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Japanese carmaker Toyota is planning to add to their line up a Coupe variant of the Toyota Prius hybrid. They are building on the success foundations laid by the 2010 hybrid vehicle which is now closed to being sold out because of the very high demand all over the globe.
The first of the additional styling that we might see on the Prius is the 2-door coupe that will target to topple the 2011 hybrid Honda CR-Z sports coupe.
The future member of the Prius line is expected to sport the same 4-cylinder 1.8L engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive set up of the current release of the Prius. The package though might come with better aerodynamics than the 5-door version which already boasts of a 0.25 drag coefficient– among the best for production cars today. The Prius coupe will also be a lot lighter than the family variant.
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Japanese car maker Toyota reveals its commitment to release in 2012 plug in hybrids for mass consumption. The first batch of lithium-ion battery powered vehicles will
be out by next year and will be ready for government and commercial fleets in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Mass production of the fuel efficient and environment-friendly vehicles will be by 2012.
A Japanese newspaper reports that Toyota will be producing between 20000 and 30000 units of plug-in hybrids come 2012. This will be two years after GM kicks off the production of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.
A plug-in hybrid that was derived from the platform of the current Prius hybrid is expected to go to dealerships in Japan this month. This car will have a tag price starting at $47,800. The car will be able to travel for about 18.6 miles running on electric power alone. It depends on a pack of lithium ion batteries made by Panasonic EV Energy.
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No matter how the Toyota A-BAT concept caught the spotlight during the 2008 Detroit Motor Show, the hybrid pickup will be remaining a concept vehicle for 
now according to Toyota insiders.
It was a good bet for a production vehicle but Toyota executives point out that they have a lot of priorities at the moment and building the A-BAT is not on top of their list.
The A-BAT was close to reality when the Japanese car manufacturer asked for bids from potential suppliers for the hybrid version and four cylinder variant of the truck. The light never went green though for the bulky futuristic vehicle.
The decision of the company may have been influenced by the dismal performance of their two pickups which have suffered from the drop in housing and construction. Toyota only sold 18349 units of the Tundra which is a 55% drop in 1Q sales. The Tacoma was also a laggard performer in the market with first quarter sales dropping as much as 37% or translating to only 24937 units sold.
Toyota executives assure the public that they are committed to meet the demand for the Tundra although the sales are greatly dependent on the construction industry.
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The time for the extravagant stretch limos arriving at the red carpet for the Academy Awards might be history. Hollywood stars arrive in green cars at their red carpet welcome for the Oscar’s.
The 2010 Toyota Prius and the Oscar’s might really be a good mix. With the whole world watching and hundreds of flashbulbs flickering, the event was a great publicity and promotion of the silver screen elites’ advocacy to be green.
All eyes are on them when actors and actresses come to the biggest award’s night of the year. A gas gulper limo can definitely have a negative effect on their image now that fans and the press look at how the stars are ecologically conscious.
The 2010 Toyota Prius got the attention of the world amid the stars of the night serving as shuttle of the Hollywood elites. The Prius may actually be considered as a tribrid as it can also maximize the sun’s powers as solar panels are mounted on its roof.
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A bigger and better third-generation Toyota Prius with a highly improved hybrid drivetrain was unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show.
Its system weight was reduced by almost 20 percent, with approximately 50-mpg fuel economy rating, nearly 90 percent of the hybrid’s drive system was re-engineered. This hybrid baby now runs with a lighter transaxle, which reduces torque loss, a more compact motor, and an inverter with a direct cooling mechanism.
The new Prius comes with 3 drive modes—EV-Drive is for low speed motoring that makes use of battery power alone; Eco for fuel-efficient driving; and Power with its increased throttle feedbacks for maximum performance.
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The board of executives of Toyota Motors Corporation in Japan decides to halt its production of the Prius in the United States. The decision comes amid lowering prices of fuel resulting to a slump in sales of the hybrid car.
Up to when the Prius project will be frozen is still not known. What is evident is the 32% drop in sales that Toyota experience in November of 2008.
Prius sales dramatically dropped year over year coming from 16737 units sold in November of 2007 to just 8660 cars in 2008.
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Toyota is set to launch more cars that use no gas at all. 
With the green campaign all over the world, Toyota rides with the environmental demand by coming up with cars that use only compressed natural gas car fuel (CNG).
CNG is more available than hydrogen as Irv Miller, manufacturer’s group VP for corporate communications, said. It has a pipeline that reaches 1.8 million miles in the United States. Though rare, since it only has 1,000 refueling stations all through US, it still has more than the approximately 10 hydrogen refill stations.
Toyota is even planning to release a Prius plug-in version for the fleet market around 2009. This will, of course, be greener.
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It’s good to know that the Toyota Prius is still the most popular hybrid car available on the market today. In an article titled “most popular hybrid cars on the market“, New Hybrid Cars Online talks about this issue and names the Prius the top choice for Hybrid lovers today.
Way to go, Toyota!
Good first post for our new blog. Expect more Toyota news from a big Toyota fan and Toyota driver here soon!
Japanese carmaker Toyota is planning to add to their line up a Coupe variant of the Toyota Prius hybrid. They are building on the success foundations laid by the 2010 hybrid vehicle which is now closed to being sold out because of the very high demand all over the globe.
