Bloomberg: Toyota Prius May Lead Japan Car Sale Collapse as Subsidies End

Are there any estimates about the fuel savings of such a huge Prius influx has had on Japanese fuel consumption?

This is a savings that reoccurs year after year while the Prius remain in service.

Bob Wilson

 

won't all car sales drop fairly equally as subsidies end?

 

I don't have the fuel savings number, but Toyota reported the CO2 reduction as follows;

"As of July 31, 2010, TMC calculates that TMC hybrid vehicles, since 1997, have led to approximately 4 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions—considered to be a cause of global warming—in Japan, and approximately 15 million fewer tons globally, than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance."

Ken@Japan

 

That's not correct.

250,000yen subsidies:
- replace more than 13 years old vehicle with new vehicle which exceeds 2010 fuel economy standard on each vehicle weight category.

So, it includes buying Hummer H3 V8.
http://www.cev-pc.or.jp/NGVPC/subsidy/eco/eco_PDF/yunyuu.pdf

100,000yen subsidies:
- buy new vehicle which exceeds more than 15% better of 2010 fuel economy standard on each vehicle weight category.

So, approx 1/3 of domestic vehicles and only Mercedes ML350 BlueTEC 4MATIC of import vehicle are eligible.

Ken@Japan

 

I think the obvious here is that Japan has reduced it's fuel consumption in 2009 by 9.2% (likely by replacing non-hybrids with Priuses).

But, if exports = imports = consumption, then why do they bother importing and exporting? Why don't they just produce what they consume and save all the diesel fuel on moving oil tankers through the ocean / Sea of Japan ?

 

It is just an import cars list which are eligible for the 250,000yen (largest subsidies) including Hummer H3 V8.

Ken@Japan

 

Hmmmm no. The drop in consumption is because of recession.

Japan doesn't export oil - so you see no green line there and consumption = imports.

 

Gosh. What you just typed is crystal clear when I look at it this time. I don't know what I was seeing when I looked at it earlier?

Perhaps there was some solar wind or a dense area of neutrinos passing between my eyes and the computer monitor. Maybe a black hole shot by the Milky Way and distorted the light between my eyes and the computer monitor. I know I didn't make a mistake. I'm perfect. I'm sure this distortion in information between my eyes and the computer monitor can somehow be explained by physics. Perhaps my frustration cause me to breathe out hot air that caused refraction of the light between my eyes and the computer monitor.