Toyota plans all-hybrid line as fuel costs rise

[Arizona Slim]

Toyota plans all-hybrid line as fuel costs rise

September 14, 2005

BY ALAN KATZ and KAE INOUE
BLOOMBERG

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second-largest automaker, said all its vehicles will eventually be run by hybrid gasoline-electric motors, as record fuel prices curb demand for conventional automobiles.

"In the future, the cars you see from Toyota will be 100% hybrid," executive vice president Kazuo Okamoto told reporters in Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday, without giving a time frame.

Japan's biggest carmaker is aiming to make as many as 400,000 gasoline-electric vehicles in 2006, including Prius cars, Camry sedans, Highlander SUVs and Coaster buses, 60% more than 2005's target, president Katsuaki Watanabe said at an investor conference in New York on Monday.

Toyota has sold 425,000 gasoline-electric cars since 1997 and is trying to profit from its lead over General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. in the technology. Watanabe said he aims to cut production costs and halve the $5,000 price premium on such vehicles, without giving details.

"Toyota has been the leader of the pack in environmental technology, and they will probably continue to be," said Norihito Kanai, an analyst at Meiji Dresdner Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. "Many of its rivals were at first not so aggressive in hybrids, but now we see everyone joining."

A Prius hybrid has a base price of about $21,000. The cost of components makes hybrids $3,000 to $5,000 more expensive than gasoline-engine autos.

Continued... http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/...e_20050914.htm

[91z4me]

Notice they didn't give a date or issue a plan. They just wanted some free good press so they say we will do this.

[Arizona Slim]

Yeah, no way they do this at the current $5000 hybrid premium. And if they can't lower the cost, no one will ever remember this promise and they will just go about their business. The Toyota PR machine has no equal.

[Infiniti Z350]

Originally Posted by 91z4me

Notice they didn't give a date or issue a plan. They just wanted some free good press so they say we will do this.

They're in the process of making hybrids of each of their models right now. The Camry I think is going to be the next Toyota to have a hybrid.

[mbukukanyau]

How many of those hybrids is Honda selling vis a vis their normal model line? Not too high if you ask me...
No one will buy a honda just becouse its hybrid, they would have gone civic or accord anyways. In that sense Hybrid is just like AC or Navigation
In that sense Toyota is fooling itself.. Plus the other automakers, namely, Euros and NA’s are sharing development costs…GM/DC and BMW,
Ford and GM America are also sharing 6 speed gearbox costs, plus GM and DC have DOD, and pushrod engines.. with VVT….
We will see who will win this hybrid battle…
When you combine 6 speed, pushrod, VVT DOD and Hybrid..
6 speed DOHC’s cannot compete….with the economy of a pushrod
Plus a pushrod does it without high octane gas that imports crave for

[johnny smallblock]

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

A Prius hybrid has a base price of about $21,000. The cost of components makes hybrids $3,000 to $5,000 more expensive than gasoline-engine autos.

For some reason, they forgot to mention that most of the hybrid models Toyota produces do NOT improve fuel economy by more than 2 mpg or so. I mean, if they mentioned that, people might think twice before spending $3,000 to $5,000 for one.

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

Toyota's U.S. sales chief, Jim Press, said a shortage of batteries and other parts probably would contribute to the shortfall

Oh BS!!! The idea that "we'd be meeting our initial goal except no one else can keep up with our incredible demand" is just a friggin lie. And how dare any "journalist" let them get away with it. If it were true, shouldn't Toyota be criticized for not setting up a good supply chain to ensure their parts were there when they were needed? It seems to me that either Toyota can't meet their goal, or they did a piss-poor job in preproduction. Which one is it?

[DmitryKo]

In the UK, the Honda Civic Saloon is only available with IMA. Non-hybrid version is NOT AVAILABLE. Hatchback versions of economy cars are way more popular though...

[ibechip]

I think GM is missing the boat here.

[T-Type]

"In the future, the cars you see from Toyota will be 100% hybrid," executive vice president Kazuo Okamoto told reporters in Frankfurt, Germany, on Monday, without giving a time frame.

Would this be considered an example of 'engineering by press release'?

[Carver]

Well, the hybrid technology itself needs to improve before I would pay the price premium. Other than initial price you have to worry about replacement batteries and issues like rear seats which (on at least some hybrids) cannot be folded down. Further, the fuel economy gain simply needs to be improved - I don't think it warrants the price premium, not yet anyway. Hopefully we'll see some even better tech come out of GM. Till then, a pushrod Malibu that can get 35mpg on the highway is quite good. And with VVT 3500s and 3900s coming it should get even better.

[Arrowhead222]

You guys can badmouth Toyota all you want but the fact remains that they are leading the way in the automotive industry. Toyota engineers are running circles around GM engineers. I would think you'd be a little more familiar with "engineering by press release", T-Type, since that's what GM has been doing since the '80's. And the Toyota PR machine, Arizona Slim, is fully eclipsed by one that is far more sinister: That of the Bush administration. Instead of killing foreigners for their oil, Toyota is doing something to move us away from that. They may sell a zillion SUVs like everyone else but at least they're trying to offset that with their hybrid technology.

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by Arrowhead222

You guys can badmouth Toyota all you want but the fact remains that they are leading the way in the automotive industry. Toyota engineers are running circles around GM engineers. I would think you'd be a little more familiar with "engineering by press release", T-Type, since that's what GM has been doing since the '80's. And the Toyota PR machine, Arizona Slim, is fully eclipsed by one that is far more sinister: That of the Bush administration. Instead of killing foreigners for their oil, Toyota is doing something to move us away from that. They may sell a zillion SUVs like everyone else but at least they're trying to offset that with their hybrid technology.

Its always funny to me when people say something like "the fact remains" and then proceed to tell you their opinion.

[espo19047]

In the future cars will fly like the Jetzons.
Dont ask me how far into the future because I dont know.

[ibechip]

Originally Posted by Arrowhead222

You guys can badmouth Toyota all you want but the fact remains that they are leading the way in the automotive industry. Toyota engineers are running circles around GM engineers. I would think you'd be a little more familiar with "engineering by press release", T-Type, since that's what GM has been doing since the '80's. And the Toyota PR machine, Arizona Slim, is fully eclipsed by one that is far more sinister: That of the Bush administration. Instead of killing foreigners for their oil, Toyota is doing something to move us away from that. They may sell a zillion SUVs like everyone else but at least they're trying to offset that with their hybrid technology.

You come expecting here Toyota not to be badmouthed? Toyota is not trying to save the world. Either is GM, they're trying to sell cars and make a profit.

Also, Toyota engineers are not "running circles around GM engineers", their management has simply been running around GM's for years. GM is now getting their act together but I think they're going to be in a real bind if they don't get a hybrid program going NOW. Even if they don't offer a realistic saving on gas for the price premium, they still are going to sell when people overreact to gas prices.

[ibechip]

Originally Posted by espo19047

In the future cars will fly like the Jetzons.
Dont ask me how far into the future because I dont know.

HAHAHA! So true so true. Just another example of spin.