Official:Toyota to show 3rd-gen Prius,plug-in hybrid,Lexus version January in Detroit
#16
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Yep, that's the one...excellent photoshop design, I know I helped make part of it! ![Wink](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif)
Anyhow, that was supposed to be a 'Lexus Yaris' April Fool's idea.
The ACTUAL Lexus hybrid will probably be much different, four doors for starters.
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Anyhow, that was supposed to be a 'Lexus Yaris' April Fool's idea.
The ACTUAL Lexus hybrid will probably be much different, four doors for starters.
#19
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Toyota, rightly or wrongly, is widely considered the greenest automaker, and the company hopes to solidify its hold on the title and move beyond oil through a sweeping plan to produce cleaner, more efficient cars -- beginning with a plug-in hybrid it will produce by 2010.
It's no secret Toyota's been working on a plug-in hybrid to compete against the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, but Wednesday's announcement sets a firm deadline and makes it clear Toyota has no plans of ceding the green mantle to General Motors. It also underscores how quickly the race to build a viable mass-market electric car is heating up.
The company's ambitious "low-carbon" agenda includes cranking out 1 million hybrids a year and eventually offering hybrid versions of every model it sells. In the short-term, Toyota says it will produce more fuel efficient gasoline and diesel engines and push alternative fuels like cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. It's also pumping big money into lithium-ion batteries. With fuel prices going through the roof and auto sales going through the floor because of it, Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe says the auto industry has no choice but to move beyond petroleum.
"Without focusing on measures to address global warming and energy issues, there can be no future for our auto business," he told reporters in Tokyo, adding, "Our view is that oil production will peak in the near future. We need to develop power train(s) for alternative energy sources."
Watanabe's reference to peak oil echoes that of GM CEO Rick Wagoner, who in explaining the company's decision to shut down four truck factories said rising fuel prices and mounting demand for efficient cars are "structural, not cyclical." In other words, the two biggest automakers in the world realize petroleum's days are numbered.
That's not to say the wells will run dry anytime soon or the bulk of Toyota's cars won't rely upon internal combustion for many years to come. "People often ask us whether the vehicles of the future will be hybrid vehicles or clean diesel cars or electric vehicles," Watanabe said. "Our answer is that it will not be one technology because energy situations vary from one market to another."
Still, Toyota is betting heavily on batteries to increasingly augment gasoline. The world's leading producer of hybrids -- worldwide sales of the Prius recently topped 1 million, 10 years after its introduction -- wants to stay there by producing that many hybrids each year "as early in the 2010s as possible." Looking further into the future, Watanabe says Toyota will introduce hybrid versions of every car in its line-up sometime between 2020 and 2029.
Reaching those goals will require bringing down the cost of lithium-ion batteries, which currently cost $1,000 per kilowatt hour, according to Tom Turrentine of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC-Davis.
Toyota is joining longtime battery partner Matsu****a Electric Industrial Co. in launching a program to develop batteries it says will outperform lithium-ion batteries. It's assigning 50 engineers to the project, according to Reuters, and plans to begin producing batteries next year. Full production is slated for 2010, although Toyota isn't saying how many it might build. It also plans to continue building the nickel-metal hydride batteries it currently uses in hybrids.
The third-generation Prius, due next year, will use NiMH batteries. The plug-in hybrid coming in 2010 will use lithium-ion batteries and will "be geared toward fleet customers in Japan, (the) United States and Europe," the company said. There's no word on when it might be offered to the rest of us, but Toyota promises to "accelerate development of small electric vehicles for mass production."
Toyota isn't giving up on internal combustion, though. It's already revamping its engines to make them more efficient, developing 1.3- and 2.5-liter engines that will propel much of its line-up by 2010. The smaller of the two is fitted with a start-stop system to maximize fuel economy. Toyota also plans to roll out a six-speed manual transmission this fall. It's also working with outside partners to develop cellulosic ethanol from yeast and diesel fuel from biomass. And, like everyone else in the industry, Toyota pushing hydrogen and its FCHV-adv fuel-cell vehicle.
It's no secret Toyota's been working on a plug-in hybrid to compete against the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, but Wednesday's announcement sets a firm deadline and makes it clear Toyota has no plans of ceding the green mantle to General Motors. It also underscores how quickly the race to build a viable mass-market electric car is heating up.
The company's ambitious "low-carbon" agenda includes cranking out 1 million hybrids a year and eventually offering hybrid versions of every model it sells. In the short-term, Toyota says it will produce more fuel efficient gasoline and diesel engines and push alternative fuels like cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. It's also pumping big money into lithium-ion batteries. With fuel prices going through the roof and auto sales going through the floor because of it, Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe says the auto industry has no choice but to move beyond petroleum.
"Without focusing on measures to address global warming and energy issues, there can be no future for our auto business," he told reporters in Tokyo, adding, "Our view is that oil production will peak in the near future. We need to develop power train(s) for alternative energy sources."
Watanabe's reference to peak oil echoes that of GM CEO Rick Wagoner, who in explaining the company's decision to shut down four truck factories said rising fuel prices and mounting demand for efficient cars are "structural, not cyclical." In other words, the two biggest automakers in the world realize petroleum's days are numbered.
That's not to say the wells will run dry anytime soon or the bulk of Toyota's cars won't rely upon internal combustion for many years to come. "People often ask us whether the vehicles of the future will be hybrid vehicles or clean diesel cars or electric vehicles," Watanabe said. "Our answer is that it will not be one technology because energy situations vary from one market to another."
Still, Toyota is betting heavily on batteries to increasingly augment gasoline. The world's leading producer of hybrids -- worldwide sales of the Prius recently topped 1 million, 10 years after its introduction -- wants to stay there by producing that many hybrids each year "as early in the 2010s as possible." Looking further into the future, Watanabe says Toyota will introduce hybrid versions of every car in its line-up sometime between 2020 and 2029.
Reaching those goals will require bringing down the cost of lithium-ion batteries, which currently cost $1,000 per kilowatt hour, according to Tom Turrentine of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC-Davis.
Toyota is joining longtime battery partner Matsu****a Electric Industrial Co. in launching a program to develop batteries it says will outperform lithium-ion batteries. It's assigning 50 engineers to the project, according to Reuters, and plans to begin producing batteries next year. Full production is slated for 2010, although Toyota isn't saying how many it might build. It also plans to continue building the nickel-metal hydride batteries it currently uses in hybrids.
The third-generation Prius, due next year, will use NiMH batteries. The plug-in hybrid coming in 2010 will use lithium-ion batteries and will "be geared toward fleet customers in Japan, (the) United States and Europe," the company said. There's no word on when it might be offered to the rest of us, but Toyota promises to "accelerate development of small electric vehicles for mass production."
Toyota isn't giving up on internal combustion, though. It's already revamping its engines to make them more efficient, developing 1.3- and 2.5-liter engines that will propel much of its line-up by 2010. The smaller of the two is fitted with a start-stop system to maximize fuel economy. Toyota also plans to roll out a six-speed manual transmission this fall. It's also working with outside partners to develop cellulosic ethanol from yeast and diesel fuel from biomass. And, like everyone else in the industry, Toyota pushing hydrogen and its FCHV-adv fuel-cell vehicle.
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So now we're going to have THREE new hybrids at Detroit next year from Toyota? Talk about making a statement. GM with the Volt is going to have an awfully tough time trying to counteract the publicity and reputation boost Toyota will get from this.
My guess as to what the all-new Toyota model is: the production version of the FT-HS sports car.
Also very interesting to see are "new" 1.3L and 2.5L engines with stop-start systems. Not sure what vehicles that 1.3L will go into, but the 2.5L definitely sounds like a replacement for the aging 2.4L AZ engine.
Also interesting to see that Toyota is already thinking long-term beyond li-ion, while most of it's competitors are still focusing on li-ion.
My guess as to what the all-new Toyota model is: the production version of the FT-HS sports car.
Also very interesting to see are "new" 1.3L and 2.5L engines with stop-start systems. Not sure what vehicles that 1.3L will go into, but the 2.5L definitely sounds like a replacement for the aging 2.4L AZ engine.
Also interesting to see that Toyota is already thinking long-term beyond li-ion, while most of it's competitors are still focusing on li-ion.
Last edited by TRDFantasy; 06-12-08 at 04:09 PM.
#21
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Toyota exec attempts to cool hybrid expectations
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Posted on Thursday 12 June 2008
Popular hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are lucky to get mileage figures above 50mpg (4.7L/100km) in real world tests, and in some cases are beaten by conventional diesel vehicles, but talk of next-generation hybrid models achieving up to 100mpg (2.35L/100km) are already rampart. Toyota revealed yesterday that its third-generation Prius will be launched next year and its first plug-in hybrid will arrive in 2010, but the carmaker also stressed that some of the mileage claims being spread are overly optimistic.
Speaking with Automotive News, Toyota technology expert Bill Reinert explains that the demands of real-world driving, such as rapid acceleration on freeways, can dramatically reduce the all-electric range of plug-ins. “Not everybody’s going to get 100mpg,” he said.
According to Reinert, the expected 40 mile all-electric driving range for future plug-in hybrid vehicles will suffice for most customers. However, he also warned that the technology may not live up to the hype and some customers may be disappointed, as was the case with the Prius, which was originally rated by Toyota as offering up to 60mpg (3.92L/100km) in city driving.
Popular hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are lucky to get mileage figures above 50mpg (4.7L/100km) in real world tests, and in some cases are beaten by conventional diesel vehicles, but talk of next-generation hybrid models achieving up to 100mpg (2.35L/100km) are already rampart. Toyota revealed yesterday that its third-generation Prius will be launched next year and its first plug-in hybrid will arrive in 2010, but the carmaker also stressed that some of the mileage claims being spread are overly optimistic.
Speaking with Automotive News, Toyota technology expert Bill Reinert explains that the demands of real-world driving, such as rapid acceleration on freeways, can dramatically reduce the all-electric range of plug-ins. “Not everybody’s going to get 100mpg,” he said.
According to Reinert, the expected 40 mile all-electric driving range for future plug-in hybrid vehicles will suffice for most customers. However, he also warned that the technology may not live up to the hype and some customers may be disappointed, as was the case with the Prius, which was originally rated by Toyota as offering up to 60mpg (3.92L/100km) in city driving.
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So after all the criticism that Toyota's plug-in prototypes got no more than 8 miles on electric power, now Toyota is saying the production plug-in model will provide 40 miles on electric power. Interestingly enough, that is the same range GM has promised with the Volt.
It will be quite ironic if Toyota beats GM to market with their plug-in and it does end up achieving 40 miles on electric power.
It will be quite ironic if Toyota beats GM to market with their plug-in and it does end up achieving 40 miles on electric power.
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Good catch. I got it now as well after reading it again.
Also found some interesting info buried in some Toyota documents:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/me...resident01.pdf
On page 6 of this presentation, it shows an outline of Toyota's gas, and diesel engines as well as transmissions and where all three are headed towards in the future.
For gas engines, Toyota makes mention of the stop-start system, Valvematic, and most interestingly Dual VVT-iE. It looks like the speculation is true, and that Toyota is getting set to introduce a fully-electric variable valve timing system. I wonder which vehicle will receive it first? Perhaps a Lexus model?
Also found some interesting info buried in some Toyota documents:
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/me...resident01.pdf
On page 6 of this presentation, it shows an outline of Toyota's gas, and diesel engines as well as transmissions and where all three are headed towards in the future.
For gas engines, Toyota makes mention of the stop-start system, Valvematic, and most interestingly Dual VVT-iE. It looks like the speculation is true, and that Toyota is getting set to introduce a fully-electric variable valve timing system. I wonder which vehicle will receive it first? Perhaps a Lexus model?
#25
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<sigh> not this again lol.
Look. It's not "omg it'll go from 46mpg to 100mpg". I don't think that's even possible. It's like expecting the M3 to go from 200hp back in the 90s to 500hp by 1999. That's not gonna happen.
The current Prius gets 82mpg US under the Japanese 10-15 cycle (35.5km/L). They're aiming for 40km/L I believe. That'll bump it to 90 something, close to 100mpg US. What does it mean for us? Probably 50mpg combined.. maybe 55mpg if the city mileage is high enough.
Keep in mind that it's using a bigger engine (the 2ZR in the new Corolla/Matrix/xD) and might even have more luxury/high tech features.
Look. It's not "omg it'll go from 46mpg to 100mpg". I don't think that's even possible. It's like expecting the M3 to go from 200hp back in the 90s to 500hp by 1999. That's not gonna happen.
The current Prius gets 82mpg US under the Japanese 10-15 cycle (35.5km/L). They're aiming for 40km/L I believe. That'll bump it to 90 something, close to 100mpg US. What does it mean for us? Probably 50mpg combined.. maybe 55mpg if the city mileage is high enough.
Keep in mind that it's using a bigger engine (the 2ZR in the new Corolla/Matrix/xD) and might even have more luxury/high tech features.
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