Toyota to Sell Plug-In Hybrid in 2011

I was thinking about trading my 2006 w/HOV stickers in this year on a 2010, but I may wait now.

 

Here's another link to a similar article. I have been waiting for this.

 

Note that the NY Times also says:

"The automaker says it also plans to sell a pure electric “urban commuter†vehicle in 2012 that would run on lithium-ion batteries."

 

"Toyota Motor said Monday that it planned a widespread release of
its plug-in hybrid car in 2011 as the company scrambled to gain the upper hand"

"Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s executive vice president, said in Tokyo that the company was waiting until 2011 to begin sales so it could hear feedback from users during the leasing period. The plug-ins would carry an “affordable” price tag, he said, without giving an estimate."

Superb! Where do I sign my name on the waiting list? (yes, this is my next car)

Does anyone have a link to an official press release by Toyota, stating this?

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This is great news and I think Toyota is on to something here. We just attended the LA Auto Show where a number of hybrid or EV vehicles were on display. Most are priced in the $38K - $100K range making them, in my estimation, uneconomic.

I want a vehicle that saves me money, pure and simple. I see gas going over $5 a gallon in the next few years and that will inhibit my driving due to the cost of fuel. Toyota, I expect, will keep this plug in Prius nearer to $25K which would make it interesting.

My desire is to install cheap solar on my roof (not cheap yet) and use it to charge my car. I basically am interested in being off the grid and away from the pump as much as possible. However there is a catch.

We currently live in an urban area but put an average of 68 miles per day on our 2008 Prius. We plan our trips to minimize our driving distance. We have two cars but one is parked most of the time so we can drive the Prius which is the higher mileage car. So a car with a 14 mile EV will be beneficial but we certainly won't be able to run in EV mode for the majority of our trips per day.

In two years we will move to a rural home we own. No question we will put even more miles on our car there. So a driving range of 14 miles EV isn't going to change our lives there either.

For us it seems an all electric car with an 80-100 mile range will be a better choice. But it would also have to sell for something under $30K to be interesting. I'm afraid some new technology will have to be discovered to meet our needs.

I laughed at all the hybrids at the LA Auto Show. So many of them, even those who try to compete with the Prius, show all the technology that went into their designs, then proudly display their EPA mileage ratings around 40mpg. It doesn't matter how much you tout your fancy designs guys. I drove to and from the show, a distance of 109 miles and got 51.3mpg in our 2008 Prius, and that with the disappointing Michelin X-Radials we bought this year.

For my money you just can't beat the Prius for high mileage, comfort, and features.

What I think might be more interesting than the current efforts pushing into EV is a diesel-electric hybrid with perhaps a 70-80mpg rating. I just don't understand why we don't see more diesel in this country.

 

Sign me up. I'll take one of the first ones off the boat! Wonder when in 2011 the plug-in's will be available - since there's obviously a big difference between Jan 2011 and Dec 2011 - as in one year or two years from ~today respectively?

 

didnt the prius team post yesterday that for usa they are starting sales in 2012?

 

go Toyota !

 

That is a very wise decision. With Chevrolet about to release their Volt, and other manufacturers hot on their heels - they have no choice.

 

I believe that was the previous estimate, and Toyota just recently updated the estimated arrival due to a new strategy that they want to be first to market (or earlier to market) before competitors. I believe it states that in the original article, which quotes Toyota's executive VP.

Edit: looking back at the original article, Toyota just made the announcement on Monday (which would have been "yesterday" when you posted your question)

 

No kidding ... this upcomming Detroit auto show is going to be a bust for GM. How strange will the auto show be for GM to again be touting the same ol same ol ... car of the future ... the Volt. Folks at the auto show will think, "hey, isn't this what GM said last year?" Compare that to Toyota's upcomming auto show offerings & all you can do is feel sorry for GM.

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When I was at the Los Angeles Auto Show, GM had the Volt prominently displayed, but I didn't take any photos ... it was the exact same thing I had seen the previous year. Nobody was standing around it; people were just walking right by it. "Been there, done that" - the general public seemed to be reacting the same way we are.
Toyota, on the other hand, had the PHV Prius. At the Detroit show, Toyota will have both the PHV Prius, and the new, not yet unveiled, hybrid that we have the teaser pics of.

 

There's still flexibiliy on timing. Our US target timing is 2012. I wouldn't be suprised if Japan market has moved up a bit.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

So it is not coming out intil calendar year 2012.. I've heard June 2012 to be precise?

 

It will be interesting to see how Hyundai's and possibly even Ford's recent rapid pace of new product introduction affects Toyota's 'flexibility'. Possibly, Toyota is being extremely cautious with introducing what could arguably be considered a completely new powertrain (i.e, a lithium powered PHEV) and want to make absolutely certain that there aren't any problems. On the other hand, if it looks Hyundai will beat Toyota with the first mass produced PHEV, then will Toyota take a chance and introduce a little earlier than originally planned?

An early Japan launch makes sense - since it still gives Toyota bragging rights without all of the liability that a global and/or US launch might entail. IMHO

 

When is Hyundai's PHV hit the open market?

 

*sigh*.. now gonna have to wait until 2013 it seems... oh well.. patience..