Anyone know the next Toyota hybrid models?

Just got my Prius last week to replace my 99 Corolla, and I am smitten forever. Our other car for the family is a Dodge Caravan, need that to carry around the three kids ages 7, 5, and 3. Must have three seating rows, as you can't really fit 3 toddler car seats or booster seats side by side in normal cars. Anyway, we've wanted to replace the van but my wife wants to wait until they release a hybrid van. I know that Toyota has made the statement that within a few years (was it 2011?) they will have a hybrid model of every vehicle. Right now, they have the Highlander and Camry, anyone know which one is next? Or, even better, when they might be looking to offer the Sienna with the hybrid drive?

I asked at the dealership when I got my Prius, she thought it could be the Corolla. Seems to me, though, that the Prius kind of targets the Corolla market segment, seems like they would want to target the van market soon. There isn't a hybrid van out there, only compact cars (Insight), small coupe and sedan (Prius, Civic), mid-size sedan (Camry), and SUV (Highlander, Escape, Mariner). Am I missing a hybrid van in my research?

 

Our first family car when we had our first kid was a Pathfinder (had a great corporate purchase plan with Nissan at the time), and while an SUV or sedan might be good for when you have older kids, when you have infants and toddlers nothing can beat the mini-van. If our oldest in the third row needs something, we can literally get up and move to the back seat if we need to. Now, booster seats for youths (ages 4-14, I think now) aren't as bulky as infant or toddler car seats, there's no way that you can fit more than two in the back seat of the Prius. I have two boosters in the back seat now for our 7 and 5 year olds, one on each side, and there's not enough room in the middle section for anything else.

Toyota, bring us the Sienna!!! I was thinking of surpirsing her with one, but she really wants to wait for the hybrid. Do you think Honda might do that with the Odyssey before Toyota gets the Sienna done?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jul 18 2006, 03:47 PM) [snapback]288396[/snapback]</div>

Very true, I was actually just thinking that when I was typing my last post. :lol: Maybe I'll just look to upgrade the Caravan to an Odyssey or Sienna right now, would be a considerable jump in milage and features over what we have anyway. Just didn't want to make that jump and then someone comes out with a hybrid in 6 months, you know.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Jul 18 2006, 06:22 PM) [snapback]288470[/snapback]</div>

Any way I can get you to ship one of those Estimas over this way? That looks like exactly what we were looking for. Looking at the specs on the Toyota website shows 44.6mpg . . . must . . . have . . . one . . . will . . . pay . . . anything!!!!! Why is it that we can't get that here yet?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mastergunnera8 @ Jul 18 2006, 04:17 PM)</div>

That surprises me, I always thought that the vans were built on the car chassis while the SUV's were built off the truck lines, really shown in the difference in the ride. I just wish that Toyota would publish a roadmap or something documenting when the different models are going to have a hybrid option. I would hate to buy a new Odyssey or Sienna now and have a hybrid model come out in a year or two.

Edit:Well, well, well, upon more googling (I love that that word is an official verb, now, btw), I stumbled across this:

http://www.hybridcars.com/toyota-sienna-minivan-hybrid.html

Didn't see a date on the article, but they estimate it hitting these shores in 2007.