantly less expensive Corolla than a Camry - and even if you DO compare it to the Camry, the 4-cyl. automatic is rated at 24/34 MPG. I don't think 25 MPG is a very realistic average fuel mileage number for it (I'd guess it's more like 30). Even if it were 25, the Prius does NOT get 50 MPG in "real world" driving (which has been beaten to death on here) - so your claim of double the fuel mileage is totally groundless. ...and that's vs. the Camry. Compared to the Corolla, it's even harder to make a case for the Prius. It takes many years for the fuel cost savings of the Prius to cover its extra up-front cost. If Toyota can bring the hybrid cost down though, it certainly will make them a more attractive option. Personally I hold more hope for better small diesels here (as soon as we start getting low-sulfur fuel next year) than I do for hybrids.
]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/Eventually, a new category of vehicle should be introduced by governments called a "Limited Speed Vehicle". These vehicles would have dedicated electric power and be primarily restricted to urban centres and may eventually be the only vehicles allowed to be driven within the cities.]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
On my current tank of gas, with 390 miles on the tank already, my Prius shows 52.9 MPG... with real world driving...

So clearly somehow my Prius does not exist because it has broken the 50 MPG barrier? or somehow I have altered the fabric of space and time to achieve this fantastic feat of > 50 MPG?

Please... it depends on how you drive the car, among a thousand other variables...If you pay no attention to your mileage and drive like a maniac, you'll get lackluster mileage.

But don't say that 50 MPG is impossible simply because car pundits told you so.

Dude... do you own a Prius? Have you ever even been inside of a Prius? It's vastly roomier than a Corolla, and has much more cargo space, afforded by the hatchback design... If you're asking about rear passenger legroom, cargo space, it's on par with the Camry...

Comparing it to a 4 cylinder Camry is fairer than comparing it to a Corolla... and the current Prius is classified as a mid size car... You're confused because the first Prius was a compact.]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
No one markets the Prius or any other car strictly on "break even" time... it's something that you created to dismiss the technology.

And your comments about diesel show you don't really understand the significance of hybrid technology.

Hybrid technology prioritizes the following, in the decreasing order:
1. improved emissions
2. improved fuel consumption(consequently less oil dependence)
3. economy.

If you were a consumer interested in #1 or #2, as most Prius owners are, and as more and more people are becoming, then the Prius makes sense...

and neither the Corolla, the Camry, nor any other car on the market (including your precious diesels) do as much as the Prius to address #1 and #2.

Even #3 depends on the individual driver's habits. If a driver puts 24000 or more miles on a car a year and intends to keep his car for a decade or more, then the Prius makes so much more sense than a Corolla, or a Camry...

if someone is in the habit of replacing their vehicle every 3 years, then maybe they should save their money (but that's not factoring in the high resale value of the Prius in general!).

]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
I'm surprised number six didn't ridicule me and after all I support the troops-so I must be "sheep".]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
http://john1701a.com/

His currently lifetime MPG is 49.3-and he lives in cold Minnesota, which hurts the mileage of a hybrid (and all other cars, for that matter).

50 MPG is quite doable.

I don't own a Camry (or a Prius, for that matter), so I don't know it's real world numbers. Maybe they are closer to 30 than 25-but the EPA numbers are inflated for *ALL* vehicles, so 25 is probably close to real world mileage. 50 is below 60/51 (Prius's EPA numbers) as well. In any case, 66% better fuel economy is still good.

As for a Prius being closer to a Corolla than a Camry-that would be true with the pre-2004 model, but not with the current one:

Interior Prius Camry Corolla
Front Headroom 39.1 in. 39.2 in. 39.3 in.
Rear Headroom 37.1 in. 38.4 in. 37.1 in.
Front Shoulder Room 55.3 in. 57.5 in. 53.1 in.
Rear Shoulder Room 53 in. 56.7 in. 53.5 in.
Front Hip Room 51 in. 54.4 in. 51.9 in.
Rear Hip Room 51.6 in. 54.1 in. 46.2 in.
Front Leg Room 41.9 in. 41.6 in. 41.3 in.
Rear Leg Room 38.6 in. 37.8 in. 35.4 in.
Maximum Luggage Capacity 16.1 cu.ft. 16.7 cu.ft. 13.6 cu.ft.
Maximum Seating 5 5 5
]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/
Bull. It's like a Camry with a bit less room in the front, and a bit narrower. It's a HELL of a lot bigger than the Corolla in EVERY respect.]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PMhttp://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/17/toyota-developing-cheaper-hybrids/wrong!!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadhorse/search/tags:prius/

and i think enough other folks on here have proved you wrong with the prius being LARGER than a corolla debate. even if it were close to the same size... the prius is topped out, so it's not like you're comparing it to a corolla CE... more like a corolla LE, which doesn't even offer a DVD/bluetooth package.

]]>Dec 18th 2005 11:07PM