Toyota Answers Call For Better Mileage With A 94 MPG Hybrid In Due In 2011

Really trying to strech out that Nickel Hydride contract aren't you Toyota.

— Spectator (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 2:48:46 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

The Yaris gets 47 mpg?What happens to the Prius? Maybe this newspaper is BS.

— rxh8me9000 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 3:10:54 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

EPA or european cycle? Local Toyota dealerships where I live exploit this difference obscenely by claiming the prius gets 100mpg.

— Joe_Limon (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 3:14:51 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

looks like a little deathtrap. and why only 94MPG if big, slow GM can get 200MPG+ out of a bigger, better looking car?

— enthusiastx11 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 3:44:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -8   

The city rating on the Volt is dubious and there is a huge argument against this rating even among pro-environment types such as myself. FWIW, I think the "fuel economy" of an EV or EREV should be measured in w/h per mile.

94mpg is possible from prius type drivetrain. Smaller engine, bigger elctric motor, more dense battery pack, lighter chasis, better aerodynamics.

— GreenPlease (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 4:10:26 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

How much will be the added cost on your electric bill from charging a plug in Volt anyways? At least from this type of hybrid you know what you are actually paying to operate it, instead of deferring the money to the power bill, and making no mention of it when selling and marketing the car. GM thinks American consumers are idiots.

— kornholio (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 4:23:43 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Toyota is going on the defensive extremely early. Not only the Volt, but every EV priced close to economical will be a threat to the Toyota product line. The Prius is a cash cow. Anything that promise equal or better fuel mileage will erode its market share. To place focus back on itself, notice in the near future the closer the Volt gets to being released, Toyota will increase product role outs and information. Toyota has missed the boat on EV development this time around and they realize it. Not too long ago, they stated that there was on interest on their part to develop EV's. They stated that the Volt was pointless. Then next they stated a plug-in some time next year off the Prius and now other models are on the way through Toyota to get better than Prius mileage. The Volt is the vehicle from the point when its released forward will be the de-facto vehicle to compare efficiency to.

— inspirion7 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 5:09:56 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

For everyone that's confused, the Japanese cycle is entirely different from the U.S. and European cycle(albeit it's closer to the European). It has a completely different set of weights and measurements.

— Bmw8ter (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 11:03:50 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3   

Joe_limon,
You're Canadian aren't you? What parts are you around (i.e. province) because I've only ever seen the Prius advertised in L/100km. By the Canadian gov'ts criteria, the Prius supposedly gets 60mpg which most people ignore anyway.

As for this car. If they can get a Yaris to match the Prius (if this article has any substance, they'd easily be able to get around 65mpg) and sell it at $16,000, the war is over, hybrids win. Even Europe wouldn't be able to ignore the advantages hybrids have over their outdated cash cow diesels.

Will have to wait though but Toyota said the Prius3 would be lower priced, bigger, more powerful and more fuel efficient and they delivered. Yaris should be able to accomplish the same.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 11:21:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

Joe theres only a 3-5 MPG gap between the Euro and US Mileage Cycles for most cars.

Hyundai/KIA needs to annouce those Accent abd Rio Hyrbids they've been hiding their secret laboratory.

If the MPG is double on a Hybrid Yaris Platform, that will give the car 72 MPG as the standard Yaris gets 36 MPG. An MPG war is good. You guys may think its lame, but the Oil Companies and day Traders have been living off your desire for speed for years in a PRICE WAR which is bad for all people including most of the general populace that follows your desire for Penis Coupes, cars the size of a shoe with AWD and V8s, American slush cars that give the allure of power but are held back by their whale bodies, wasteful luxury sedans that get the MPG of trucks that have more: power, space, and utility, and cheaper (EVEN WITH LEATHER, NAVIGATION, XM RADIO, ETC...).

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 11:51:06 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2   

Your Traditional Luxury car is a Waste Mobile that turns the green buyer off. Hyundai is trying to capitalize on that fatal flaw these dinosaurs have. Its a shame that Lexus or Acura wont join us in this pledge.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/13/2009 11:54:28 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3   

imho, this yaris-based Hybrid is a toyota functional re-do of the original honda insight, which was then a maximum mileage hybrid.

there's been nearly 10 years' development in hybrids since that original Insight. enuff so they don't have to limit themselves to a 2-passenger vehicle to get maximum efficiency.

there is no automotive rivalry as INTENSE as that between honda and toyota. honda undercut toyota with the "least expensive" hybrid. this $16k, 94 mpg model is toyota's response.

can't wait to see what honda comes up with in reply.

— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 8/14/2009 2:39:04 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5   

Nice, perhaps you can replace your big wheel with one.

— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 8/14/2009 9:05:04 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Touche.

— inspirion7 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/14/2009 10:32:08 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Nothing wrong, just funny.

Everyone is moving to lithium (even toyota) yet that contract they have looks to be sandbagging the company from moving forward. Might as well make as many different types of cars off the current Prius architecture just so you can use up that nickel mine you bought.

However Toyota might find themselves in the position of being behind Nissan and GM in hybrid development pretty quickly (though as long as they keep prices in the 20's they should be ok).

— Spectator (View Profile)

Posted on 8/14/2009 11:15:46 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

crappy govt computer...double posted in the wrong spot.

— Spectator (View Profile)

Posted on 8/14/2009 11:16:59 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Spectator,
Toyota may have a contract for NickCad batteries but it doesn't mean they can't put Li-Ion ones in the Lexus cars. Past articles said they can't get what they want from Lithium yet so they aren't going to rush it.
Look at the MB S400 which uses Lithium batteries, worse mileage than the LS600hL and it has a smaller displacement diesel engine.

Nickel batteries have proven themselves to be reliable so its not a huge risk to stay with them for another 2 or 3 years.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/15/2009 1:13:18 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

The problem with this car is it is too small, My 2007 civic is a pain in the neck because it is too small for the family, although I am getting by, its just not fun, and as far as this mielage, It's still behind the new hummer H-3 Hybrid with 100mpg,

— truckman (View Profile)

Posted on 8/15/2009 12:51:36 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Agreed, this class of vehicle is too small for my liking. However, for those who aren't bothered by it, affordability plus astounding mileage and reliability is a winning formula. The key here is if Toyota can keep a hybrid priced nearly the same as a regular model, it'll increase sales by atleast 33% simply by stealing sales from the Civic/Insight/Fit and Polo/Jetta. Those wanting to stay with a larger vehicle have a hard time not wanting a Prius (unless they're more concerned about the gov't rebate than anything else).

Europeans don't have a problem driving around in sardine cans but then they don't have real vehicles driving beside them.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/15/2009 2:47:44 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Yeah and most of those real vehicles, will be forced by the government to be obsolete soon enough.

1. I think this recession is going to be a UU shaped recession. Not a V shaped, not a U shaped, nor a W shaped reccession.

2. The fundamentals in terms of Commodities, and our Credit Structured economy are super weak. Once people get jobs and go back to work gas will shoot up from $4.00, to $5.00, to even $6.00. Gas is in the mid $2 range already, and the Economy is still garbage

3. Therefore, I can see Cash for Clunkers 2 coming out in 3-4 years, but this time with $50-$100 Billion being allocated for it. The next time they are going to be a lot stricter and anything that is larger than a Sonata or Tucson thats 10 years old or older will be eligible as well.

They will also place the additional caveat that all cars getting less than 20-25 MPG city will be eligible as well.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/15/2009 6:40:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Also higher than $4.00 gas prices will just cause another recession, as businesses will be forced to charge people higher prices they cant afford, causing people not to shop again. People not shopping again in our consumer retail based economy=massive job cuts to bring down bottomlines.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/15/2009 6:43:58 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

Yeah, that's why Toyota's "more from less" philosophy will free N.America from oil dependence eventhough everybody wants to do the "oh so European" thing and use diesels which actually requires more oil to be imported.

Example of why hybrid technology is the answer:
2009 V6 Highlander hybrid = 26mpg combined, 13.2 barrels of oil, 7.1 tons of CO2
2009 I4 Tucson = 21mpg, 16.3 barrels of oil, 8.7 tons CO2
2009 I4 Accent = 29mpg, 11.8 barrels of oil, 6.3 tons CO2
2010 Jetta TDI = 34mpg, 11.6 barrels of oil, 6.2 tons CO2
2009 BMW 335d = 27mpg, 14.6 barrels of oil, 7.8 tons CO2
2010 Prius = 50mpg, 6.9 barrels of oil, 3.7 tons of CO2
How is it the largest vehicle with the largest displacement engine is equal in oil consumed and CO2 footprint of cars much smaller and lighter and gets relatively comparable mileage?
As a bonus, hybrid technology transfers to hydrogen fuel cells which helps to offset the cost of parts and development.

As for the economy, thanks to no change in America's trade policies, there aren't much in the way of jobs left other than McJobs. Everybody wants the lowest price available without thinking that their job might disappear because of it.

Spare me the economics lecture, its clear you're just regurgitating what you've overheard. The recession is going to be a looooong backslash becuase Obama doesn't instill confidence, just hope. Once people have jobs and IF we used less oil, prices would still go up because the oil companies and countries would drop production levels inorder to maintain profit levels.
People will always buy, they just won't go crazy thanks to the credit spending endorsed by Greenspan and Clinton (Americans are actually saving money now). Retail will be just fine, it'll just take a few extra months to kick in because people will only spend money they have (which requires time to save up).

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 1:21:51 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

huu, Americans only spend credit they dont have man, not money they do have. Why you think the economy got like this dawg?

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 2:57:08 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

That statement should be, "Americans spend credit they do have, and dont have any money to spend." Its been like this for years, and this country is fu-ked if we dont find an alternative to that system.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 2:59:15 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2   

I have prfessional colleagues who are educated highly that work at other firms making $23,000 a year becuase its a non-profit. The time to raise wages is now when prices are low.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 3:00:52 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1   

Hyundaismoke,
I assume you missed the latest statistics that show Americans are saving 5% of their income now (instead of having a -5% savings rate). They need to continue this even after the recession ends.

No, wages will fall for the majority of people because there are more workers than jobs. Sad reality of outsourcing everything to China and anywhere else that offers slave labour.

N.Americans have to learn that spending $5 on a can opener is better than buying 5 $1 can openers that will break and get tossed out. The more expensive one lasts forever (remember the old metal one piece ones?), requires fewer resources and employs domestically, but Walmart will make a larger % profit on the cheaper crap. America's problems basically can be attributed to Walmart and Clinton's easy ride where the credit problems started. The env't will thank us too if outsourcing to "no env'tal laws" countries, so will children who get poisoned by living 500m from lead smelting factories (i.e. China). Also, less diesel wasted on shipping everything twice (resources into China, manufactured crap out).

$23,000, that's almost minimum wage in Ontario.

— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 11:00:38 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0   

You got a point, of course they are going to lower wages huu. Dont blame walmart, thats the only place thats saving a lot of people's asses in these times in terms of being able to buy things. Every grocery chain here pays less than Walmrt believe it or not, yet they have higher prices. Much higher prices. Some of the other grocery stores pay so low they can only find immigrants to work there.

— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 8/16/2009 9:57:16 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2