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Toyota may make bigger hybrid than Prius in North America

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by jkash, Sep 28, 2004.

  1. jkash

    jkash Member

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    Toyota may make bigger hybrid car than Prius in North America

    Toyota Motor Corp. may manufacture hybrid cars bigger than its popular Prius in North America, President Fujio Cho said Tuesday.

    As big cars are selling well in the U.S. market, "we will consider whether we should go with the Prius or a bigger model" for local production of hybrid cars that run on electricity and gasoline, Cho said at a press conference to release a new minivan.

    With the environmentally friendly Prius arousing strong demand in North America, Toyota plans to begin local production of hybrid cars in the near future.

    Possible candidates for North American production are said to include the Lexus RX400 sport-utility vehicle and the Camry midsize passenger car.

    In China, Toyota will begin producing the Prius jointly with China FAW Group Corp. next year.

    Meanwhile, Toyota began selling its new seven-seater minivan Isis on Tuesday, hoping to recover its lost share of the domestic market for minivans.

    Toyota offers 1.8- and 2-liter engine models in the Isis family at prices ranging from 1,785,000 to 2,730,000 yen, with a monthly sales target of 4,000 units.

    According to Toyota, the biggest Japanese automaker captured 56.8 percent of the domestic market for minivans last year but saw the share drop to 51.8 percent in the first eight months of this year due to strong sales of rival models such as Honda Motor Co.'s remodeled Odyssey.

    Source: http://asia.news.yahoo.com/040928/kyodo/d85cmeqo0.html
     
    #1 jkash, Sep 28, 2004
  2. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    Is this Isis minivan available in US or just Japan? My Chevy Venture has close to 150,000 mi it's gonna need a replacement in a few years, I would love a mini van as good as my Prius
     
    #2 paprius4030, Sep 28, 2004
  3. Speedracer

    Speedracer New Member

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    #3 Speedracer, Sep 28, 2004
  4. metamatic

    metamatic Member

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    Re: Toyota may make bigger hybrid than Prius

    Hey, Toyota, I've got a radical idea... Before launching new hybrids, how about actually making enough Priuses? Then people like me who have the money and want to buy one could actually do so. Wouldn't that be cool?

    (Yes, I'm bitter.)
     
    #4 metamatic, Sep 30, 2004
  5. Prius Maximus

    Prius Maximus Senior Member

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    Re: Toyota may make bigger hybrid than Prius in North Americ

    Or how about a smaller hybrid. I commute 105 miles round trip per day, and don't really need the size of the Prius. A smaller car that got even better mileage would be awesome.
     
    #5 Prius Maximus, Sep 30, 2004
  6. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    Yes please. I wouldn't have considered a car as large as the Prius normally.
     
    #6 KMO, Sep 30, 2004
  7. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    how about a diesel-electric locomotive.... that is a pretty big hybrid!!
     
    #7 DaveinOlyWA, Oct 1, 2004
  8. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Re: Toyota may make bigger hybrid than Prius in North Americ

    Prius Maximus and KMO,

    A subsidiary of Toyota already does. Gets 144 mpg. Search Priuschat for the Mini Prius thread. Just one problem, It is not available here. :cry:
     
    #8 jchu, Oct 1, 2004
  9. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    if you want smaller, get a honda insight....


    to toyota's credit, i think they already knew what honda now knows... smaller is too much of a niche market and would never be profitable.
     
    #9 DaveinOlyWA, Oct 1, 2004
  10. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    Except that it produces more emmisions than either model of Prius (thanks John1701a!)...
     
    #10 bookrats, Oct 1, 2004
  11. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    well after all the insight is not a Toyota... that gives it 2 strikes right off the bat.

    honda is a good car company and they build very worthy products... but they like all others pale in comparision to Toyota...

    there are others that are good, but i cant afford em
     
    #11 DaveinOlyWA, Oct 1, 2004
  12. SJhybrid

    SJhybrid New Member

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    #12 SJhybrid, Oct 1, 2004
  13. KMO

    KMO Senior Member

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    Well, I'd like something between the Insight and the Prius. 2 seats and a luggage shelf doesn't cut it. And it has to be an automatic - Honda don't do automatic IMAs here. And the Insight is staggeringly expensive for what it is. It costs only £500 less than the Prius base model. And it doesn't have HSD.

    The problem is that the Prius is a big car, at least for Europe. It falls firmly into the "large family car" category.

    A 2+2 coupe, maybe like the Celica, would be my current ideal, I think. Or just something more like the Focus (hatchback).
     
    #13 KMO, Oct 1, 2004
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