Speculating on Toyota's new hybrid & hybrid plans
Toyota's next hybrid-only vehicle?So, by 2009 Toyota plans to begin selling another hybrid-only brand. Will it be completely unique? Will it be a Prius derivative, such as a larger Prius or a smaller city Prius, as Toyota has previously discussed? Maybe it will be something even far more interesting, such as the FT-HS hybrid concept?
O.K., Toyota's new hybrid will not be the FT-HS, as Toyota has already stated that it would develop this concept vehicle as both a hybrid and a conventional vehicle.
Still, whatever vehicle it is, it proves that Toyota is not just serious about hybrid cars, but dead serious about selling 1,000,000 hybrids per year starting around 2010. So, what is this new hybrid and how does it fit in with Toyota's hybrid plans?
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Labels: Camry hybrid, Foreign Oil Dependency, FT-HS hybrid, global warming, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
12:03 AM
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Complete Story
So, by 2009 Toyota plans to begin selling another hybrid-only brand. Will it be completely unique? Will it be a Prius derivative, such as a larger Prius or a smaller city Prius, as Toyota has previously discussed? Maybe it will be something even far more interesting, such as the FT-HS hybrid concept?
O.K., Toyota's new hybrid will not be the FT-HS, as Toyota has already stated that it would develop this concept vehicle as both a hybrid and a conventional vehicle.
Still, whatever vehicle it is, it proves that Toyota is not just serious about hybrid cars, but dead serious about selling 1,000,000 hybrids per year starting around 2010. So, what is this new hybrid and how does it fit in with Toyota's hybrid plans?
Hybrid-only brands are better?
Early, unverified reports, indicate the new hybrid-only brand will be larger than the current Prius, more like the size of the Camry hybrid. Business Week, for example, reported on a story the Nikkei ran claiming "the new hybrid will offer better riding quality due to its larger size and engine displacement of 2 to 3 liters. The Prius uses a 1.5-liter engine."
Still, how important is another hybrid-only brand towards achieving a goal of 1,000,000 hybrids per year? Why not just hurry a Sienna hybrid or a Matrix hybrid, etc.? Even more interesting, why produce another hybrid-only brand that might rival the Camry hybrid?
First, there is no reason Toyota won't launch both a Sienna hybrid and a new hybrid-only vehicle around the same time.
Second, many in the automotive world have claimed that the success of the Prius, compared to many other hybrid models, is due to its uniqueness. There is no such thing as a non-hybrid Prius, and many argue this uniqueness allows Prius consumers to largely define their identity by their car - to distinguish themselves.
Essentially, the Prius shouts global warming fighter or foreign oil dependency fighter - core principles for many Prius consumers.
Certainly, other hybrids might achieve the same fuel efficient results, but they don't allow consumers to tell the world what they think, believe, etc.
What if all cars are hybrids?
While there is no doubt some truth to this argument, the growing success of the Camry hybrid seems to demonstrate this might not always be the case. As economies of scale drive down the cost of hybrid technology, it might soon become obviously more cost-effective to buy a hybrid Camry, rather than a conventional Camry, especially if gas prices continue their current trend.
The same could be said of the Sienna or the Tundra, for example.
Still, in the short term, there is no doubt that a unique hybrid will drive serious buzz, again, to Toyota. The more this hybrid-only brand can significantly differentiate itself from the Prius, so that it doesn't just seem like a smaller or larger Prius, the greater its potential. Moreover, even though this new hybrid might steal some Camry hybrid sales, it just might fit an untapped, important niche.
A larger, unique hybrid might accommodate a family of 5, maybe even a family of six, better than both the Prius and the hybrid Camry. In addition, for global warming focused consumers with larger families, a bigger, unique hybrid might also offer the same environmental street cred as the Prius.
Of course, a smaller city Prius, such as a Scion hybrid, with 60 mpg real world fuel economy and a sticker price under $18,000 - might also offer serious sales potential, especially outside the U.S.. Then again, such a small hybrid would probably offer razor thin profit margins.
Ultimately, however, the hybrid revolution is gaining ground, and that's great news for hybrid fans. It should also serve notice to other automakers. Hybrid-only brands are an important part of future success. Deal with it.
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