Toyota wants to sell 1 million hybrids per year
Shortly after the turn of the decade, Toyota expects sales of its hybrid vehicles to crest the one million unit per year mark. ToMoCo's goal may seem a bit ambitious considering that it's only sold about 1.25 million hybrids since the Prius' introduction in 1997, but the alternative-power push will mainly be fueled by sales of upcoming plug-in hybrid models and Toyota's aim to equip every vehicle in its lineup with a hybrid drivetrain by 2020.
Testing of the plug-in version of the Prius is about to begin in the U.S., Europe and Japan, equipped with a fancy-schmancy lithium-ion battery that's being developed by Toyota and Panasonic EV Energy Co. Sales should start around 2010, assuming that all is well with the power-pack, and we're expecting even more Synergy-Drive models to bow during the upcoming 2008 show season.
[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
iSpec 4:19PM (12/27/2007)
With eco-fundanmentalists in charge threatening noahic destruction if we don't do something and gas at nearly $3 and climbing, why not?
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Daniel 4:21PM (12/27/2007)
Great business plan and I wish Toyota every success. As a thoroughly please Prius owner I know this can be done.
As an American - I only hope the US Auto companies have the brains to go down this same road. The US companies can compete in this arena or they will become extinct.
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elprogramer 6:31PM (12/27/2007)
It's a horrible business plan. There's no future in hybrids, they're just a fad.
Now, entirely electric vehicles maybe, but the hybrids on the road are an entirely different monster altogether.
psarhjinian 9:43PM (12/27/2007)
There's certainly a future in:
* Abstracting the power generator from the drivetrain (as the Prius does)
* Reclaiming wasted energy (regen braking, idle-stop)
* Actively managing the powertrain so that the most efficient source is used at the apropriate time (electric at the get-go, gas/electric for full power, gas-only, cylinder deactivation, etc).
Hybrids don't have to mean gasoline/electric like the Prius. You could do diesel/electric. You could do hydrogen/electric, or fuel cell/ultracapacitor You could do diesel/propane/electric. You could, heck, do gasoline/diesel if you were insane. The idea of a hybrid is to reduce the net energy used to operate the car by more efficiently allocating the energy used.
Its a collection of technologies and implementations. The Synergy Drive in the Prius is a very good implementation; so is the GM Two-Mode. The GM BAS system is a particularly weak (one might say "lame") hybrid implementation, but even it's worth having if for no other reason than idle-stop and low-speed cruise that can cut urban emissions.
The problem with hybrid adoption is twofold: cost (which is easy to overcome) and luddite syndrome (which is harder). It helps if you can think of hybrid technologies in the same fashion as other energy-maximization or emissions-reduction techniques (CVTs, direct-injection, variable valve timing, fuel injection, engine management controllers, overdrive transmissions, unibody construction). Every one of the had it's detractors from the backyard mechanic set--they were all going to doom the industry, cars were going to be slow, unreliable and impossible to fix--and yet here we are today and cars are faster, cleaner and more fuel efficient than anything of the same size and power output of a decade or more ago.
I remember the hew and cry about fuel injection. Yes, there were some spectacularly bad implementations (thanks, GM!), but it really seems rather distance. I look back on exactly how crappy a carbuerated car was (really, they did suck about as much a FI car did, if not more) and I can barely remember what the fuss was about.
Think about it. You can get a Honda Accord with 240hp and can make 0-60 in nearly six seconds while meeting Tier 2 Bin 5 easily. A car of 25 years ago that could do -60 in six couldn't get T2b5 while _parked_. A car that could do it 40 years ago produced enough emissions to kill you in minutes. A Prius couldn't kill you if you turned it on and slept in the garage for a week.
Hybrids are here to stay. Maybe not in quite the way people expect, though.
mark_welby 4:22PM (12/27/2007)
Am I the only one tired of reading about Toyota's lofty goals domination? The utilitarian masses might make it a reality, but I for one have no desire to drive any of the uninspired soulless appliances that Toyota churns out.
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Shipey 4:25PM (12/27/2007)
/agree
psarhjinian 4:47PM (12/27/2007)
Well, then, don't buy one. Toyota makes transport appliances and does very well by it.
Toyota makes the cars that people, by and large, want to buy. They made cars with "soul" (the MR2, Supra, IS300 and Corolla AE86) and they didn't sell. Heck, they even made sporty mainstreamers like the 2G RAV4 (easily the best handling compact SUV). You could even make an argument for the last-generation Celica (nice, light and tossable). And, to a T, every one of these cars failed to sell in North America, while the vanillamobile Camry sold nearly half a million per year.
Toyota can do without the "soul" dollars.
I think Toyota goes where the money leads. Chasing niches is all well and good if you're a small vendor and you can make money on it (Mazda, for example) but a company like Toyota cannot survive without mass-market sales.
Now, that being said, who else makes a mainstream car with "soul". Other than Ford (Fusion, which isn't selling) and the Focus (which they softened up) and Mazda, I can't see anyone doing it unless you stretch the definition of "soul" to include the Honda Accord. Everything else (Camry, Malibu, Aura, Sebring, Altima, etc) is a transportation appliance. Some may have bigger engines (Impala SS) or slightly racier lines (Altima), but lets be serious, other than Mazda's offerings, soulless pretty much defines 85% of the consumer market.
You want soul? That's ok, but I don't see why people complain about Toyota's products not having any. People don't want a soulful fridge or toaster, by and large, and those who do will pay through the nose for one that does (yes, a soulful toaster!). By the same token, people buy the cheapest car that meets their needs, which usually consist of "economical", "safe", "versatile" and "comfortable". Fun to drive is usually way, way down the list.
If Toyota wants to sell ten million cars per year, or wants to have an 80% hybrid fleet by 2012, I don't see why this should consitute a problem for people who wouldn't have bought one anyway.
JunkStory 5:12PM (12/27/2007)
No offense but I just roll my eyes whenever someone uses the word 'soulless' to describe an automobile. *rolls eyes*
Temple 10:14PM (12/27/2007)
They already announced that they planned on expanding the "Prius" brand into multiple cars to at least three. In which case its perfectly feasible; they did it with the Corolla.
Certainly not realistic with the only the current version, but they plan on having a much cheaper smaller version (to produce volume), as well as a larger Prius for families.
Tony 4:38PM (12/27/2007)
Interesting, Toyota is setting goals of 1MM Hybrids- which would BLOW the AMERICAN car companies AWAY while just the other day, Bob Lutz said the launch of the Volt "won't be flawless." How inspiring of him! What a contrast in leadership!!
Perhaps if his bonus was tied to market dominance, maybe we'd build better cars and sell them more efficiently.
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Daniel 8:44PM (12/27/2007)
Ford and GM could compete in this area if they wanted to - witness Ford reflex and Chevy Volt. All they have to do is offer these products to the public insted of just making great concept cars.
JGN 5:04PM (12/27/2007)
psarhjinian
Excellent post, accusing Toyota of selling "soulless" appliances is an empty charge. It sounds like the kind of thing you accuse a company of when there really isn't too much to criticize them about.
I really hope Toyota outdoes itself with this new Prius, and I'm glad they are including a plug in option this time.
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psarhjinian 5:27PM (12/27/2007)
I am looking forward to the _potential_ of a lithium-based battery if for no other reason than it reduces weight and volume, allowing either a smaller pack, lower weight and/or longer range.
Now, that being said, lithium batteries are volatile. The Sony "bursting into flames" battery recall that affected several thousand notebook PCs is still fresh in my mind and I really, really hope that GM and Toyota have paid _really close attention_ to the crash survivabbility, charge management and heat dissipation requirements these batteries have.
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bill 5:41PM (12/27/2007)
I have read that BMW products have soul, and I have read BMW products have more quality issues than cars that lack soul. I guess it is what a person wants to experience as they go about their lives. VW offers cars that feature German "soul", but I would rather have a Honda so I can spend less time getting to know the service department manager by name at the VW store. It is all about choice and expectation.
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Brian Whitmore 7:54PM (12/27/2007)
How many tax credits will they get? That will determine how many they will sell. People aren't ready to pay extra for a fad yet.
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Phil 11:32PM (12/28/2007)
It would really be a great idea for Toyota to also offer an option to retrofit the Priuses currently on the road to plug in capability when the new lithium batteries become available. Who's going to buy a conventional hybrid car today when we all know that a plug in hybrid will be available in a couple of years??
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j_diesel 1:28AM (12/28/2007)
i don't want a hybrid trying to fill the gap. in my estimation they are nothing more than a testbed for electric vehicles. i wouldn't buy a hybrid but i would buy a full on rechargeable car. a hybrid seems like it's trying to be two things and not great at either one. sort of like an el camino. not a car, not a truck and a rabid cult following.
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Richard Warren 6:25AM (12/28/2007)
"Toyota wants to sell 1 million hybrids per year"
Of course they want to, any company "wants to" but the real question is will they?
That's a huge leap from 1.25 million in 10 years, a downward twitch in fuel prices a rebound in the economy and you'll hear the roar of Suburbans with 600 hp.
Ever notice how often Toyota misses it's targets?
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Tony 8:00AM (12/28/2007)
Yeah, problem is; Toyota WILL sell more cars than GM. Not a matter of if, but when!
Michaelangelo is quoted to have said "it's better to set your goals too high and miss them than to set your goals low and hit them"
I wish the Detroit guys would get a little of that!
catgirlshyla 3:18PM (12/28/2007)
What Toyota needs to do is offer more Hybrids than the Prius.
They should bring over mini-vans like the Toyota Alphard or the Estima (nee Toyota Previa; maybe convert them to delivery vehicles to compete with the Sprinter and HHR??), or transfer the technology over to other platforms.
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