Autoblog

Toyota's Crown Hybrid gets brownie points for good gas mileage, but it's apparently a troublemaker in the motor noise department. Instead of merely adding insulation to the bulkhead, Toyota engineered an Active Noise Control system to reduce engine noise inside the cabin.

The contraption uses three microphones on the interior of the car to detect engine noise. Based on the frequencies they detect, one speaker in each of the front doors and a woofer on the rear shelf create antiphase signals to cancel out the noise. The canceling is set up to occur at passenger head level, and does not interfere with the music system or your own talking.

The Crown Hybrid, released this year in Japan, uses a slightly modified version of the hybrid system from the Lexus GS. Active Noise Control reduces cabin noise from the engine by about five to eight dB, and is permanently on. It's probably not out of the question that the Active Noise Control will make the jump to other Toyota products, and perhaps even Lexus models once they figure out how to put solid gold connectors on it.

[Source: Gizmag]

Toyota has an ambitious goal to begin selling one million hybrids per year by early next decade, and the Japanese automaker's home market Crown sedan reveals part of Toyota's strategy. The Crown Hybrid will only be available on the top line model, which also features industry firsts such as an LCD instrument panel, and a night vision pedestrian detector. The goal for Toyota is to make an actual profit on all of its hybrids, and the added tech amenities will help make the sharply higher prices easier to swallow. Unfortunately, the added cost of the Crown Hybrid will be about $21,600, which could buy you a Prius.

Head Toyota hybrid engineer Shinichi Matsumoto told Automotive News that the automaker is also engineering the flexibility of both hybrid and conventional powertrains in all future vehicle architectures. That means Toyota can and most likely will give every vehicle in its lineup a battery-assisted model, which will come in handy as fuel prices continue to wildly fluctuate. It's just unfortunate that the folks that can least afford $4 or $5 fuel prices won't be able to buy vehicles that can cushion the blow. Let's hope Toyota also continues to offer an affordable hybrid like the Prius, because one shouldn't have to purchase a rear camera, moon roof and upscale leather seats to save at the pump.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]