Toyota Prius

,

Toyota, Lexus sales slump in 2011 as Japan disaster recovery lingers

Toyota Motor Sales, which included Toyota, Lexus and Scion, reported annual sales of 1,644,661 vehicles in the United States in 2011, down 7.0 percent from t2010 as inventory continued to recover from shortages due to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota Division recorded year-end sales of 1,446,109 vehicles, a decrease of 6.1 percent from 2010. Lexus reported sales of 198,552 units in 2011, down 13.7 percent from the previous 2010. Scion was the surprising segment. reported sales of 49,271 units for the year, up 7.5 percent over 2010. "We are encouraged by the strong close of 2011 as December was our best volume month of the year. We successfully launched several new vehicles, including the all-new Camry, which retained

Read more
, ,

What's in a name? Toyota Aqua (Prius C in the U.S.) already a sales hit

The Toyota Prius C, which debuted Dec. 26 in Japan as the Aqua, is already creating a lot of automotive industry interest. And not only is the interest in Toyota's small hybrid expanding, it's about five times greater than what the Japanese automaker expected. While the debut of the car in the United States is several months away, about 60,000 reservations have been placed for the vehicle in Japan. According to a report in the New York Times, the orders for the Aqua were received before the vehicle became available. Toyota had predicted monthly totals of 12,000. More details of the Toyota Prius C (Aqua) have also surfaced: * The EPA has not yet released gas-mileage ratings, but on the

Read more
,

Toyota Aqua debuts in Japan with unknown: Can new tiny hybrid sell well?

Toyota's smallest hybrid car, named the Aqua in Japan and the Prius C in the United States, went on sale December 26 in Japan with its native country's manufacturer hoping to attract young buyers to the entry level, fuel efficient market. Priced with a U.S. dollar-converted $21,770, Toyota hopes to sell 12,000 Aquas per month in Japan as part of its global goal of selling 20 percent more hybrid vehicles in 2012 than it's expected to sell in final 2011 totals. "The Aqua shows Toyota is increasing efforts to boost sales in the domestic market," said Mamoru Kato, an auto analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Center in Nagoya, Japan. "Toyota raised the price of the Prius to a more profitable

Read more
,

Ford, Honda steadily advancing in green car market

Ferrari and Rolls Royce are even entering the alternative fuel vehicle segment. But green cars still represent a small, controversial and slow-growing percentage of country's yearly auto sales. The Toyota Prius hybrid earlier this year surpassed one million sales in the United States since its debut in 2001. But in 2011, through sales ending in October, the Prius was only the 12th best-selling car in the United States with about 120,000 units purchased. Regardless of the slow adoption rate, industry enthusiasm remains. In mid-December, Exxon Mobile, in its annual energy outlook prognosis, predicted half of new cars by 2040 would come equipped with some form of alternative propulsion system — hybrid to electric, fuel cell to natural gas. The energy

Read more
,

Toyota Prius C, 2012: New city car could get 60 mpg

As the smallest, least expensive and most fuel efficient hybrid in the expanding Toyota fleet, the Prius c will make its North American debut January 10 at 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Oringinally unveiled in January as the Aqua at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota said the Prius C will get more than 50 mpg in the city, the highest city mpg of any non-plug-in vehicle. Some reviewers believe the vehicle will average more than 60 mpg. The Prius C will be equipped with a 1.5-liter, four-cylinder Hybrid Synergy Drive engine. Toyota hasn't announce the price of its small hybrid. But it's expected the Prius c will be significantly less than any current Prius and may be

Read more
,

Toyota Prius 2012: Prices announced for five models

The Toyota Prius has increasing competition in the hybrid car segment. But as the most successful green car in history, Toyota has now announced pricing for the 2012 Prius liftback while the MSRP for three new Prius family members, the Prius v, Prius Plug-in Hybrid and Prius c, are still pending. The Prius Liftback will be priced from $24,000 (Prius Two) to $29,805 (Prius Five), reflecting a price increase ranging from 2.0 percent to 4.3 percent. The 2012 model year Prius receives a refreshed front fascia, revised tail lamps, newly styled 15-inch wheel covers and LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) with on/off feature. The 2012 Prius interior is updated to include a standard 6.1-inch Display Audio system with USB for

Read more

Chevy Volt, Honda Insight top best gas mileage cars in past quarter century

With gas, hybrid, electric and now natural gas vehicles now all vying for better gas mileages averages and the marketing fuel efficiency among manufacturers at its peak, it’s hard to keep track of what carmakers top the list. What might come as a surprise, it’s not all current models make the all-time list of best gas mileage average — at least dating to 1986 — or the last quarter century. Here are the top-10 gas mileage average (internal combustion engines) dating to 1986: 1. Chevrolet Volt (2011–12), Plug-in hybrid, 4 cyl, 1.4 L, auto (variable gear ratios), premium gasoline, 60, city; 58 highway, combined, 62.2. Honda Insight (2000), 3 cyl, 1.0L, manual 5-speed, regular gasoline, 53/49/61.3. Toyota Prius (2010–12), 4

Read more

Mitsubishi i-MiEV top mpg on EPA 2012 list, Nissan Leaf 2nd

As expected, the much-touted 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV has the highest gas mileage of any vehicle available in the United States, according the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The new Mitsubishi gets a combined 112 mpg, with the combined mileage weighted via 55 percent city and 45 percent highway mileage calculation. The Mitsubishi attained a 126 mpg average in city driving and 99 mpg on the highway.

Read more

World debuts for Mazda, Ford, Honda at LA Auto Show

World debuts of 20 cars from Chevrolet to Honda and more than 30 North American auto unveilings will comprise a chunky dose of the anticipated start November 16 of the Los Angeles Auto Show. In addition to the 1,000 new vehicles on display at the Los Angeles Convention Center, several manufacturers have upgraded exhibit spaces and added enhanced features with more interactive content and experiences. There will also be more than a half-dozen test drives that put consumers in the seats and on the streets in some new vehicles on select days. Notable this year will be a significant increase in fuel efficiency across the board in all categories. Nearly 20 highly-efficient, 40-mpg-plus vehicles, using internal combustion engines-such as the

Read more

Hybrid market expands in 2012, Toyota Prius v to BMW

Citing impressive statistics, the Auto Channel on MSN.com has a comprehensive listing of 2012 hybrids, from the industry standard Toyota Prius to its new sibling, the Prius v, as well as debuting high-end offerings from Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. MSN.com states as many as 50 hybrids could be on the market by 2015 and that ghe overall hybrid market share has nearly doubled in 2011 to about two percent. Here, for example. is what MSN.com said about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Toyota Prius v: Hyundai Sonata: "This impressive hybrid entry is fast gaining converts, and it's not hard to see why: The Sonata is a fully equipped, smartly designed midsized fuel sipper, comparable to but cheaper than hybrid versions

Read more
,

Toyota Prius v, Mitsubishi i among five best 2012 'green' cars

The 2012 Ford Focus Electric, 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas, 2012 Mitsubishi i, 2012 Toyota Prius v and 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI are the finalists for The Green Car of the Year award presented by the Green Car Journal yearly at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For the seventh consecutive year, the Green Car of the Year will honor environmental leadership in the automotive field, with the winner being announced during a press conference Nov. 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. These five finalists are also honored as Green Car Journal’s Top 5 Green Cars for 2012 for rising to the top of a field replete with increasingly more environmentally conscious and exciting models. What is notable about this

Read more

Mitsubishi pummels Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius, gets 126 mpge

Amid all the promotion and hype of the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and other mass-marketed hybrid and/or electric vehichles, the car with the best gas mileage in the United States is the unheralded Mitsubishi i. A comprehensive review of the Mitsubishi i, with debuted in Japan as the i-MiEV, is posted on the online edition of Motortrend. The i-MiEV was initiated in Europe in 2010 and now it's available in the United States. Yet, despite its lofty mileage status, the Mitsubishi i has yet to built a substantial buying appeal. One reason, accpording to the Motortrend site, is the question of whether or not "United States' consumers are ready for "a small, underpowered and range-limited EV?" But for pure economic

Read more

Toyota, Honda pace top-10 best gas mileage car list

The 2012 Mitsubishi i, sometimes described as a jellybean, tops the list of the 10 cars with the best gas mileage currently available in the United States. Honda and Toyota each have two cars on the list. The website www.greencarreports compiled the list, which features 2012 and 2011 models and cars rated by MPG (miles per gallon) and MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). The website describes the leader of the list as "Mitsubishi's powered jellybean, the 'i' electric car. The looks might not be to all tastes but with an average of 112 MPGe, it currently ranks top on the EPA's leaderboard of fuel efficiency." Here's the list: 2012 Mitsubishi i, 112 MPGe 2011 Nissan Leaf, 99 MPG 2012 Chevrolet

Read more

LA Auto Show, 2011: BMW i8 Concept to Toyota Prius Plug-in

Fuel Efficiency and Green will be among automakers' key topics at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show — from entry level brands to high performance machines. As the first major North American auto show of the season, the 2011 L.A. Auto Show is scheduled Nov. 18-27 and will host some of the industry's most important new vehicle debuts. New entries into this fuel-efficient category include the Hyundai Veloster, the 2012 Kia Rio and the 2012 Mazda3 with SKYACTIV technology. Mazda's new SKYACTIV powertrain and chassis technologies will also be featured in the North American Debut of its all-new CX-5 crossover. BMW will introduce new, more-powerful, four-cylinder engine technology, but placed in popular performance cars-the Z4 and 528. Both boast improved

Read more

Toyota Camry Hybrid, 2012: More car, less money

The 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid will feature a slightly larger engine and, depending on the model, will be priced $800-$1,000 cheaper than the 2011 versions. The base model 2012 Camry Hybrid will be priced $25,900, approximately $1,000 less than the 2011 model. The premium will be priced at $27,400, a decrease of $800 from last year’s model. Equipped with the company’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, the new Camry features a four-cylinder, 2.5 liter engine that can produce 200 horsepower. It has a combined fuel economy of 41 mpg. During the Green Drive Expo, a recent media brand launch in Richmond, Calif., the Toyota Camry hybrid presented itself well. It's handsomely designed with a spacious cabin, upgraded trim and, most importantly,

Read more

Toyota Prius, 2012: Some old, some new for hybrid leader

The 2012 Toyota Prius will retain many of the same features offered in the hybrid's third generation that debuted in 2010. But new year models of the United States' best-selling hybrid will also offer exterior and interior upgrades. In other words, Toyota knows it has a good thing, but it's tweaking its existing offering while other manufacturers continue their quest to gain increased shares of the still-small hybrid market. For 2012: The Prius will feature updated headlamps and tail lamps, plus a new front fascia and bumper; The Prius Two will feature 15-inch wheel covers for 2012 and standard LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL); The Prius Three will feature a standard three-door Smart Key entry system; The Prius Four will

Read more
Previous Next