You're certainly entitled to your opinion. Why don't you fire off some emails to the CEO/CFOs of ALL the major car manufacturers and tell them to stop investing in hybrid technology. Hybrids..... gotta love em!!!!!
Because a tiny fraction of the cars it sells don't pollute as much as the rest of the cars they sell.
That's what I don't like about Toyota. They try to look green while pushing gross polluters like the Land Cruiser that are every bit as bad as a Hummer2. They are praised by many for their $11 billion dollar net profit. Some of the same people lambast Exxon for making far less return on investment than Toyota.
Toyota has every right to compete in the marketplace. If people want LC type vehicles, then they should NOT be lambasted for building them. BOTTOM LINE.... THEY introduced a viable alternative to fuel sucking vehicles. Namely this Prius. Honda deserves kudos too. Ford is the only American manufacturer that has a vision too. GM/DC have a bunch of idiots running/ruining the company. Hybrids...gotta love them!!! hehehehehe
Have we not hammered that Toyota thing out already, 500 times? Here we go again.
Multiple choice questions:
Toyota is in business to
a) sell the most cars as possible b) please the shareholders c) make as much money as possible d) none of the above e) all of the above
Toyota has how many hybrid models in their corporate family?
a) 1 b) 3 c) 5 d) 7
Toyota is the only:
a) company to have sold 400,000+ hybrids worldwide b) company to proclaim all their cars will have hybrid option c) company to have made Hybrids feasible in the USA d) company which has 40 billion dollars in the bank e) all of the above
Toyota also:
a) sells trucks that BUYERS want b) cannot help it if those trucks are inherently dirty c) does more than any other company to promote green cars d) spends more money on green campaigns e) all of the above
Can you pass the test, Gary?
Toyota cannot help it if they, like GM and Ford, were caught up in the SUV/Pickup craze 1995-2005. They built the vehicles that people WANTED TO BUY.
But here's the difference in GM and Ford and Toyota:
While GM and Ford were BLINDED BY GREED and did everything they could to IGNORE the death of the SUV era and the birth of Hybrids, Toyota made a visionary and brilliant move toward hybrids. No one else has had their success. No one else has put as many green cars on the planet.
"Mike Michels, Corporate Manager, External Communications for Toyota Sales, USA, was willing to go on the record. Mike, with whom I had the pleasure to cruising down the Carmel, California coastline a year ago as I test drove, the then still secret Highlander Hybrid, wrote me the following:
1) With today's hybrid and battery technology we believe that today's Toyota hybrid system offers the best balance of internal combustion to battery power sources, considering all factors of cost, weight, durability, emissions certification requirements, well-to-wheel energy chain efficiency, etc. And, of course, we don't recommend that customers or aftermarket companies modify their vehicles, for reasons of safety, reliability and customer satisfaction. Finally, of course, any modification to the hybrid system would violate the vehicles certification and compliance with applicable state emissions regulations.
2) That said however, Toyota believes that future advances in technology may, and I emphasize may, make a plug in hybrid feasible as a commercial product. However, this would take significant advances in battery technology and cost. And the overall environmental impact of the grid source of electrical power must also be considered. Finally, I would observe that this possibility and the obvious interest in it, are added evidence why hybrid technology is not a fad or hype, but rather a valuable energy management system that has long-term potential and can maximize what ever power source (gasoline, diesel, CNG, hydrogen, grid, etc. etc.) that it might be connected to.
Overall, no change in our stance, no dramatic reversal of message and no imminent plug in hybrid announcement. "
well to keep things balanced.. when Hummer comes out with its deisel/hybrid 5 pass car getting 60+ mpg.. then they too can shine the eco-friendly light on themselves like Toyota has.
Also advertising is paid for by the company it's promoting so its intent is to show that company in a favorable light ( BP ads ). They are not Michael Moore directed public service announcements. They highlight something that the company wants to promote to an identified market segment. All ads appeal to some and turn off others. If they get the intended segment to identify with the idea and then react - by coming into the showroom - then it has achieved its purpose.
Everyone is still amazed at how the Prius has tapped into an heretofore unidentified vein of upscale, enviromentally conscious buyers. With the HSD Camry coming up shortly Toyota seems to be 'mining' if you will this vein. It is not intended for certain buyers and it will probably turn them off. It may however reach deeper into the midsized buyer market which is all it's intended to do.
But in 18 mos when the FTX comes out... the ads will be different.. see the Tacoma ones now.
No one else has put as many green cars on the planet.
I think if you check the fleet overall averages, both Honda & GM beat Toyota. Does Toyota offer any vehicles with CNG or E85 capability? My understanding is the big plus with hybrids was the ability to shut down the engine when not moving. GM has a truck that does that very well. Years back when the Big 3 tried to build econoboxes (corvair, pinto, vega) to save on gas, they were castigated by the media. Those companies built what the American public wanted SUVs & PU trucks. The American public still want them. That is why Toyota is doubling the capacity for the Tundra PU. Do you think they will double the capacity for the Prius as quickly? We shall see just how green Toyota really is.
I think Toyota is wisely dragging their feet on Prius production. If they become easy to get buyers will start comparing price to value, the glitter will fade and the fad will be OVER.
intent is to show that company in a favorable light ( BP ads ).
I think that is a good analogy. BP actually had more sales last year than Exxon yet they are not the one picked out as the whipping boy for windfall profits.
The question is are the ads misleading the consumer. If you buy a Toyota will the air magically be cleaner? I have only seen part of the toyota ad. I thought they were selling some kind of feminine hygiene product.
GM sold 1000 pickups (maybe less??) that have auto stop. Oh... also according to CR it has been unreliable (the truck, not their so called hybrid (lol). Honda has sold less than 500 CNG cars. The Prius alone has sold 100,000 units in the NA market this year. They really have to share the resources of the parts to their other hybrid vehicles. The Camry is one of them. If you think for a moment that they are artificially suppressing output to create an aura of limited availability you are sadly mistaken. HYBRIDS ARE NOT FADS. Get used to it Senor Grice.
I have only seen part of the toyota ad. I thought they were selling some kind of feminine hygiene product.
As in ALL advertising you can determine what is the targetted market seqment by the tone and style. Do you think that that the 'Milwaukee's Best' beer ad on the WSOP broadcasts on ESPN would play well on Lifetime?
Statistic: Toyota has determined that 75+% of the buying decisions on a Toyota are made by women alone or as the final decision makers. ( I can't quote the source because I dont have it anymore. It was in an internal background document about buying habits ).
For reference: Press Box on the bottom of page one of Edmunds site.
Your perception is dead on Gary. For the next step it seems if Toyota is going to the heart of the decision making in a family. The Wife/Mother/Partner.
Lets see, the corvair, a nice try from GM but was basically unreliable and most notably had twin carburators that leaked fuel over the hot rear engine catching on fire, even when parked, hence "unsafe at any speed". The Pinto, Ford decided in its corporate way to produce a small car with the gas tank hanging off the rear like a suicide bomber, rather than fix the engineering flaw they figured it was cheaper to pay the claims from people killed in rear end collisions with this vehicle. Alot of people died needlessly because of that design. And it lives on in Crown Victorias, how many police officers have died or been seriously injured when rear ended on the freeway during a traffic stop when their crown vic blew up due to the fuel tank placement. Vega, ill give u a pass on that one.
I have not done a formal study Gagrice, however it seems to me that if you look at Toyota vehicles each one of them has the highest or near the highest fuel economy in their class, compared to a Ford, DB or GM vehicle. Its not just about hybrids, I think they strive for fuel economy across the board. Is there room for improvement, absolutely.
however it seems to me that if you look at Toyota vehicles each one of them has the highest or near the highest fuel economy in their class, compared to a Ford, DB or GM
I think if you go to the EPA website, Toyota does NOT have as good Mileage as the competition from GM. Camry V6 24 MPG, Malibu V6 26 MPG. Tundra V8 17 MPG, Chevy 1500 V8 18 MPG. The Corolla and Prius are good. Not sure the other matchups. I know the big Suburban from GM is bigger and uses less fuel than the Land Cruiser. Even the large size Impala gets better mileage than the Camry.
The point is Toyota is trying to look green with a limited production vehicle the Prius.
I am not trying to defend GM just keep the record straight. If there is a car company that can be held up as having overall high mileage vehicles it is Honda. Though their little V6 PU is a disappointment with only 18 MPG. I wanted to like it.
Back in Jan'04 when I was shopping for a replacement commuter car I wasn't concerned at all about "Which company produces the most models of less polluting cars".
I was looking for a fully equipped rice bucket at a comparable price. With the impending fuel crisis MPG was among the top concerns. (Gas was $1.25/g then) Coming from a 100% Dodge family I made the leap over to Honda, because Dodge only had the (not nearly as nice) Neon with inferior MPG so Dodge lost out in our family.
I don't think the average typical buyer avoids or are attracted to a car MFG because it produces inefficient cars which are completely out of the market one is shopping in.
I don't think any significant number of people are concerned which company "Looks the greenest" when it comes to plopping hard earned money down on for a good deal.
Not that I really think Toyota truly deserves a "green" moniker, but I do think your comparisons are misleading. 80% of Camrys are not V6s. A much larger percentage of Malibus are sold with the V6.
There is no doubt that the average Toyota sold in the US is far more fuel efficient than the average GM vehicle. I do wonder what the breakout would be, though, if we only compared classes of vehicles.
There is no doubt that the average Toyota sold in the US is far more fuel efficient than the average GM vehicle
That I will agree with. GM sells way more PU trucks and SUVs than Toyota sells cars. That is what people want. No one buys a truck that wants a sedan. When you match car for car Toyota does not fare that well. The fuss being made by environmental groups is over Toyota acting green while expanding their truck & SUV capacity faster than the car that has given them the fake green image.
You claim Toyota's "greenness" is misleading because their poster child is the Prius. You seem to forget the HH and the RH. Granted they are SUVs but the point should be made that their mileage of mid 20's avg vs GM average of 16 (mid size SUVs) is abysmal. You also fail to point out the introduction of the Camry this spring. Then there is the GS45h. There WILL be other Toyota hybrids. What's GM got in the cooker? Hmmmmm???
How Closely Does Your Mileage Match the EPA Listing?
I exceed it. 12.06% (236) I am pretty close. 22.48% (440) I could be closer if I drove differently 9.86% (193) I am not very close but dont expect to be 8.89% (174) I am not very close and am surprised. 6.44% (126) The numbers are about as realistic as Tinkerbell. 40.27% (788)
Singleton's Ford Escort was the first hybrid electric car to race at the Bonneville Salt Flats and at Rocky Mountain Raceway. He challenges any junior dragsters, hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles of any size and shape.
Singleton has added solar panels and wind generators to his Ford Escort. He drives the car to school every day _ although right now the vehicle is in the shop for a bit of tweaking.
On a regular school day, Singleton's car sits in the parking lot and charges itself.
``While I'm in class, the wind generators and solar panels charge my batteries, and I drive home on electricity,'' he said, adding if there is no sun and no wind, he can plug the car in to a regular electrical outlet to charge it.
If Ford is hoping that fleet sales will save them then they will continue lose $ and market share.
Regarding the taxis, majority of taxis are purchased used so this article seems to be just more of Fords hybrid hype.
On the other hand, use of a hybrid as a taxi would likely be cost effective due to the very high miles of taxi use and the city driving is also ideal environment for a hybrid. Also, major cities are high in automobile pollution which would be reduced by use of hybrids.
The nyc taxi companies also get local incentives for the hybrids, like a $3000 sales tax credit, 2000 in income tax credit, and some even got a huge break on their taxi medallion, the actual license that allows an owner to put a taxi in service. Never mind the additional gas savings. It remains to be seen if customers will like the smaller back seats, and if cabbies can live with the absence of a security barrier between the front and back seats in the hybrids as there is no room for one.
"IPU: The brains of Honda's IMA (integrated motor assist) system controlling all this is the intelligent power unit (IPU). The new version is 13 per cent smaller and weighs less than before because some parts have been modified and others combined.
Like all gas-electric hybrids, the gas engine is the primary source of motivation. An electric motor is used for additional power and electricity regeneration.
The 2006 Civic Hybrid operates in gas and electric mode when getting under way from rest. During gentle acceleration, the gas engine provides power. At low cruising speeds, the electric motor operates alone -- a new capability for the Civic Hybrid.
If more power is required, the gas engine kicks in and, under full throttle conditions, the gas engine switches to a different camshaft profile for more power."
"Statistic: Toyota has determined that 75+% of the buying decisions on a Toyota are made by women alone or as the final decision makers."
That seems like a high % to me. Are there any women on these forums? I think Toyota may not be recognizing that many of these buyers are not women at all ...
Eg yesterday I passed a Prius and the driver was a handsome fellow whose hair was pulled straight back and fishnetted in a cute little bun on the back of his head. A large % of Prius drivers I see have ponytails. And they're not women either. So perhaps Toyota's researchers are unfamiliar with these types of 'crossovers'.
Yes... perhaps they are marketing to the hippy types. Just like the people you see driving those big SUVs like navigators. Then you see a slender woman come out of it with her fake Louis Vuiton. LOL!!!
quote heyjewel-"Eg yesterday I passed a Prius and the driver was a handsome fellow whose hair was pulled straight back and fishnetted in a cute little bun on the back of his head. A large % of Prius drivers I see have ponytails. And they're not women either. So perhaps Toyota's researchers are unfamiliar with these types of 'crossovers'."-end quote
So, you are saying smart, stylish young men like Priuses?
Its a fairly realistic figure. Even on Tundras and Tacomas.. 'This is nice' 'Good, let's go inside and wrap up the paperwork' 'Welllll.. I do have to discuss it (at home)..(with the boss).. ( to see if it fit's in our budget ). 'Take it home to show your wife.'
"And the mother of all hybrid perks will soon be unveiled: Beginning in January, the federal government will offer a tax credit of as much as $3,150 per car, based on its emissions profile.
"The federal incentives, higher gas prices, and all these other small but attractive perks are tipping the balance," says Bradley Berman, editor and owner of hybridcars.com. "Hybrid culture is definitely shifting into the mainstream. It's moved from environmentalists and early adopters to energy security and people that just want to save on gas."
Someone on this board says Toyota is "manufacturing Prius shortages" because they dont want to sell them....This article disputes that indirectly.
"Toyota is adding production capacity relentlessly.
The company's philosophy is to build vehicles in regions where demand exists. So the company plans to double annual vehicle production outside Japan to 5 million units, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe wrote in the company's latest annual report.
Production in Japan, he wrote, "will support overseas manufacturing by absorbing fluctuations in global demand."
He added: "In our view, stagnation is synonymous with retreat; the outlook is bleak for any company that cannot sustain growth.
"Make no mistake, Toyota is bursting with energy and its appetite for growth is truly insatiable."
If there was NEVER A HYBRID SOLD AGAIN after today, this story is a great indication of how Hybrids being on the road in large numbers have challenged car company engineers and made them spend extra brain power on increasing MPG gains in new and future car designs.
"These days, though, mileage misers like Koester are gaining traction in Motown. After two decades of high-octane growth in horsepower and heft, Detroit is painfully rediscovering the eat-your-peas merits of fuel economy. General Motors and Ford combined to lose $5 billion in their auto operations in the third quarter as pain at the pump sent SUV sales into the ditch. Detroit used to say that fuel economy was the last thing buyers asked for and the first thing they complained about. But lately concern about gas mileage has jumped into the top five reasons shoppers reject a car, according to new research from J.D. Power.
Now that mileage matters, the race is on to reverse a 20-year slide in fuel economy in America."
Bravo Toyota/Honda - see what you have done !! KUDOS and Thank You !!!
An HCCI operates like a diesel engine, which compresses air and gasoline in the cylinders until they spontaneously combust, rather than igniting them with a spark plug. But because an HCCI burns gasoline, it won't belch the soot and noxious gases that hold diesel engines back in America. (Several states, including New York and California, ban today's diesel cars.)
So indirectly you cannot even tell. The only mention of hybrids was that they export the Prius from Japan. I think we knew that. No mention of catching up with demand for the Prius, or expanding the Prius output. Does the possibility exist that they are not making money on the Prius and it takes away from money making facilities? Notice they are priming the stock holders for a lower profit year.
quote gagrice-" Does the possibility exist that they are not making money on the Prius and it takes away from money making facilities?"-end quote
Only if they are lying to the world, and lying to their stockholders.
And unless "expanding capacity" means something different than "expanding capacity," then that means they are increasing their ability to make more cars, i.e. more Camrys and Corollas and Matrixes and, by default, more Priuses.
I know because I posted an article a few months ago that they are expanding or building a new Tokyo City plant for Priuses which will produce 1 Prius PER MINUTE. Search Edmunds hard enough and you can find the old reference.
Anyone concerned about Prius shortages, dont be. The new Toyota plant in Tokyo City can produce one Prius per minute, 1440 a day, 10,080 a week, 40,320 a month. I think the supply is solid....
"TOKYO, Sept. 5 - With Hurricane Katrina pushing American gas prices above $3 a gallon at the pump, Toyota Motor may find itself in the right place at the right time, with a new, half-mile assembly line capable of producing gasoline-electric hybrid Prius cars at the rate of one a minute.
The line, in a factory in Toyota City, is part of a strategy by Japan's largest company to expand hybrids from a niche in the marketplace (just 5 percent of its American sales now) to mainstream (25 percent of its sales by 2010)."
But the gamble by Toyota, the pioneer in producing hybrids, still faces a variety of major challenges, among them increased competition, new tax rules that favor its American competitors and a spreading realization among car buyers that not all hybrids offer big savings on gas.
I would bet they can convert any new plant they build to any vehicle they manufacture. That is the smart thing to do. Especially dealing with a fickled US market place. People that go out and buy a high mileage car just because the price of gas is high that month are not playing with a full deck. When gas goes under $1.75 those same people will buy an SUV.
Comments
That's what I don't like about Toyota. They try to look green while pushing gross polluters like the Land Cruiser that are every bit as bad as a Hummer2. They are praised by many for their $11 billion dollar net profit. Some of the same people lambast Exxon for making far less return on investment than Toyota.
Toyota a wolf in sheep's costume
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/oct2005/id20051027_151002.htm
Multiple choice questions:
Toyota is in business to
a) sell the most cars as possible
b) please the shareholders
c) make as much money as possible
d) none of the above
e) all of the above
Toyota has how many hybrid models in their corporate family?
a) 1
b) 3
c) 5
d) 7
Toyota is the only:
a) company to have sold 400,000+ hybrids worldwide
b) company to proclaim all their cars will have hybrid option
c) company to have made Hybrids feasible in the USA
d) company which has 40 billion dollars in the bank
e) all of the above
Toyota also:
a) sells trucks that BUYERS want
b) cannot help it if those trucks are inherently dirty
c) does more than any other company to promote green cars
d) spends more money on green campaigns
e) all of the above
Can you pass the test, Gary?
Toyota cannot help it if they, like GM and Ford, were caught up in the SUV/Pickup craze 1995-2005. They built the vehicles that people WANTED TO BUY.
But here's the difference in GM and Ford and Toyota:
While GM and Ford were BLINDED BY GREED and did everything they could to IGNORE the death of the SUV era and the birth of Hybrids, Toyota made a visionary and brilliant move toward hybrids. No one else has had their success. No one else has put as many green cars on the planet.
So they EARNED THEIR PASS !!! :mad:
http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=guestblogs&page=blogentry&authorid=12&blogid=92
"Mike Michels, Corporate Manager, External Communications for Toyota Sales, USA, was willing to go on the record. Mike, with whom I had the pleasure to cruising down the Carmel, California coastline a year ago as I test drove, the then still secret Highlander Hybrid, wrote me the following:
1) With today's hybrid and battery technology we believe that today's Toyota hybrid system offers the best balance of internal combustion to battery power sources, considering all factors of cost, weight, durability, emissions certification requirements, well-to-wheel energy chain efficiency, etc. And, of course, we don't recommend that customers or aftermarket companies modify their vehicles, for reasons of safety, reliability and customer satisfaction. Finally, of course, any modification to the hybrid system would violate the vehicles certification and compliance with applicable state emissions regulations.
2) That said however, Toyota believes that future advances in technology may, and I emphasize may, make a plug in hybrid feasible as a commercial product. However, this would take significant advances in battery technology and cost. And the overall environmental impact of the grid source of electrical power must also be considered. Finally, I would observe that this possibility and the obvious interest in it, are added evidence why hybrid technology is not a fad or hype, but rather a valuable energy management system that has long-term potential and can maximize what ever power source (gasoline, diesel, CNG, hydrogen, grid, etc. etc.) that it might be connected to.
Overall, no change in our stance, no dramatic reversal of message and no imminent plug in hybrid announcement. "
Also advertising is paid for by the company it's promoting so its intent is to show that company in a favorable light ( BP ads ). They are not Michael Moore directed public service announcements. They highlight something that the company wants to promote to an identified market segment. All ads appeal to some and turn off others. If they get the intended segment to identify with the idea and then react - by coming into the showroom - then it has achieved its purpose.
Everyone is still amazed at how the Prius has tapped into an heretofore unidentified vein of upscale, enviromentally conscious buyers. With the HSD Camry coming up shortly Toyota seems to be 'mining' if you will this vein. It is not intended for certain buyers and it will probably turn them off. It may however reach deeper into the midsized buyer market which is all it's intended to do.
But in 18 mos when the FTX comes out... the ads will be different.. see the Tacoma ones now.
I think if you check the fleet overall averages, both Honda & GM beat Toyota. Does Toyota offer any vehicles with CNG or E85 capability? My understanding is the big plus with hybrids was the ability to shut down the engine when not moving. GM has a truck that does that very well. Years back when the Big 3 tried to build econoboxes (corvair, pinto, vega) to save on gas, they were castigated by the media. Those companies built what the American public wanted SUVs & PU trucks. The American public still want them. That is why Toyota is doubling the capacity for the Tundra PU. Do you think they will double the capacity for the Prius as quickly? We shall see just how green Toyota really is.
I think Toyota is wisely dragging their feet on Prius production. If they become easy to get buyers will start comparing price to value, the glitter will fade and the fad will be OVER.
I think that is a good analogy. BP actually had more sales last year than Exxon yet they are not the one picked out as the whipping boy for windfall profits.
The question is are the ads misleading the consumer. If you buy a Toyota will the air magically be cleaner? I have only seen part of the toyota ad. I thought they were selling some kind of feminine hygiene product.
Come talk to me again about this when GM or Ford reaches 400,000 hybrids sold worldwide, then you might have a valid dispute for the above statement.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/GK10Dh01.html
GOTTA LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
As in ALL advertising you can determine what is the targetted market seqment by the tone and style. Do you think that that the 'Milwaukee's Best' beer ad on the WSOP broadcasts on ESPN would play well on Lifetime?
Statistic: Toyota has determined that 75+% of the buying decisions on a Toyota are made by women alone or as the final decision makers. ( I can't quote the source because I dont have it anymore. It was in an internal background document about buying habits ).
For reference:
Press Box on the bottom of page one of Edmunds site.
Your perception is dead on Gary. For the next step it seems if Toyota is going to the heart of the decision making in a family. The Wife/Mother/Partner.
How Far Would You Go for the Planet?
I think if you go to the EPA website, Toyota does NOT have as good Mileage as the competition from GM. Camry V6 24 MPG, Malibu V6 26 MPG. Tundra V8 17 MPG, Chevy 1500 V8 18 MPG. The Corolla and Prius are good. Not sure the other matchups. I know the big Suburban from GM is bigger and uses less fuel than the Land Cruiser. Even the large size Impala gets better mileage than the Camry.
The point is Toyota is trying to look green with a limited production vehicle the Prius.
I am not trying to defend GM just keep the record straight. If there is a car company that can be held up as having overall high mileage vehicles it is Honda. Though their little V6 PU is a disappointment with only 18 MPG. I wanted to like it.
I was looking for a fully equipped rice bucket at a comparable price. With the impending fuel crisis MPG was among the top concerns. (Gas was $1.25/g then) Coming from a 100% Dodge family I made the leap over to Honda, because Dodge only had the (not nearly as nice) Neon with inferior MPG so Dodge lost out in our family.
I don't think the average typical buyer avoids or are attracted to a car MFG because it produces inefficient cars which are completely out of the market one is shopping in.
I don't think any significant number of people are concerned which company "Looks the greenest" when it comes to plopping hard earned money down on for a good deal.
There is no doubt that the average Toyota sold in the US is far more fuel efficient than the average GM vehicle. I do wonder what the breakout would be, though, if we only compared classes of vehicles.
That I will agree with. GM sells way more PU trucks and SUVs than Toyota sells cars. That is what people want. No one buys a truck that wants a sedan. When you match car for car Toyota does not fare that well. The fuss being made by environmental groups is over Toyota acting green while expanding their truck & SUV capacity faster than the car that has given them the fake green image.
Diesel engines fueled by nature! Biodiesel the fuel for the future.
I exceed it. 12.06% (236)
I am pretty close. 22.48% (440)
I could be closer if I drove differently 9.86% (193)
I am not very close but dont expect to be 8.89% (174)
I am not very close and am surprised. 6.44% (126)
The numbers are about as realistic as Tinkerbell. 40.27% (788)
Total Votes: 1957
From another hybrid website
Cabbie Gennadiy Abramov, who was on hand for Thursday's rollout, said he has saved an average of $20 per shift since he started driving a hybrid.
Abramov said he hasn't heard any complaints about the smaller space.
"The customers want all taxis to be hybrids," he said.
Singleton's Ford Escort was the first hybrid electric car to race at the Bonneville Salt Flats and at Rocky Mountain Raceway. He challenges any junior dragsters, hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles of any size and shape.
Singleton has added solar panels and wind generators to his Ford Escort. He drives the car to school every day _ although right now the vehicle is in the shop for a bit of tweaking.
On a regular school day, Singleton's car sits in the parking lot and charges itself.
``While I'm in class, the wind generators and solar panels charge my batteries, and I drive home on electricity,'' he said, adding if there is no sun and no wind, he can plug the car in to a regular electrical outlet to charge it.
Regarding the taxis, majority of taxis are purchased used so this article seems to be just more of Fords hybrid hype.
On the other hand, use of a hybrid as a taxi would likely be cost effective due to the very high miles of taxi use and the city driving is also ideal environment for a hybrid. Also, major cities are high in automobile pollution which would be reduced by use of hybrids.
OK, taxi service is good use of a hybrid.
Here's a post about it.
http://www.nihoncar.com/en/news-147-Daihatsu+HVS+at+the+Tokyo+Motor+Show+2005.html
We'll see how the Chinese like the Prius now.....Maybe THAT potential demand is why Toyota cut US Fleet orders.....:D
"IPU: The brains of Honda's IMA (integrated motor assist) system controlling all this is the intelligent power unit (IPU). The new version is 13 per cent smaller and weighs less than before because some parts have been modified and others combined.
Like all gas-electric hybrids, the gas engine is the primary source of motivation. An electric motor is used for additional power and electricity regeneration.
The 2006 Civic Hybrid operates in gas and electric mode when getting under way from rest. During gentle acceleration, the gas engine provides power. At low cruising speeds, the electric motor operates alone -- a new capability for the Civic Hybrid.
If more power is required, the gas engine kicks in and, under full throttle conditions, the gas engine switches to a different camshaft profile for more power."
That seems like a high % to me. Are there any women on these forums? I think Toyota may not be recognizing that many of these buyers are not women at all ...
Eg yesterday I passed a Prius and the driver was a handsome fellow whose hair was pulled straight back and fishnetted in a cute little bun on the back of his head. A large % of Prius drivers I see have ponytails. And they're not women either. So perhaps Toyota's researchers are unfamiliar with these types of 'crossovers'.
HeeHee.
So, you are saying smart, stylish young men like Priuses?
'This is nice'
'Good, let's go inside and wrap up the paperwork'
'Welllll.. I do have to discuss it (at home)..(with the boss).. ( to see if it fit's in our budget ).
'Take it home to show your wife.'
"And the mother of all hybrid perks will soon be unveiled: Beginning in January, the federal government will offer a tax credit of as much as $3,150 per car, based on its emissions profile.
"The federal incentives, higher gas prices, and all these other small but attractive perks are tipping the balance," says Bradley Berman, editor and owner of hybridcars.com. "Hybrid culture is definitely shifting into the mainstream. It's moved from environmentalists and early adopters to energy security and people that just want to save on gas."
Someone on this board says Toyota is "manufacturing Prius shortages" because they dont want to sell them....This article disputes that indirectly.
"Toyota is adding production capacity relentlessly.
The company's philosophy is to build vehicles in regions where demand exists. So the company plans to double annual vehicle production outside Japan to 5 million units, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe wrote in the company's latest annual report.
Production in Japan, he wrote, "will support overseas manufacturing by absorbing fluctuations in global demand."
He added: "In our view, stagnation is synonymous with retreat; the outlook is bleak for any company that cannot sustain growth.
"Make no mistake, Toyota is bursting with energy and its appetite for growth is truly insatiable."
If there was NEVER A HYBRID SOLD AGAIN after today, this story is a great indication of how Hybrids being on the road in large numbers have challenged car company engineers and made them spend extra brain power on increasing MPG gains in new and future car designs.
"These days, though, mileage misers like Koester are gaining traction in Motown. After two decades of high-octane growth in horsepower and heft, Detroit is painfully rediscovering the eat-your-peas merits of fuel economy. General Motors and Ford combined to lose $5 billion in their auto operations in the third quarter as pain at the pump sent SUV sales into the ditch. Detroit used to say that fuel economy was the last thing buyers asked for and the first thing they complained about. But lately concern about gas mileage has jumped into the top five reasons shoppers reject a car, according to new research from J.D. Power.
Now that mileage matters, the race is on to reverse a 20-year slide in fuel economy in America."
Bravo Toyota/Honda - see what you have done !! KUDOS and Thank You !!!
An HCCI operates like a diesel engine, which compresses air and gasoline in the cylinders until they spontaneously combust, rather than igniting them with a spark plug. But because an HCCI burns gasoline, it won't belch the soot and noxious gases that hold diesel engines back in America. (Several states, including New York and California, ban today's diesel cars.)
So indirectly you cannot even tell. The only mention of hybrids was that they export the Prius from Japan. I think we knew that. No mention of catching up with demand for the Prius, or expanding the Prius output. Does the possibility exist that they are not making money on the Prius and it takes away from money making facilities? Notice they are priming the stock holders for a lower profit year.
Only if they are lying to the world, and lying to their stockholders.
And unless "expanding capacity" means something different than "expanding capacity," then that means they are increasing their ability to make more cars, i.e. more Camrys and Corollas and Matrixes and, by default, more Priuses.
I know because I posted an article a few months ago that they are expanding or building a new Tokyo City plant for Priuses which will produce 1 Prius PER MINUTE. Search Edmunds hard enough and you can find the old reference.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050907/ZNYT01/509070375/1004/LO- - CAL
"TOKYO, Sept. 5 - With Hurricane Katrina pushing American gas prices above $3 a gallon at the pump, Toyota Motor may find itself in the right place at the right time, with a new, half-mile assembly line capable of producing gasoline-electric hybrid Prius cars at the rate of one a minute.
The line, in a factory in Toyota City, is part of a strategy by Japan's largest company to expand hybrids from a niche in the marketplace (just 5 percent of its American sales now) to mainstream (25 percent of its sales by 2010)."
I would bet they can convert any new plant they build to any vehicle they manufacture. That is the smart thing to do. Especially dealing with a fickled US market place. People that go out and buy a high mileage car just because the price of gas is high that month are not playing with a full deck. When gas goes under $1.75 those same people will buy an SUV.