Autoblog

An "insider" at LLN has it on good authority that the oft-rumored Prius brand is, in their words, "a go." According to their source, the goal of the spin-off is to create cheaper hybrid models that would command a marginal premium over their standard, hybrid-free counterparts.

The rumormill pot gets stirred a bit more with the claim that the 2010 Prius could achieve up to 80 mpg. Combine that with the rumblings about a Prius price cut and it's starting to look like the Volt will have it's work cut out for it. Informed speculation also says that the reworked Prius may be joined by an upscale five-door Prius model in the $28-30,000 range and that Toyota could be planning a four-door "Baby Prius" expected to sell in the mid-teens, utilizing a nickel metal hydride battery pack and coming to market in 2013.


[Source: LLN]

In the future, we'll eat all our meals from toothpaste tubes, everyone will be beautiful and healthy, and we won't need cars, what with the proliferation of nuclear-powered jet packs. Prediction is such thorny business, though Toyota isn't making such a fantastical claim by suggesting that each of its vehicles will have a hybrid option available by 2020. Wired's blog seems to agree that by 2020, hybrids will have proliferated like rabbits, and we'll be awash in electron propulsion systems.

We still feel a little cheated that eight years into the 21st century, we still don't have all those things promised to us fifty years ago, but at least automakers are hard at work pushing alternative systems toward viability. Justin Ward, a manager at the Toyota Technical Center overseeing advanced powertrain programs, told a Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse city that work continues on fuel cells to overcome challenges like climate extremes and range. Battery technology, too, will continue to advance, making the current Hybrid Synergy Drive even more efficient. Toyota is still holding off on diesels, and plug-ins present some issues when you consider where that electricity is generated, so it's looking like Toyota will continue to develop its fuel cell technology for the long term and bolster its hybrid offerings in the near future.

[Source: Auto News - sub req. Photo: itd.idaho.gov]

The Bosch Group and the Getrag Group announced Tuesday that they will partner to develop and market parallel hybrid systems to provide a near-turnkey hybrid solution to automakers.

In a parallel hybrid solution, the electric motor is fitted directly into the power flow of the drivetrain. Under the terms of the partnership, Bosch will handle the electrical systems and power electronics, while Getrag will supply its dual-clutch transmission technology. The companies plan to jointly develop final-drive units with directly integrated electric motors. Bosch already has subsystems off the shelf for hybrid powertrains, and is well advanced in developing electric motors that can be directly integrated into a vehicle's powertrain (as shown in the cutaway model at right).

Once off the shelf hybrid systems are available, we can expect even small automakers to be able to offer hybrid models without prohibitively time-consuming and expensive product development. Bosch and Getrag estimate that their hybrid systems will allow automakers to realize fuel savings of up to 20 percent (using the European fuel economy test cycle) over gasoline-only drive systems.

The Getrag Group is the world's largest independent transmission manufacturer in the world, while Bosch is the world's largest auto parts supplier.

[Sources: Bosch, Getrag]

 

As automakers blitz Washington with their answers to the U.S. dependency on increasingly expensive foreign oil, it was Toyota's turn to step up to the plate Wednesday. Speaking to the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, Toyota's advanced technology manager, William Reinert, focused on his company's hybrid solution, saying its annual production of hybrids could pass the one million mark within the next decade.

While Toyota is far from alone in its development of hybrid vehicle technology, according to Reuters, it would appear to be far ahead of its U.S. competitors, who are instead focusing on alternative fuels (notably ethanol) as their near-term 'silver bullet,' while they play catch-up with hybrid technologies.

Of course, Reuters points out, the problem with the flex-fuel alternative is the necessary, massive build-out of an ethanol infrastructure before the fuel can have a significant impact on America's energy situation. Building flex-fuel-capable vehicles is not the problem - growing, refining and distributing the fuel is, and in the mean time, Toyota continues to refine its hybrids, focusing on improving production efficiency and lowering costs.

[Source: Reuters]

That's the gist of Chairman and CEO Bill Ford's statement to the annual meeting of Ford Motor Co. shareholders Thursday.

Saying that the company's long-term success depends on its global expansion, Ford emphasized that, despite its problems at home, all of the company's automotive operations outside North America are profitable. He went on to say that Ford Motor is aggressively targeting emerging markets, including Turkey, Russia, India and China, as avenues for future growth.

Ford reaffirmed the company's commitment to return its North American operations to profitability by 2008, and his personal commitment to forego a salary until that goal is met.

Responding to questions from shareholders, Ford said the company is considering adding a plug-in hybrid to its model range, while aggressively pursuing other ethanol, biofuel and hybrid solutions to rising petro-fuel prices and their impact on his company's revenues. He also stressed that overall Ford Motor's lineup is getting smaller and more fuel efficient.

[Sources: Ford Motor Co., Reuters]