Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Coming soon: Very cheap hybrids

Does Toyota have a Prius-killer?Will cheap, small compact hybrids be a hit?

Rumors coming out of Japan indicate that Toyota could roll out a new $15,650 hybrid that achieves 94 mpg.

Finish: Coming soon: Very cheap hybrids

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Another step towards the Yaris hybrid

Toyota Yaris hybrid takes another step towards reality.Easily Toyota's smallest hybrid

Talk of a new Yaris-based Toyota hybrid continues to spill out of Toyota.

According to the latest reports, Toyota plans to begin selling a Yaris-based hybrid by 2011 to compete with the Honda Fit hybrid.

Can't wait for a healthy sub-$20,000 hybrid market.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Would a hybrid Scion sell?

How about some hybrid models for Scion?A highly customizable city hybrid?

Toyota is seeking to spice up its Scion brand. So, how about some hybrid Scions? Could adding a few hybrid cars to the Scion brand help Toyota increase Scion sales?

Finish: Would a hybrid Scion sell?

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Next for Toyota's plug-in hybrids

Toyota still cautious on lithium and plug-in hybrids.Next step for plug-ins unclear

Toyota is still on track to release a pilot fleet of 500 plug-in Prius hybrids this year, but the automaker is not yet certain what the next step will be for lithium-powered plug-in hybrids.

Finish: Next for Toyota's plug-in hybrids

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Friday, July 17, 2009

Mazda switches to Toyota hybrid technology

Mazda to use technology from Toyota for its future hybrid vehicles.The Ford inspired Tribute hybrid

By 2013 or so, Mazda will seek to sell about 100,000 hybrid vehicles per year using a hybrid system provided by Toyota that will include batteries, motors, control units, etc according to GreenCarCongress.

Finish: Mazda switches to Toyota hybrid technology

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Wednesday, October 22, 2008

1,000,000 Toyota hybrid vehicles per year - When?

Is the third generation Prius enough?

Several years ago, Toyota told the world that it planned to sell 1,000,000 hybrid vehicles per year early in the next decade. Many auto analysts and auto execs on this side of the Pacific thought they'd never sell a million hybrids combined, ever.

Today, those critics have egg on their face. Finish: 1,000,000 hybrid vehicles per year - Can Toyota do it next decade?

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Thursday, October 09, 2008

Toyota Prius battery costs

Still leaving all others in the dust

There are now hundreds of thousands of Toyota Prius hybrids on the roads of America, and a number of them have had their battery warranties expire, particularly first generation Prii. So, if the battery goes out, how much will it cost to replace? $2,299 according to AutoWeek, a reduction of almost $700 compared to the costs of such batteries just a couple of months ago.

Second generation Prius hybrids should still be under warranty, but if the battery does need to be replaced, it would cost $2,588.

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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

No diesel hybrids from Toyota

Not unless diesel fuel costs go down

Toyota is not interested in developing diesel hybrid vehicles due to the high cost of diesel fuel according to Green Car Congress. Even though diesel is the dominate fuel in Europe and many competitors are preparing diesel hybrids for the European market, Toyota believes gasoline hybrids still are more cost effective.

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