Toyota doubling hybrid model range
In a wide-ranging announcement in Tokyo of programs to develop and market environmental technologies and environmentally-friendly vehicles, Toyota Motor Corporation pledged Tuesday to double the number of hybrid models in its product line in the next five years.The company also said it is pushing ahead on the development of plug-in hybrids, and is currently working on a next-generation hybrid that is capable of a greater range of electric-only operation.
In parallel with its hybrid program, Toyota announced that it will completely revamp its gasoline engine and transmission lineup by 2010 to improve fuel efficiency and reduce exhaust emissions. As part of this initiative, the company unveiled a new 1.8-liter gasoline engine and continuously-variable transmission that will be its main powertrain for compact and midsize passenger vehicles, starting with new-model vehicles due out this fall.
With a nod to the flex-fuel alternative touted by U.S. automakers, Toyota announced a 2007 launch of flex-fuel vehicles for the Brazilian market that can run on 100 percent ethanol. The company also said it's considering flex-fuel vehicles for the U.S. market.
Looking ahead, the company said it is continuing its fuel cell development program, with current efforts focusing on practical drivability issues like cold-weather startup.
Looks to us like Toyota is following the classic strategy maxim, "Hit 'em where they ain't," exploiting its lead in hybrid technologies to take away future market share from competitors without as strong a hybrid product line, like General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. At the same time, the company is covering its bets with high efficiency gasoline-only engines and flex-fuel vehicles that raise the bar from E85 to E100.
[Source: Toyota]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Buster Hymen 3:59PM (6/13/2006)
Toyota will find out in a few years they made a big mistake as diesel cars take over. Better gas mileage. less maintenance/software glitches, much better torque, and as clean as hybrids. Prius owners will riot!
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Anonymous Coward 4:15PM (6/13/2006)
Somehow, I doubt Toyota became #1 by being that shortsighted. And, that hybrid technology will go over to diesels rather well.
Man, if they made a diesel/hybrid Toyota FJ, I will sell my car and buy it.
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PJ 4:18PM (6/13/2006)
Making diesels run cleaner than hybrids will take a lot more than the technology available to consumers in the next few years. An engine auto-off feature would help reduce emissions in stop-and-go driving, but diesels also necessarily emit far more particulates than gas engines.
A more promising idea: diesel hybrids.
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Bob 4:43PM (6/13/2006)
Didn't we see Toyota dismissing the plug in Hybrid idea recently? Then Ford goes for it and viola, its a good idea again.
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Michael Karesh 4:48PM (6/13/2006)
Can someone please explain to me the point of E85 vehicles in the U.S.? Unless Patrick Bedard's article on ethanol in the July C&D is way off-based, it'll be at least 10-15 years before we have the capacity to produce enough ethanol to make all gas 10% ethanol.
Since all current cars can use 10% ethanol (gasohol), this means we can already use all of the ethanol we can produce with the existing infrastructure.
So why the need for vehicles that can burn E85? Sure, they earn GM some righteous CAFE credits, since an E85 Tahoe gets a CAFE rating of 33.3MPG, but beyond that?
(The CAFE number is the average of gas consumed when burning gas and gas consumed when burning E85, which is 15% gas.)
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Stevens, AJ 5:31PM (6/13/2006)
Just so happens that Walmart has gotten into E85 service stations. Ethanol is the quickest easiest partial solution to our oil and environmental crisis. Walmart has the bucks and the locations, and they are placing pumps at locations where E-85 is most attainable. As the product becomes more plentiful watch those locations grow. Expect to see astounding growth in the Ethanol market over the next three years. Time to invest folks if you want to make a potful of money, I sure am. It is not often a new opportunity come about with as much potential for growth as E-85. This along with deisel are the entergy products of the future, corn, soybean, canola so many options. Don't be suprised if you see E-85 at every Walmart in FIVE years......The refinerys are not complicated to build and can be built fast. Current stations can add an E-85 pumps for a very low cost..Get ready here it comes, with no extra cost to you automobile price.
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Charles S 5:44PM (6/13/2006)
Still trying to revive the diesel versus hybrid debate?
Secretly, I do wish the diesel lovers would get their wish; let the sales of diesel double and triple all hybrid sales, and see what a wonderful world it would be. Air quality in large cities will be worse than ever, and respiratory problems will increase amoung kids and elderly.
Since there is more demand for diesel fuel, there will not be enough diesel refineries coming online in time to satisfy the market. Truckers will suffer with high fuel prices, goods get more expensive, and crap rolls downhill from there.
For people who want to buy a diesel for the sake of owning one, that's great! There is no one stopping them to buy a Mercedes BlueTec! If premium line of vehicles are not your cup of tea, and if you want to buy a turbo-charged diesel for a hot car, say the Charger, then be prepare to PAY premium prices. All the complex emission costs aside, no matter how diesel-lovers spin it, it will be just as expensive as any hybrid, if not more. The gasoline-only version will always perform better at the same price point.
Please don't go around quoting how BMW price their 5-series diesel to cost the same as gas-only version. Performance diesel is never cheap, PERIOD. If you're happy with a VW Bettle TDI, doing 0-60 in 12+ seconds, great! But if you want a VW Bettle diesel with a performance on par with a gas-only version, it will cost thousands more, and fuel savings will be worse than current TDI offerings.
Since there isn't a single competitive diesel offering in the US til 2008, any talk about how great and cheap diesel will be are just wishful thinking.
Just as I am skeptical about how "awesome" the future diesels will be, I'd take Toyota's announcements with a grain of salt. Not that I do not believe in the potential of hybrids, because I own a hybrid and know how an improved electrical system will vastly improve the efficiency and range of hybrids. My skeptism comes from the fact that no new technology (batteries) will come cheap, and anything that will save money at the pump will end up costing more than it should, thus pricing themselves out of the mainstream.
If Prius III is going to be lightyears ahead of all car in the next few years, Toyota will definitely have no incentive to keep the price low. If the value of the Prius steals demographics from Corolla or Camry, it would only hurt Toyota in the long run.
Diesel-lovers should be happy either way. Hybrids performs too well, then the pricing fallouts will make diesels more attractive. If Toyota pulls back and tune down the improvements on hybirds, then diesel-diehards will have plenty more to complain about for the next decade.
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Daggy 5:54PM (6/13/2006)
If every vehicle sold in North America were to have a CVT transmission, that alone would make a significant improvement in fuel economy.
As for diesels, I doubt they will ever become popular as in Europe. European diesel cars are much smaller and would never be accepted in the USA.
It looks to me that different parts of the world will have their own unique solutions.
More than 50 per cent of vehicles in Europe are now diesels, so much so that they don't need all their gasoline and can export it to the USA.
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David 6:02PM (6/13/2006)
It looks like we're in a period of technological competition for what comes next in the way of clean burning, efficient engine technology. It's possible that anyone who bets on one and only one new technology will lose that bet because that may be a technology that doesn't survive, or one that does survive but satisfies only one part of the market.
Toyota is in the enviable position cash wise to explore alternatives and, considering the variety of markets it sells in, is likely to come up with approaches that fit those various markets through combining technologies in some (diesel or gas hybrids) and using only one part of a package (plug-ins) in others. There are parts of the world where intercity travel is largely by plane and train. In those places plug-in mini cars for city use make sense. In our market, hybrids or diesels may be the thing.
The car business is a global business. There are people who post on this site who seem to think that any technology that isn't suitable for the USA, or any thing they would not personally want to drive, doesn't have a chance in a global marketplace. That ain't so.
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Stphane Dumas 6:11PM (6/13/2006)
hybrid vs diesel vs ethanol, it looks like a modern version of the VHS-Betamax war. Just to dust-off a old topic about Bill Gates investment in ethanol last December http://www.leblogauto.com/2005/12/bill_gates_inve.html (this link is in French)
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Charles S 6:19PM (6/13/2006)
I can tell you why Toyota change its strategy: it's not JUST because of Ford, but because of the changing public opinion and the evolution of the hybrid market.
I've own my hybrid for years, and I still have people asking me about the source of electricity for hybrids. There are still plenty of people out there who thinks owners have to plug-in their hybrids at night.
That misconception alone probably kills the possibility of for many to consider purchasing a hybrid. Toyota knew this, and decided to campaign hard to make sure, for people who viewed plug-in's as a hassle, they would understand that hybrids do not need external sources for electricity.
Now that hybrids are coming into the mainstream, the early-adoptors who bought the first hybrids are now ready to move into the EV and plug-in market. With more and more hybrids and EVs coming on sale in the near future, Toyota should not be so confident in its lead in the hybrid market.
Just as there are aftermarkets for performance racing parts, there are now quite a few start-ups gearing toward upgrading old hybrids. Plug-in is the next buzz word for the hybrid world. If Toyota wants to capture the attention of that market, it is only wise to start announcing that they have plans to offer such an option. From now til 2015, Toyota can accelerate or delay the project, pending on the sentiments of the market.
If people understand the market of business, they should know that sometimes vapor-ware is a great strategy for corporations to stay one step ahead of the game. Whether you believe that Toyota will make a plug-in or not, the damage is done.
There are a couple of scenario as to how this can play out. Ford may never have the resources to make a plug-in anyways. But now that Toyota throws its gloves on the ground, Ford's strategy could be to hurt Toyota by making them spend resources on plug-ins that Ford never plans to develop. On the other hand, if Ford is serious about Plug-in's, then Toyota could be "developing" plug-in vapor-ware, so that Ford either have to give up its project, or spend more to accelerate the program. We all know those who are first on the market have a significant advantage.
In any case, as much as I want one, I wouldn't hold my breath right now for a plug-in hybrid.
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chewy 6:31PM (6/13/2006)
A ink for people to consider. Diesels have an excellent future.
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060605/FREE/60601044/1111
Also, Ethanol is not a solution. Look at the article by Patrrick Bedard in the July edition of Car&Driver (not online yet)
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Sheniferous 7:32PM (6/13/2006)
I say throw a "mild hybrid" system that shuts down the engine at idle and auto-starts when you lift the foot off the brake.
That would save a lot on major urban areas with bumper to bumper traffic!
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Stphane Dumas 7:40PM (6/13/2006)
chewy thanks for mentionning the diesel, I spotted another article about biodiesel who gained momentum at http://www.fleet-central.com/af/t_inside.cfm?action=article_pick&storyID=929
and don't worry for the link to the C&D article, someone at Allpar forum founded the link, it's at http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11174/tech-stuff-ethanol-promises.html he have a good points and also mentionned a bried paragraph about cellulostic ethanol who have a more promising future then corn-based ethanol
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Lou Alcantar 7:47PM (6/13/2006)
Ford already has had experience with a plug-in, the
Escape EV. The reason car companies have not come out
with the plug-in hybrid is that a good number of drivers do not have access to a plug at night. Think of all the people who live in apts in the cities.
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Charles S 8:04PM (6/13/2006)
"Diesels have an excellent future."
LOL.
This is like the n-th time I've seen a diesel versus hybrid in a so-called "real world" test. Nope, I'm not disputing the numbers, but I've noticed the same pattern over and over again; the tests always involve a long highway trip, but little is mentioned about city driving. Since there isn't anything outright sinful about the hybrids, the writer usually starts nitpicking on everything. In this case, they nitpick on the hybrids about smoothness, road noise, etc.
I have no doubt that Jetta TDI is a fine car with a good smooth ride. But what is this contest about? Who get the best mileage, or simply about how wonderful the non-hybrids are amoung the bunch? The bias just ooze right out of the article.
Of course, what better way to attack hybrids but to say that diesel has better green creds with biodiesel? Of course, the article forget to mentioned that hybrids generally emits 90% less in pollutants than majority of the Tier 2 vehicles, which is what diesels are classified under. So while biodiesel is a great way to reduce the use of fossil fuel, people will have to take their chances in respiratory health risks. Hybrids are no saints, but trading one problem for another doesn't make diesels, or biodiesels all that much better either.
I am also curious... how many people can have access to B20 fuel? The closest biodiesel to me is over 100 miles away, and I think I'm the lucky few who can say that.
Finally, I wonder how many people picked up on the article's fuel cost? Diesel happened to be 15 cents more than regular unleaded. What people don't think about is the change in demand will greatly affect the price in the future.
For the sake of illustrating my point, for the next six months, there is no change in population, their habits, and the supply of fuel for both diesel and gasoline. Assuming that everyone who trade in the old gas-only car for a hybrid or diesel is because he/she wants to save money on fuel. For every person who trades in a gas-only car for a hybrid, there will be a slight SURPLUS in gasoline supply, if the monthly output remains the same and the people consume the same amount. Yet, for every person who trade in their car for a diesel, diesel supply will obviously decrease, but at the same time, it would dramatically increase the surplus of gasoline, because it's an elimination of gas consumption of one full car.
Imagine what that will do to the prices of fuel? Come to think of it, you pro-diesel people really SHOULD ignore everything I say and go ahead and buy a diesel car or truck!
Yes, obviously if diesel gets popular, production will shift to producing more diesel. However, since the big reason for price spikes are the lack of refineries... I wonder how much of a spike in demand of diesel is needed before the oil companies will want to invest into building a new diesel refinery? How long will it take before that refinery comes online?
Unfortunately, if diesel prices do spike, it will do us all no good. Trucker either have to eat up the fuel costs, or we all suffer, cause now all goods delivered will cost more.
So go ahead, save a few bucks with diesel on the highway. Have a "FUN" time with a 11-second Jetta TDI.
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chewy 8:21PM (6/13/2006)
Thanks for the article link.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11174/tech-stuff-ethanol-promises.html
It is a great article. Also it explains why the big three have fallen in love with Ethanol so much. Sure, hydbrids get their best milage in the city. Depending on where you drive the most, you can make a decision.
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Peter 8:35PM (6/13/2006)
The diesel crowd seems to be in more denial and wishfull thinking about the how terrible real world mileage is for Hybrids while still being great for Diesel.
There are only two tests I like for finding real mileage comparisons: Consumer reports and Edmunds. Both show similar mileage losses for both Diesel and Hybrid. CR is now subscriber only for that info. But Edmunds long term test data is still available and it doesn't reflect this believe that diesel fairs any better in real world long term test.
VW Beetle TDI:
Final Odometer Reading: 32,406
Best Fuel Economy: 48 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 21.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 36.5 mpg
Toyota Prius:
Current Odometer: 40,687
Best Fuel Economy: 50.1 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 33 mpg
Average Fuel Economy : 41.4 mpg
Honda Insight:
Final Odometer Reading: 33,719
Best Fuel Economy: 79.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 35.3 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 52.6 mpg
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Johan B 3:24AM (6/14/2006)
Diesel in Europe
I'm quite shocked by all the anti-diesel messages here, like if there's a point in fighting the diesel. Diesel is popular in Europe for simple reasons:
- Less fuel consumption, and fuel costs MUCH more there due to green taxes, so the savings are significant. For the same reason we can expect hybrids to become popular there as well.
- Great real-life performance from much better torque. You simply get faster from 40 to 60 in a comfortable way, especially with manual transmission (Europeans prefer manual).
Note about capacity problems: Remember that Europe is bigger than the US and has coped just fine with sharply increasing diesel demand.
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Tool 10:26AM (6/14/2006)
Kudos to Toyota. Say what you will about them, Toyota is the leader in hybrid technology. I think it takes guts to change its mind and go with a plug-in technology. Let's don't jump all over them just for reversing a prior decision.
If anyone remembers, the GM EV-1 was a fabulous vehicle and even though it had piss-poor range, that technology could have been improved if it wasn't dropped so quickly.
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