Toyota hybrids at the LA Auto Show

Heading to the Los Angeles Auto Show this weekend, I had few expectations regarding Toyota and its hybrid vehicles. Pre-show hybrid buzz focused on the Aura and Yukon hybrids and GM's new green identity. Since, I started out on the GM side of the convention center, I thought the best of the show's hybrid displays were behind me, especially when I walked into the Toyota side of the convention center and saw Toyota Tundras everywhere.

Eventually, though, I did make my way through the Tundras and into Toyota's hybrid section.

The difference between GM's hybrid offerings and Toyota's was absolutely stunning. In fact, there was simply no comparison between Toyota and any other automaker at the show regarding hybrid vehicles. Ironically, Toyota's hybrid section was all business and no show gimmicks. There was a huge information bar where you could sit down, talk to a rep and obtain product literature. Then of course, there were Toyota's three hybrids, the Highlander hybrid, Camry hybrid and the Prius.

As I sat near the Toyota hybrid section I was amazed at the visitors to this area. This was a high traffic area, but it wasn't just people looking at hybrids. Here people were getting into hybrids - sitting in the front, then the back, opening the trunk, touching every gadget that the vehicles had to offer. These visitors looked like buyers.

Wow, I thought, not bad for a company without any new hybrid debuts. Then, however, I noticed the Lexus hybrid section and realized Toyota did debut a hybrid at the show, the Lexus LS600h L hybrid. While Lexus had the GS 450h hybrid the RX 400h hybrid at the show, in addition to a split 450h show gimmick, the LS 600h was the show stopper. Still, the Lexus hybrid section was pure auto show marketing, unlike the Toyota section, and it worked. The buzz around the Lexus hybrids was nothing short of phenomenal.

In terms of hybrid vehicles, Toyota didn't just dominate the LA Auto Show; it was the LA Auto Show.

Hybrid vehicles still offer excellent reliability - Consumer Reports

Hybrid vehicles are very reliable according to Consumer Reports survey research. The Honda Accord hybrid and the Toyota Prius hybrid are the number one and two most reliable family cars, and the Honda Civic hybrid took third place for most reliable small car. The Toyota Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h took the first and fifth spots for most reliable midsized SUVs.

The only hybrid to suffer a bit this year compared to last year was the Ford Escape hybrid, which dropped from above average to just average.

(Source: CNNMoney)

Last Day for full Toyota hybrid tax credits

Tomorrow is the last day to buy a Toyota Prius, Highlander hybrid, Camry hybrid, or Lexus RX400h if you want to receive the full hybrid vehicle tax credit.

If you are going to buy any other hybrid, no worries - not this year.

Hybrids only 9% more efficient than regular vehicles?

Are hybrid vehicles only 9% more fuel efficient than conventional vehicles? That's what J.D. Power claims, according to the Detroit News. While noting that interest in hybrids is growing, J.D. claims that hybrid buyers have unrealistic expectations in terms of performance.

While I agree that some buyers have unrealistic expectations, I have to question the 9% figure. Other studies have claimed the same, but those studies were done using track testing. For the majority of drivers, track testing is about as accurate for gauging real world fuel economy as are EPA estimates of hybrids.

Moreover, saying 'hybrids' are only 9% more efficient than conventional models is completely deceptive. For example, some hybrids were not produced to achieve the highest fuel efficiency possible. The Honda Accord hybrid, for example, is really a performance hybrid, though it achieves excellent fuel mileage for that performance. The same is largely true of both the Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander hybrid, though these vehicles are - for their class - more fuel efficient than the Accord hybrid.

In terms of fuel efficiency, both the Ford Escape hybrid and the Toyota Prius hybrid, are the two hybrids most designed for fuel economy. While the Civic hybrid is a very fuel efficient vehicle as well, so to is the standard Civic. Additionally, the Civic hybrid doesn't offer as much electric assist as the hybrid Escape or Prius.

Consequently, comparing some hybrids is about as accurate as comparing apples to oranges. Thus, averaging their fuel economy is completely useless.

Even worse, if the Silverado hybrid was also included in the 'hybrid class' by J.D., then the results are completely skewed against hybrid fuel efficiency. The Silverado hybrid isn't even a mild hybrid in my book. In fact, its not even a hybrid in my book.

Consequently, the class of current hybrid vehicles are actually a very diverse group of vehicles. To average their fuel economy is misleading at best and, ultimately, deceptive. Studies by both Consumer Reports and Edmunds very much call into question the number, 9%.

Some hybrids are more fuel efficient than other hybrids. Some hybrids offer more power than other hybrids. Some hybrids perform better on highways compared to other hybrids, and some hybrids perform better in urban slow-and-go or stop-and-go traffic than other hybrids. Inevitably, hybrid fuel efficiency can ONLY be assessed vehicle by vehicle. Even then, two different drivers of the same hybrid can still achieve vastly different outcomes.

So, don't take this 9% very seriously. It might be true for some hybrids, but it certainly isn't true for all hybrids. If you want to read more about real world fuel economy from real world hybrid drivers, check out these hybrid testimonials.

News for hybrid cars this week

I've been sick this week, so I haven't been doing much writing. To top it off, I probably won't be doing much writing today, as I found out that someone threw a cinder block through my windshield last night - just another day in L.A.!

Anyway, over the weekend, I read an interesting article in the Detroit News, San Antonio joins hybrid-incentive trend. Aside from San Antonio joining the hybrid incentive trend, the article kind of paints the question, 'Do hybrid vehicles receive too many perks'?

The article references policies in Salt Lake City, for example, which - at times - are more favorable to small cars than some hybrid vehicles.

I think supporting small vehicles is great. Still, I don't believe that if every American drove a small car that America would be doing enough to fight oil addiction.

In fact, I'm not SURE we CAN'T do enough to fight oil addiction.

This week Toyota also released a press release noting that worldwide sales of the Toyota Prius hybrid have surpassed the 500,000 vehicle mark. While that is great P.R., what is the real impact of 500,000 cars? Not much.

Still, in America - even in the most unfavorable hybrid driving conditions, the Prius can achieve well over 40 mpg. How many compact cars achieve that kind of mileage? Then, when you add in stop-and-go traffic performance and emissions, it's pretty hard to top the performance of the Prius. And, when it comes to hybrid cars, this is just the beginning - better battery technology could easily double performance and fuel efficiency in just a few years.

Technologies, such as hybrids, represent the true power of the computer revolution and no country more than America has more to gain by embracing this revolution.

Of course some hybrids, such as the Lexus RX400h or the Honda Accord hybrid, are geared more for performance than fuel efficiency. Nonetheless, for the performance these hybrids provide, the fuel efficiency of these hybrids is nothing short of stellar. More important, buying such a car STILL invests in hybrid technology.

Let's face it, gas isn't going to get cheaper any time soon. Now that Prudhoe Bay is reducing capacity, places like California will almost certainly see $4.00 gas. In some areas of California, $5.00 gas won't be surprising before the end of this year.

Of course, if the situation in Israel-Iran-Lebanon-Syria continues to escalate, $5.00 gas will dominate all of America.

The world has changed and we're never going back to $25.00 barrels of oil. In fact, we're probably never going back to even $50.00 barrels of oil.

Ultimately, we cannot embrace hybrid technology fast enough.

Fuel efficient hybrids not popular?

I love hybrid vehicle critics - they are usually so easy to ridicule. One such critic, John McCormick of the Detroit News, is nothing but a mudslinger when it comes to hybrid cars. Recently, he noted that the wrong hybrids are selling. For example, he cites rising sales of the Lexus RX400h and a 12% decline in Toyota Prius sales as evidence (more). Of course, he forgets to mention the facts that a fire hampered Prius production earlier this year and that Toyota reduced Prius production so that the Camry hybrid could be added to the Toyota lineup of hybrid cars.

Anyway, I sent these comments to the Detroit News.

Wow! Toyota Prius sales are down by 12% and now hybrids are dead? Let's forget about the fact that Toyota decreased Prius production to build the Camry hybrid - why don't we?

Hybrids are a just an emerging technology. Even if millions wanted to buy them, the industry couldn't make that many at this point in time - it just isn't technologically feasible, yet.

Let's get real Mr. McCormick, you've consistently written negatively about hybrids, and it seems you somehow believe that hybrids are the anti-Detroit.

Well, this fear of technology and change will mean the end of Detroit if Detroit doesn't change.
Like them or not, the hybrids are coming. Yes it will probably take another couple of years before the technology starts to become cheap enough and available enough for mass consumption, but it WILL happen.

Toyota has vision - something too many automotive experts in Detroit lack - and is simply laying the groundwork for where the market will be in 3 to 5 years; when technology for hybrids is significantly more powerful and cheaper.

Technology is like chess, you have to be many moves ahead if you want to win. Current hybrid production puts Toyota many moves ahead of those only thinking about today and dreaming about a fuel cell future.

Prius part of another Toyota recall

Toyota is recalling over 400,000 more vehicles due to a faulty engine part. Around 8,476 Toyota Prius hybrids are part of the recall - manufactured in the year 2001. This is the second Toyota recall which has also included hybrid cars. A few days ago both the Toyota Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h hybrid were also part of a large recall. In all cases; however, the problem was unrelated to hybrid technology and a only a very small number of hybrids were included in the recalls.

Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400 part of huge Toyota recall

Early 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrids and Lexus RX400h hybrids are part of a recall affecting nearly 370,000 Toyota vehicles. According to Toyota about 3,700 Highlander hybrids and 8,300 RX400hs are part of the recall. Owners should be notified by the end of this month. The recall is regarding a small piece of console trim on the center-left side which could come loose and interfere with the accelerator. No other Toyota hybrid cars were part of the recall.

Fickle consumers underscore need for hybrid technology

Most Consumers Still Demand Performance and/or Size

Hybrid technology is just emerging and still evolving, but already there are mild hybrids, full hybrids, one-mode hybrids, two-mode hybrids, gasoline hybrids, diesel hybrids, hydrogen hybrids, plug-in hybrids, flex-fuel hybrids, etc.

Another class of hybrids, performance hybrids, have often been the source of much media ridicule because they are as much about performance as fuel efficiency. Such hybrids include the Lexus RX400h and the Honda Accord hybrid. Additionally, other hybrids, such as the Toyota Highlander hybrid, could have been made to be more fuel efficient, but Toyota figured Highlander drivers, and many SUV drivers, still favored a certain level of performance more than fuel efficiency. Much evidence seems to show that Toyota is right.

According to a CNN/Kelly Blue Book study, almost 25% of consumers are willing to give up performance and size for better fuel economy; however, 25% refuse to give up anything for better fuel economy. The other 50% will give up a little size, or a little performance, etc.

Along those same lines, an AutoWeek article notes, Loyalists won't quit big SUVs; hauling power, improved fuel economy help move vehicles . "Arguably, Americans insist on SUVs. It's unique to their lifestyle and utility."

Additionally, while Congress is going to finally address CAFE, it now appears that the new regulations will still protect Detroit's SUV domain. It is just too obvious in Congress that Detroit probably cannot survive if CAFE is pushed too high.

Unfortunately, performance and size are simply more important to most Americans than is fuel efficiency. Nonetheless, ever rising oil prices, ever more realizations of the connection between foreign oil, terrorism and American hate, will slowly force more and more Americans to take fuel efficiency seriously.

The technology behind hybrid cars enables automakers to continue to provide performance and size to Americans, while also significantly reducing foreign oil dependency. This isn't something that should be done, it is something that must be done. While Congress will probably be weak on CAFE, they should be overly aggressive in offering tax incentives to promote hybrid technology.

Join our Campaign to Make Congress Act On Hybrid Tax Incentives.

The hybrid revolution: Is Toyota just coasting?

According to Toyota, its hybrid cars are selling as fast as they can be made. Contrary to recent articles, even the Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h, are also selling well, notes a recent AutoWeek story.

Nonetheless, Toyota isn't necessarily selling many more hybrids this year compared to last year. In fact, with the release of the Camry hybrid, for example, Toyota has had to reduce its production of the popular Prius, in order to have the capacity to build the hybrid Camry. Thus, overall sales of Toyota hybrids are not accelerating as fast as in the past, even though interest is growing.

So, why isn't Toyota producing more hybrids?

"Expanding hybrid volume requires increasing the number of vehicles that have the hybrid option available," stated Jim Press, President of Toyota U.S.A. "That's driven by engineering resources, and it's difficult to accelerate that."

One can only speculate that "engineering resources" also includes technical parts from suppliers, such as batteries. Why don't suppliers rush to this demand? Maybe the better question is, why should they? NiMH batteries appear to already be a dead technology soon to be replaced by lithium-ion technology. Yet, unfortunately, this whole transition will take years, maybe even a decade.

Whatever the causes for this lack of "engineering resources", it appears that Toyota is either willing, or has no choice, to just coast for a few years, producing only a few hundred thousand hybrids annually.

Hopefully, soon-to-be-released hybrid technology from GM and Chrysler, or a new hybrid Fit from Honda, will accelerate Toyota's hybrid production.

Lexus debuts 2008 LS 600h L hybrid sedan

Lexus unveiled the 2008 Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan at the New York International Automobile Show today.

"The LS 600h L was developed to explore the outer reaches of performance, style and safety," said Bob Carter, Lexus Division group vice president and general manager. "It is a vehicle as efficient and familiar as it is indulgent and advanced, a far-reaching concept, fully developed and fully realized. It is simply in a class by itself." (Read the Press Release)

According to Lexus, the 600h will offer Best of Class V8 fuel efficiency - even achieving better fuel economy than many smaller V6 vehicles, and will offer 70% cleaner emissions the "cleanest" of competitors.

Available April, 2007.

Accord hybrid versus the Camry hybrid

Hybrid Competition Heats Up, A little

Slowly, albeit very slowly, competition amongst hybrid cars is building.

Already we have the Toyota Highlander hybrid versus the Ford Escape hybrid versus the Lexus RX 400h, as well the Toyota Prius versus the Honda Civic hybrid, and soon we'll have the Toyota Camry hybrid versus the Honda Accord hybrid.

Both the Accord and the Camry are already top selling cars in America. So, how will the hybrid battle between these two champions play out?

Unfortunately, it probably won't be much of a battle.

The Accord hybrid is a performance hybrid, offering some of the best performance of any Accord. For the power offered, the Accord hybrid offers good fuel efficiency. Ultimately, however, the hybrid Accord was built to perform on the highway, not to set fuel efficiency records.

The Camry hybrid, on the other hand, will offer significant gains in both fuel economy and pollution reductions compared to a standard Camry. While the hybrid Camry will still perform well, it wasn't designed for 0 to 60 supremacy, however the hybrid Camry should offer exceptional fuel efficiency.

Ironically, the real competition in the hybrid vehicle wars will probably be between the Camry hybrid and the Prius.

The Beautiful Lexus RX 400h hybrid vehicle

For those who need luxury, but want a hybrid

I'm a take-the-subway-everywhere kind of guy, and when it comes to hybrid cars I'm more inclined to the Toyota Prius, Civic hybrid, or Insight.

For me a vehicle purchase is more about transportation not some sort of status symbol. I don't take public transportation, walk to the store, or drive a hybrid to make others feel guilty. I do it because I feel guilty if I don't.

So, when my friend told me he was interested in hybrids, I strongly urged him to buy the new Civic hybrid or the Prius - he needed seating for four, so the Insight wasn't an option. Thus, I was a little surprised when he stopped by last night in his new Lexus RX 400h hybrid.

He was in a rush, but he still took me for a quick trip around my neighborhood.

I hate to admit it, but I'm a bit jealous. The Lexus 400h is a gorgeous vehicle. While still not my cup of tea, I'm proud of my friend. Inevitably, he is causing significantly less pollution and he is investing in hybrid technology. Considering he was a devout gas-guzzler not long ago, this is a huge improvement.

Intellichoice Best Overall Values of 2006: A lot of hybrids

In the last 2 weeks, hybrid cars have picked up some great press.

Consumer Reports picked two hybrid vehicles, the Toyota Prius and the Toyota Highlander hybrid, for it's Top 10 Best Values in automobile's issue. The Prius hybrid was also found to be the most satisfying to owners, with 95% of those owners interested in buying another Prius.

Then Edmunds/CNN released a report that the Prius, Ford Escape hybrid and the Lexus RX400h hybrid were among the 10 hottest cars in America because these vehicles fly off the sale's lot.

Intellichoice also picked a number of hybrids as the Best Overall Values for 2006. The Toyota Prius, the Ford Escape hybrid, and the Toyota Highlander hybrid were included in the 8 Overall Best Values. The Honda Civic hybrid and the Honda Insight also picked up awards in Best Values in their Class. (more)

Hottest Cars In America List includes 3 hybrids

Hybrids are hot

Edmunds.com helped CNN.com determine the 10 hottest cars in America.

"To find the 10 hottest cars in America for CNNMoney.com, Edmunds.com, a partner providing data and content for CNN Web sites, looked for three things: Actual selling prices closest to the vehicle's full sticker price; lowest amounts in rebates or other sales incentives; shortest times spent on dealer lots before being snapped up by buyers." (more)

Surprise, surprise, the Toyota Prius hybrid is the hottest car in America. Also, 3 of the top 10 hottest cars in America are hybrid cars. Joining the Prius are the Ford Escape hybrid and the Lexus RX400h.

With gas prices destined to rise significantly this year, and with the possibility of gas spikes - either due to terrorism or hurricanes - these hybrids will only get hotter.

Lexus GS 450h hybrid sedan on sale next month

Lexus has started to sell the GS 450h hybrid vehicle in Japan and should start selling Toyota's newest hybrid in America next month. (MSNBC)

With an MSRP of $54,900, the GS450h will offer 339 horsepower and go from 0 - 60 in 5.2 seconds, while achieving a combined 28 mpg.

Consumer Reports and Hybrid Cars: What you need to know

What's the word on hybrids?

Consumer Report's Annual Auto Issue is one of the most important sources for unbiased ratings and reviews of automobiles. So, what can we learn from Consumer Reports when it comes to hybrid cars.?

First, we learned that the Toyota Highlander hybrid is the best SUV over $30,000 and that the Toyota Prius hybrid is the Best Green Vehicle.

Second, we learned that the Prius is the Most Satisfying vehicle according to owners. A whopping 95% of Prius owners would buy another Prius (more).

Third, we learned that hybrid vehicles have thus far proven to be extremely reliable. In fact, the Prius and the Honda Civic hybrid topped CR's rankings of Most reliable, with just 4% of owners reporting problems. In addition, the Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400h hybrid and the Accord hybrid also did very well in reliability.

Of course, the long term reliability of hybrids is still a question, a question that can only be answered once enough hybrids have been on the road for more than a decade. Ultimately, the reliability of hybrids is extremely important as it is the factor in determining the overall value of hybrids, which brings us to our final point.

Fourth, are hybrid vehicles worth the cost?

According to Consumer Reports, only two hybrids can save you money after the first five years: the Prius and the Civic hybrid. Of course, once the capped tax credits for hybrids expire, these vehicles will then cost more than their conventional counterparts, well, maybe.

The article, Hybrids: Save gas, lose money, notes that "six hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles, will lose 2 percent to 3 percent more in value over five years of ownership than otherwise identical non-hybrid vehicles." While the Prius can save $406 after 5 years and the Civic hybrid saves $317, the rest of the hybrids lose money after five years: Ford Escape Hybrid ($1,883), Honda Accord Hybrid ($4,263), Lexus RX400h ($4,171) and Toyota Highlander Hybrid ($5,508).

Of course, as in life, few things are ever black and white.

To start, there is no "identical non-hybrid vehicle" to compare to the Prius. If the Prius were simply a hybrid Corolla, it would be called the Corolla hybrid. Quite simply, the Prius is a unique vehicle and when you consider performance, reliability and customer satisfaction, the Prius is a unique, awesome vehicle.

As for the rest of the hybrid vehicle segment, it is true that cost is an important concern. Still, for those that care, can you really put a cost on foreign oil dependency or a cleaner environment? Sometimes doing the right thing is neither the cheapest nor easiest thing to do.

Furthermore, the Consumer Reports study makes several important assumptions. For example, it assumes that your auto insurance will cost more. Overtime; however, this might not be true, especially when you consider that some insurance providers have already offered discounts to hybrid drivers.

CR also assumes extra financing costs for hybrids. Already, Ford has begun to offer incentives and better financing deals on its hybrid vehicles, so this 'cost' might not remain an extra cost.

The most important assumption affecting the costs of hybrids; however, is extra depreciation, which CR claims could range from $2,900 to 6,300 after 5 years. These are huge numbers that cannot, at this point in time, be backed by fact.

For example, if hybrid batteries generally last the life of these vehicles, which Toyota engineers claim is quite possible, then these numbers will be horribly wrong. Additionally, as more hybrids are built, hybrid battery costs will come down.

Moreover, it could turn out that replacing the battery packs of older hybrids could make hybrids twice as fuel efficient as before with new battery technology, such as lithium batteries. Not only would this reverse depreciation costs, but it would double fuel savings costs.

In 10 years, it could turn out that replacing the hybrid battery pack on an old hybrid actually results in a better hybrid than when new. Imagine the effect this would have on resale value.

Additionally, "Hybrid supporter and Prius owner James Bell, publisher of the automotive guide IntelliChoice, recently sold his two-year-old Prius for just $4,000 less than he originally paid for it -- a remarkably low rate of depreciation." (more)

So, hybrid depreciation is a complete wild card.

Furthermore, "We really like hybrids in terms of their overall performance" and environmental benefits, says Doug Love, a spokesman for Consumers Union.

In conclusion, the CR study does demonstrates that hybrid vehicles do pose some risk when it comes to long term value; however, the CR study largely assumes the worst case scenario. If hybrid batteries are very reliable and/or new battery technology could cost-effectively make old hybrids twice as fuel efficient, then hybrids could end up as long term bargains.

Hybrid cars and reliability

Can you trust hybrid technology?

I regularly receive e-mails that ask, "Are hybrid cars reliable?"

Well, according to Consumer Reports, they are. In fact, both the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic hybrid were found to be the most reliable vehicles by CR, with just 4% of owners reporting problems.

Additionally, the CR study also picked the Toyota Highlander hybrid as one of its Top 10 vehicles of 2006, a ranking which also includes reliability. Two other hybrids, the Lexus RX400h and the Honda Accord hybrid also received high marks.

Sure it is possible that the smaller production lines of these hybrid vehicles eases the ability to ensure their reliability. Moreover, the long term reliability of hybrids is still somewhat of question, since hybrids simply haven't been around long enough. Yet, first generation Prii and Honda Insight hybrids have proven to be reliable after several years.

While the long term reliability of the hybrid battery pack will remain a question for another decade, based upon current evidence hybrids appear extremely reliable. If the hybrid battery pack lasts the life of the vehicle, as many Toyota hybrid engineers believe, the long term value of hybrids has been significantly underestimated.

Are luxury hybrids worth it?

Soon Lexus will be offering two luxury hybrids

What's the point of hybrid cars? To many it's all about fuel efficiency as hybrids represent an answer to foreign oil dependency or less cost on fuel. To many others, however, hybrids are simply about the environment.

Hybrids, even luxury hybrids, significantly reduce automobile emissions and that is great for the environment.

Still, some owners of the Lexus RX400h hybrid have complained about fuel efficiency. In reality; however, the RX400h offers very fair fuel economy for the performance that it provides.

Does this fuel economy justify the extra cost? Probably not. Yet, if fuel economy is your primary concern, why are you buying a luxury, performance-orientated vehicle?

The truth is, the Lexus RX400h is an "excellent" vehicle according to Consumer Reports. For the level of performance, the RX400h provides very good fuel economy. More important, the Lexus RX400h protects the environment and invests in hybrid technology. Eventually, this hybrid investment will lead to greater fuel economy in luxury hybrid vehicles.

Performance hybrids such as the Lexus RX400h and the upcoming Lexus GS450h hybrid sedan were not designed to save money at the gas pump. If you want to save money at the gas pump, then you buy a Toyota Prius or a Honda Civic hybrid.

While I'm not a huge fan of performance hybrids because foreign oil dependency is an important concern for me, I still appreciate these hybrids. Inevitably, an investment in any hybrid will lead to better, more fuel efficient hybrid technology for all hybrids, including luxury hybrid vehicles.

For luxury vehicle buyers, I give Lexus hybrids two thumbs up, way up.

Two hybrids in Consumer Reports Top 10

Prius and Highlander picked by Consumer Reports

Toyota's hybrid cars did very well in Consumer Reports Top Picks for 2006. The Toyota Highlander hybrid was the best Mid-sized SUV costing more than $30,000. Only the hybrid Highlander and the Lexus RX400h hybrid received "Excellent" scores in Consumer Report's Testing (more).

The Toyota Prius won the Green Car award for the third year in a row and is a good alternative to a mid-sized sedan, noted Consumer Reports. Only 4% of Prius owners reported serious problems, topping the customer satisfaction survey.

Pricing on the Lexus 450h announced

Lexus GS 450h will start at $54,900.00.

The 2007 Lexus GS 450h hybrid sedan will come loaded with premium features and hit dealerships sometime in May. The GS is said to achieve 28 mpg, a 33 percent increase in fuel efficiency over the conventional V8 GS. (Car & Driver)

More hybrid vehicles.

Camry hybrid: How hot will it be?

Could the Camry hybrid challenge the Prius?

The Toyota Camry hybrid is months away from going on sale and the price still hasn't been officially released. Yet, dealers are already taking orders on Toyota's newest hybrid.

Now, this isn't that unusual in the world of hybrid cars. Preorders were also common on the Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h before they were officially launched. Yet, the sales hype behind both the Highlander and the RX400h hybrids eventually waned a bit, especially compared to the Prius hybrid.

So, how will the Camry hybrid compare?

The Toyota Camry already owns a very loyal following. Will this core customer group drive Camry hybrid sales? Ultimately, that will probably depend on pricing, but current owners offer a huge, potential customer base.

Additionally, many potential hybrid buyers have complained that the Prius is just too small, otherwise they would have purchased the vehicle. Many of these potential customers have expressed strong interest in the Camry hybrid. Will this segment outnumber current Camry owners seeking an upgrade?

It's also possible that those putting down-payments on the first hybrid Camrys are simply hoping to lock in tax credits. As I blogged yesterday, Toyota hybrid tax credits will expire before the end of the year, so placing a down payment as quickly as possible isn't a bad idea.

One can be sure; however, that the entire auto industry will be nervously watching the launch of the Camry hybrid. If the hybrid Camry is as popular as the Prius hybrid, the hybrid revolution will reach critical mass much sooner than anyone is expecting. If this happens, competitors beware, for only Honda is positioned to face this challenge.

Even Toyota might not be ready for such acceptance, so I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota prices the Camry hybrid fairly high simply so that it can adequately supply demand - at least in the short term. Until the hybrid supply chain is a little more robust, Toyota just might not have much choice, although I'd love be wrong.

Washington Post rips hybrid's HOV access

I try to not get too involved in politics. When push comes to shove, it takes a lot of money to be successfully elected to higher office, and almost as soon as a politician is elected, they are already thinking about their reelection. Thus, I think politics - on both sides of the aisle - are about money. As a result I have little faith in either party and am a registered Independent.

Nonetheless, I thought the Washington Post was a liberal paper, but I guess not when it comes to hybrid cars, the environment, or foreign oil dependency.

Since Sunday the paper has taken an agenda against hybrid cars and HOV lane access. On Sunday, the Post printed an editorial calling for the end of HOV lane access for hybrids because "As plenty of the region's commuters know, hybrid vehicles are the main culprit in the ever-worsening traffic in the region's carpool lanes."

The Post points out that 22% of vehicles in the HOV lane are hybrids, which tops the 15% of illegal users also using the HOV lanes. Yet, does the Post care about the illegal users? No, only the hybrid vehicles, which the post states " Hybrids' environmental advantages have diminished as stricter federal rules have required gas-powered cars to have cleaner engines, starting with 2004 models."

So now the Post believes that current gasoline automobiles solve all of America's problems? According to the Post there is now no reason to worry about pollution, global warming, or foreign oil dependency?

I can't help but wonder what the editors at the Post drive, but I bet its BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. Gas-guzzling means nothing to this fine group of Americans because the cost of gasoline means nothing to people who make the kind of money editors for the Post make.

On a side note, I also wonder how many editors at the Post have children enlisted in the Military - I'd bet not many.

While I understand that hybrids might cause problems for HOV effectiveness and that is an issue worth addressing, to claim that hybrid's environmental impact is now insignificant because of new gasoline vehicles is a complete travesty - an absolute joke.

Yeah, all the gas-guzzlers idling in traffic everyday aren't really a problem anymore, at least not if they are 2004 or later models - as long as you aren't worried about the billions of barrels of oil they waste every year in traffic. And, oh yeah, in congestion even 2004 gasoline vehicles create significantly more pollution than hybrids, but who really ever drives in congestion? Don't we all drive 55 mph on the highway all the time?

So, hybrids are the problem, I mean they do make up almost 1% of all vehicle sales in America, isn't that already enough? Isn't that enough change for one lifetime? Haven't we almost solved global warming and foreign oil dependency already anyway?

I say if you care about the environment, if you care about foreign oil dependency, or if you care about obscene oil company profits, then you should toast the post. Cancel your subscription.

If everyone in America drove a hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius or the Honda Civic hybrid, foreign oil would not be needed. That's a goal worth striving for and it's far more important than HOV congestion - by far.

Yet, this isn't even an issue for the Post. How pathetic.

Maybe, just maybe, in the short term, the Post could focus on the 15% of illegal drivers in the HOV lane. How much money could be made by fining all of those drivers? Additionally, HOV traffic would be less than it was before hybrids if illegal users were punished and forced to stop using HOV lanes.

But that's not the point of the Post. Instead, let's not focus on people breaking the law, let's focus on hybrid cars - didn't you know, they are America's real problem.

A performance versus fuel efficiency 'switch' on Toyota hybrids

Hybrid fuel efficiency versus performance

A couple of days ago, as Phil Lebeau was doing a segment at the North American International Auto Show for CNBC, the fuel efficiency of hybrids came up. Mr. Lebeau noted that Toyota was investigating a 'switch' for its hybrid vehicles that would enable the driver to choose to be more fuel efficient, or to have more performance.

Currently, the Toyota Prius hybrid, the Highlander hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid have the ability to be more fuel efficient, but drivers would have to give up some horsepower for this better fuel efficiency.

In Toyota hybrids, the balance between horsepower versus fuel efficiency is largely controlled by software. Nonetheless, Mr. Lebeau noted that such a development might be pretty expensive. Today, Car and Driver mentioned this possibility, but added no further details.

The myth of hybrid car fuel economy

"Indeed, hybrids have increasingly faced sobering publicity about the "myth" of real-life fuel economy. Many drivers have reported to be disillusioned about underperforming the advertised mileage on their hybrids, which are most effective in stop-and-go city driving but help little on highways." CNN

To date, I've not heard one owner of a Toyota Prius hybrid or Honda Civic hybrid complain about their fuel mileage. Yes, I have heard complaints from Lexus RX400h owners, but the Lexus is a performance hybrid.

Still, I've talked dozens and dozens of Prius owners and the average fuel economy, combining both city and highway, is between 45 and 55 mpg. I've also talked to drivers that have achieve more than 60 mpg in some driving conditions.

In real world driving, what other vehicles are even coming close to that kind of fuel economy?

All kinds of conventional vehicles are not coming close to their EPA estimates, but their owners don't care, they didn't buy their car for fuel economy.

Sure some owners of hybrid cars are unhappy, but consumer satisfaction surveys demonstrate that just under 100% of the owners of the Toyota Prius, by far the best selling hybrid vehicle, would buy another Prius.

So, who are all these "disillusioned" drivers? Or, have a handful of drivers created this "myth" of disillusionment?

Hybrids, the Cobra, the Camero and the Detroit Auto Show

I've been watching CNBC's coverage of the Detroit Auto Show all day long, and I've been struck by one thing: the past versus the future.

Today, Toyota's buzz has revolved around one thing, the future and hybrid cars. This morning the Lexus LS460 hybrid was unveiled, but the real hype, the real excitement is around the launch of the new Toyota Camry hybrid. Now, not to be too biased, the launch of the new conventional Camry is also big news, but the hype around the future for Toyota is still hybrids.

On the other hand, much of the buzz for Ford and GM seems to revolve around the past, particularly around the Cobra and Camero muscle cars.

Now I know that Ford has the Escape hybrid and the Mariner hybrid, and GM will soon be launching its own hybrids, but the Detroit Show again demonstrates just how far ahead Toyota is pulling into the future.

And, regarding GM hybrids, some are even questioning 'how hybrid' GM hybrids are really going to be. "What GM is talking about in my book are not hybrids," said David Healy, an auto analyst with Burnham Securities. "These are trucks with humongous starter motors." (more)

What also struck me, unfortunately, was how much horsepower drives America, which clarifies why not only Ford and GM are hyping the Cobra and Camero, but why Toyota is hyping the Lexus LS460 hybrid.

Horsepower is even driving Toyota hybrids.

Phil Lebeau of CNBC noted how hybrids have become focused on horsepower as much as fuel efficiency. Therefore, the Toyota Highlander hybrid gives you V6 performance with V4 fuel efficiency, but the focus is not purely on fuel efficiency. In fact Mr. Lebeau noted that new hybrid batteries, combined with new micro-processors and software, offer hybrid vehicles the ability to be even more fuel efficient, but that efficiency would come at the expense of horsepower.

So, fuel efficiency isn't even the pure driver of hybrids, yet. If gas prices spike in the coming years, that might change; however, if a breakthrough in hybrid batteries occurs, it might not even matter. Such a breakthrough would afford hybrids the ability to offer significant horsepower coupled with unbelievable fuel efficiency.

While gasoline electric hybrids might not dominate the future before fuel cell electric hybrid vehicles, I wouldn't bet against them if I were an automaker. Since computer technology has essentially become the driver of hybrid success, betting against hybrids is like betting that computers don't have any room for improvement.

Hybrid car testimonials: Read others and add your own

Do you own a hybrid vehicle?

Have you added your experiences to our hybrid cars testimonials? What kind of gas mileage are you achieving with your hybrid? What else would you tell others that are interested in buying a hybrid?

Click on one of the links below to add your hybrid experiences.

Ford Escape Hybrid Testimonials
Honda Accord Hybrid Testimonials
Honda Civic Hybrid Testimonials
Honda Insight Hybrid Testimonials
Lexus RX 400h Hybrid Testimonials
Toyota Prius Testimonials
Toyota Highlander Hybrid Testimonials

Toyota Prius Hybrid Testimonials

I HAVE A 2005 PRIUS. ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 75 MPH, WITH THE AIR OFF, I GET 54.SOMETHING. IN TOWN I GET 46-47 MPG. THE CAR HAS 17000 MILES ON IT AND USES MOBIL 1 SYNTHETIC OIL. CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE IT A PLUG IN HYBRID.

THE WIFE HAS A 2005 CIVIC HYBRID,7000 MILES GETS 39 IN THE CITY 41-43 ON THE ROAD.

PUTTING IN A PHOTOVOLTIC SYSTEM TO POWER THE HOUSE ALSO WANT TO USE IT WHEN I CONVERT THE PRIUS TO A PLUG IN HYBRID.

JERR
_________________________________

My 2004 Prius gets an average of 46.7 mpg!

B. H.
_________________________________

On Prius wife is getting 48mpg in city, no idea on open road, we
don't go any place.

On Lexus RX400h, my car, with 91 octane, 24.6 in city, using 87
octane 21.9 in city. Almost happy with Lexus, very pleased with Prius.

W. K.
Palm Desert, CA
_________________________________

We drive Toyota Prius's. Mine is a 2001, hers is 2003. During the summer and winter when the AC or Heat is running I average 40mpg, she does a little better, 43mpg. In the spring and fall when we don't use AC or heat much our averages are better 45-50mpg. We work 2 jobs each. One job for both of us is 25 miles away, the other is 75 miles away. The closer jobs are about 45 mph range. The further jobs are 65 mph range, with which we get lower mpgs.

Happy Holidays,

B. B. & J. J.
_________________________________

I have a 2004 (Jan) Prius 30,000mi. I admit I am a little lead footed. My worst mileage for a tank was last winter 38MPG. The best was last spring 54MPG. Mostly though its 40 to 45 in winter, 48 to 52 in spring, summer & fall.

Art in the Northeast
_________________________________

Hello,

The gas mileage for our 2004 TOYOTA full loaded prius from the display screen is about 44 miles/gal city mileage. This is an interesting question for us because I used to calculate gas mileage when I am at the pump. With the display of TOYOTA, I simply take down the number it gives us.
Regards,
_________________________________

I have a 2004 Prius, which was bought in November of 2003. I believe it to have been the first Prius on the road in our county. It has made mostly area trips, but did take us to the Outer Banks of NC during the summer of 2004, and to Iowa in the spring of 2005. During the trip home from NC we did reach 60mph for a short time. Otherwise, we average about 46-48 mph in the colder weather and when using AC. During the rest of the year - spring and fall- we average about 49-50 mph. I absolutely love this car. It is fun to drive, has plenty of pep, and is very comfortable. We have had no problems with it, except for the original tires, which were probably cheap. I replaced them after about 25,000 miles. We have had folks follow us home to ask about the car! Now, however, there are several others in our area. We live in NE

P.A.
_________________________________

I drive locally, 4-6 50 mile roundtrips a week and 3-5 times a year longer
trips, putting on about 18,000 miles a year. My 2004 Prius averages 44 to
47 mpg.
_________________________________

My husband and I bought a Prius in June, 2005. Most of the driving has been in the city. The car is averaging 45 mpg. I just bought a 2005 Accord Hybrid. I have only driven in the city so far and am averaging 24 mpg.
_________________________________

Are you the owner of a Toyota Prius hybrid? Tell us about your experiences with the Prius hybrid. What kind of gas mileage do you get in your hybrid Prius and in what kind of driving?

Add your Toyota Prius hybrid testimonial.

More on the Prius.

Lexus RX400h hybrid testimonials

On Lexus RX400h, my car, with 91 octane, 24.6 in city, using 87 octane 21.9 in city. Almost happy with Lexus, very pleased with Prius.

W. K.
Palm Desert, CA
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I own the Lexus Hybrid & I am disappointed with the gas mileage. The EPA says 32 mpg Highway. & 28 city. I was told by the dealer that to expect about 30 highway. I average 24 MPG overall. If I just do highway I get about 21 MPG. The Boston Globe did a review on the Lexus & reached the same results. Now the dealer says that this is a vehicle for city driving. This auto is not worth the extra $10,000 over the 330. I am disappointed that Lexus still stands by the EPA estimate. Now Lexus is telling the dealers that the car will get better gas mileage after 15,000 miles. This is a rip-off to the consumers .
____________________

2006 LEXUS RX400h-----about 25 mpg but less in the cold weather-- mostly stop and go suburban driving

RICK in ILLINOIS

___________________________

Are you the owner of a Lexus RX400h hybrid? Tell us about your experiences with the RX400h hybrid. What kind of gas mileage do you get in your hybrid Lexus and in what kind of driving?

Add your Lexus RX400h hybrid testimonial.

More on the RX400h hybrid.

Hybrid car tax estimates for the 2006 Clean Vehicle Tax Credit

While the tax credits for hybrid cars have not been officially calculated by the IRS, ACEE has estimated what those credits should be by vehicle.

Ford Escape Hybrid = 2wd=$2600.00; 4wd=$1950.00
Honda Accord Hybrid = $650.00
Honda Civic Hybrid = Auto=$2100.00; Man=$1700.00
Honda Insight Hybrid = Auto=$1450.00
Lexus RX400h Hybrid = $2,200.00
Mercury Mariner Hybrid = $1950.00
Toyota Highlander Hybrid = 2wd=$2,600.00; 4wd=$2,200.00
Toyota Prius Hybrid = $3150.00

AutoWeek and Hybrids: Makes me wanna laugh

I know that AutoWeek is a horsepower magazine and that many of their fans are the American-made, period, type of crowd. Still, sometimes the magazine is just plain silly.

I've noted in the past that any time a hybrid graces the cover of their website, it also includes some sort of negative caveat. Currently, things are slightly different this time on the home page of their website which includes a story about the Honda Accord hybrid.

"At $1.50 a gallon for gas, few Americans seemed to care about fuel economy, but how quickly apathy turns into concern when prices reach $3 per gallon. Suddenly, the word "hybrid" is on every lip. So the funny thing is, actual owners of hybrids - those who responded to our AutoFile survey on the Honda Accord Hybrid - seem to defy any real monetary motivation in their purchase decisions."

No, actually it isn't that funny. The funny thing is the way that AutoWeek plays dumb.

There are different kinds of hybrids vehicles. For example, Toyota hybrids, such as the Prius and Highlander hybrid, and Ford's hybrids, such as the Escape hybrid, are quite different than either Honda or Lexus hybrids.

Honda's hybrid technology increases fuel efficiency on the highway, where as Ford and Toyota achieve their best performance in the city. Ford and Toyota hybrids have the ability to function on just electric power during congestion and stop-and-go traffic, the same conditions that make conventional vehicles - even Honda hybrids - perform their worse. This is set to change with the upcoming second generation Civic hybrid, which will act more like Toyota and Ford hybrids. Still, there is a vast difference between Toyota and Honda hybrids.

The Accord hybrid, like the Lexus RX400h hybrid, is a performance hybrid. Sure the Lexus hybrid still offers excellent fuel efficiency in congestion compared to the conventional version, but it was not built for fuel efficiency, it was built for performance.

Both the RX400h hybrid and the Accord hybrid are about a second faster from 0 to 60 than their conventional counterparts, yet they achieve this performance while also achieving better fuel efficiency than their conventional counterparts. Of course, the RX400h excels at urban driving, while the Accord hybrid excels at highway driving. Nonetheless, you don't buy either one of these vehicles because you are on a budget trying to save money on gas.

Thus, contrary to AutoWeek, classifying the owners of the Accord hybrid with owners of the Prius hybrid, for example, is just plain silly. They are not hybrid owners from the same tree. So, why does AutoWeek do it? Is it because Forum members of AutoWeek are offended that some hybrid owners question their gas guzzling, so this article makes hybrid owners seem confused and silly?

I don't have the answer, but I know that AutoWeek knows fully well that comparing the Accord hybrid to the Prius hybrid is about as effective as comparing apples to oranges - they are fundamentally different. So, I can only guess that this appeals to their core audience - the hybrids just don't really makes sense audience.

Ultimately, there are different kinds of hybrids and consumers buy for them for many different reasons. Perhaps, one common thread of hybrid buyers is that hybrid consumers believe that buying hybrids sends a message to the auto industry that fuel efficiency is important, especially in light of the problems that foreign oil dependency so obviously has caused and continues to cause to America.

Let's be real, even Bill Ford believes that foreign oil dependency is important for America.

Hybrid vehicles, such as the Engima, and other experimental hybrids demonstrate that hybrid technology can lead to unbelievable gains in fuel efficiency and performance - something to which AutoWeek should be able to relate.

Until then, sometimes when I read AutoWeek, I guess all I can do is laugh.

My Toyota Highlander hybrid test review

A couple of weeks ago, on one of my routine hybrid vehicle shopping trips, I noted how hard it was to find not only the Toyota Prius hybrid, but the Highlander hybrid as well. Thus, I put my name on a second list to be contacted when a Highlander hybrid arrived, as the first list hadn't provided any results. Yesterday morning I was finally contacted.

Now I'm not much of an SUV fan because I just don't see them as very efficient, but my wife is more open-minded. While a Prius serves the needs of our family of four just fine, my wife is interested in something that can seat a few cousins to join us on our weekend excursions. Since I will only buy hybrid vehicles, the Highlander hybrid seemed like a good choice. Besides I needed to review the Highlander hybrid for the Soultek Hybrid Car Club.

Well, the Highlander hybrid not only exceeded my expectations, but my needs as well.

Since the hybrid Highlander is a hot seller, dealers just take whatever they are given, but I am only interested in the base model, which runs around $34,000. The only available model at my dealer; however, was a fully loaded Hybrid Highlander, minus the navigation system. Thus, I was looking at a sticker price of $41,000 and some change.

This loaded 4WD hybrid SUV was beautiful inside and out, but $30,000 is more than I want to pay for any vehicle, and over $40,000, that's just not going to happen. Still, if you are looking for a loaded hybrid, or a luxury hybrid, don't limit yourself to just the Lexus RX400h, a loaded Highlander hybrid is a worthy competitor.

Like the Ford Escape hybrid and unlike the Prius hybrid, starting and shifting the Highlander hybrid is pretty much the same as a conventional vehicle, except for the beautiful silence.

Anyway, I only took the Highlander out for a short 3 mile test drive that included a stretch of freeway and this hybrid zoomed along and was much quieter than I anticipated - some have complained about the loudness of the hybrid drive. Perhaps I'm not as critical, but I had no such complaints and I thought the vehicle performed very well.

This Highlander came with a towing package, which made me wonder about its performance when towing. Rumor has it that the Highlander will loose both power and fuel efficiency when towing long distances.

Ultimately, if you are looking for a hybrid SUV, the Highlander hybrid is an absolutely fantastic vehicle, but it might cause a little sticker shock. Additionally,the Highlander hybrid offers 3rd row seating, unlike the Escape hybrid, which puts the Highlander hybrid in a class of its own.

As for me; however, the cousins are going to have to find their own ride - at least for now.

Third generation Toyota Prius in 2008?

The king of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius, will offer a third generation hybrid drive for the 2008 model according to reports from Japan. Additionally, the new drive will also be included in the rest of Toyota's hybrids as well, such as the Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400h, and the soon-to-be-released Camry hybrid.

According to one report, the new hybrid drive will offer new batteries that will be lighter than the current generation and will offer greater performance. The second generation Prius provided a significant increase in performance compared to the first generation, increasing battery power by 1.5 times. Thus far it has been stated that the new drive, "will cut prices for eco-friendly vehicles, reduce fuel costs and slash production expenses, company sources said."

Many analysts have noted that soon hybrid batteries will move from NiMH batteries to lithium-ion, but it has not been reported if this change will occur in time for the third generation Toyota hybrid drive.

Nonetheless, this could put Toyota far above the hybrid pack. By the time GM's hybrid program kicks into gear, Toyota will increase the fuel efficiency of their hybrids, while also offering better performance, and cheaper prices. Preliminary reports note that Toyota hybrid costs could be halved by this development.

At that pace, the fourth generation hybrid could possibly achieve prices in the same range as conventional vehicles, but offering significant gains in fuel efficiency. Imagine being able to buy either buy a 30 mpg conventional vehicle or a 60 mpg hybrid version for the same price.

Which would you buy?

Ford answers hybrid concerns

Just a couple of weeks ago, Ford's head of hybrid vehicles program resigned (more). Amidst the financial restructuring that Ford is exploring, many wondered whether the axe was coming down on Ford's hybrids, thus resulting in this resignation.

Today, Ford, which makes the Ford Escape hybrid and the Mercury Mariner hybrid, announced that its hybrid plans had not changed and that Ford was moving forward with its plan to make 250,000 hybrids by 2010.

Still, it isn't hard to speculate as to whether Ford is really serious about hybrids. By 2010, there is a very good chance that Toyota will sell as many, or even more, than a million hybrids.

Currently, Toyota is selling 3 hybrids, the Toyota Prius, the Highlander Hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h. Soon, Toyota will add the Camry hybrid and a Lexus GS model won't be far behind. Additionally, work on the Toyota Tundra hybrid has already begun and who knows what else Toyota has up its sleeve, such as a hybrid minivan.

In terms of production capability, Toyota could climb several years ahead of Ford by 2010. Then, Ford won't be just competing with Toyota and Honda, but GM, Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and more.

Ford's hybrid plan will enable them to compete in the hybrid market in 2010, but their current plan won't let them keep the leadership role they currently maintain into 2010.

New Lexus RX400h hybrid pricing

Lexus has announced that it will offer two versions of the Lexus RX400h, starting in late December according to a company press release. Currently, the Lexus RX400h is offered only as an All Wheel Drive (AWD) version, but production has already started on a Front Wheel Drive version. FWD RX400h pricing will start at $44,660. Additionally, pricing for the AWD RX400h is going to drop to $46,060 because the DVD navigation system with a rear camera will now be optional.

In a related news story, Toyota announced that it might build more hybrid cars in North America and the Lexus RX400h is a prime contender according to Autoweek.

Are Toyota hybrid truck plans an opportunity for GM hybrids?

Sure GM offers a mild hybrid, but the Silverado hybrid truck barely offers any gains in fuel economy. Really, the best thing about the Chevy hybrid is the ability to plug some tools into the standard electric outlets it offers.

By 2007; however, GM should offer much better hybrid trucks - in terms of fuel efficiency. Of course, so to will the king of hybrid vehicles, Toyota.

Offering the best selling Prius, Toyota sells far more hybrids than any other automaker, but Toyota also sells two hybrid SUVs, the Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h, but what about hybrid trucks?

Currently, Toyota is working on a feasibility study to determine if a Toyota Tundra hybrid can meet consumer demands. According to AutoWeek, because "many truck owners require their vehicles to tow or haul heavy loads over long distances. Hybrid battery power is nearly useless in that aspect. As a result, a pickup cannot scrimp on engine displacement without sacrificing towing performance. That hurts fuel economy, the main benefit of a hybrid."

Only time will tell if Toyota can overcome this issue. For many hybrid truck consumers, towing might be a non-issue, but this could be an area for GM to capitalize. GM's dual-mode hybrid will not rely as much on batteries as much as Toyota hybrids. Thus, GM trucks will not face these towing problems; however, GM trucks might not be as fuel efficient as Toyota trucks. Nonetheless, the hybrid truck segment could offer GM a real window of opportunity.

In addition to Toyota, Ford hybrids, such as the Escape hybrid, or the Mercury Mariner hybrid, also use a powertrain very similar to Toyota, which means that Ford will also face many of the same towing issues as Toyota with Ford hybrid trucks.

Trucks are a huge market in the U.S. and a top selling hybrid truck could be a real winner for GM. I expect the marketing hype to really begin to heat up around this market segment towards the end of 2006, early 2007.

Top 3 Reasons to buy a hybrid car

To save money

O.K. this isn't the best reason to buy a hybrid, but it isn't as impossible as many critics would have you believe. If you live in a city, hybrid cars offer the best ability to save money on gasoline; however, not all hybrids are equal in city driving.

Honda hybrids are not the best for city conditions. Unlike Ford and Toyota hybrids, Honda hybrids do not function on electric power only at low speeds.

In city driving, the Toyota Prius can easily achieve 45 mpg or more. Something like the Ford Focus, achieves just 17 mpg. In fact, in the city, the far majority of ALL conventional vehicles are going to achieve less than 20 mpg. Even worse, many trucks and SUVs will achieve less than 10 mpg in the city. Here again, the Toyota Highlander hybrid or the Ford Escape hybrid offer their best gasoline savings. The Lexus RX400h does its best here as well, but who buys a Lexus to save money?

To reduce pollution

Pollution, like fuel economy, is a tricky subject. For example, why does smog develop in cities? Is it just because of the large number of cars, or are driving conditions an important factor?

Congestion, stop-and-go, and idling bring out the worst in our vehicles, except for hybrids. A Prius or Escape hybrid will function on mostly electric power in these conditions, and in these conditions, conventional vehicles simply offer no competition. Overall, hybrids produce far less pollution than conventional vehicles, and in the conditions that produce the most pollution, hybrids perform their best.

To help end foreign oil dependency

Why do people buy Hummers, Cadillacs, and BMWs? Why do people put rims on their cars? Don't they want to make a statement?

For many hybrid buyers, buying a hybrid is a message that says, 'I am willing to fund fuel efficient technology.' This message is especially aimed at automakers whom have contributed to America's yearly increase in foreign oil consumption - automakers that have for decades successfully lobbied Congress not to raise fuel efficiency standards nor to make the EPA accurate.

How do you put a cost on foreign oil consumption? How much does it cost to maintain a military presence in the Middle East to protect America's oil addiction? How much money does it cost to influence the politics of the Middle East? How much money does it cost to try to stop the flow of money that moves from oil into the hands of terrorists?

How much? How many lives?

If the real costs of foreign oil dependency were added into the price of gasoline, the question of hybrid costs would immediately be over. Since oil wealth largely runs America, should we be surprised those costs are separated?

Only in America can Hummer ads fill the advertising slots of articles criticizing the costs of hybrid cars. Only in America is materialistic ignorance more acceptable than intelligence.

Ford not interested in hybrid trucks?

Ford's green push into hybrid cars is not going to include F-Series trucks according to the Detroit News. Already Ford offers the Escape hybrid and a few Mariner hybrids, but hybrid SUVS are the easiest hybrids to find.

Toyota offers the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid.

While I am happy that Ford is also going to focus its hybrid efforts on sedans and other cars, why not trucks? Giving that product segment to Toyota seems to be the dumbest move Ford could make.

Today's Top Hybrid News Stories

For a few months, Ford has been making two announcements about hybrid cars. First, that it is going to boost hybrid car production. A new report states that Ford will offer hybrid versions in half of its Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles. Still, the total production will total only 250,000 vehicles by 2010 - less hybrids vehicles than Toyota will sell this year alone. (More)

Second, Ford executives are again blaming Toyota for a shortage in hybrid vehicle parts due to "predatory" activities by some Japanese automakers. (More)

I really wish Ford would shut up regarding the lack of hybrid parts. Every Prius, Highlander hybrid, and Lexus RX400h consumer has been affected by this lack of parts. This is a struggle for all hybrid manufacturers.

Had Ford been more bullish regarding hybrid technology several years ago - as bullish as Toyota - this would be a non-issue. The Ford Escape hybrid is a great vehicle, but Ford is still years behind Toyota.

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If you didn't follow the Frankfurt autoshow, AutoWeek has put together a "smattering of hybrids shown at the Frankfurt motor show." (more)

RE: Challenges ahead for Toyota hybrids

Challenges in the hybrid space are not for Toyota, the real challenges belong to Toyota's hybrid competitors

The coolest thing about the article Challenges ahead for Toyota hybrids was the statement, "With Hurricane Katrina pushing American gas pump prices above $3 a gallon, Toyota Motor may find itself yet again in the right place at the right time, with a new, half-mile-long assembly line capable of producing gasoline-electric hybrid Prius cars at the rate of one a minute."

The rest of the article isn't bad, but the title is just wrong. What challenges, exactly, is Toyota facing?

First, an "increasingly competitive marketplace may prove to be the biggest for Toyota." The article argues that it isn't necessarily the competition, but the nature of tax credits that will cause the headache for Toyota by helping the competition. Ultimately, each manufacturer is only allowed 60,000 tax credits. Obviously, Toyota will run out of credits almost immediately, and this is seen a challenge to Toyota and a benefit to the competition.

Still, while the tax credits are a bit unfair, is this really a problem?

If each automaker, aside from Toyota, is only interested in selling 60,000 hybrid cars, then hybrids are already dead. Quite simply, this is a non-issue. With or without tax incentives, the Toyota Prius hybrid, for example, is a great vehicle at a reasonable price. The same should be true for the soon-to-be-released second generation Honda Civic hybrid. These vehicles will sell, regardless of tax credits, and the challenge will be for Ford, GM and Chrysler to compete against these products.

Hybrid SUVs, on the other hand, such as the Ford Escape hybrid or the Toyota Highlander hybrid, are questionable buys in terms of cost. Tax credits definitely help close the deal on these first generation, expensive hybrid vehicles. Nonetheless, it is the cost of hybrid components that elevates the price of these hybrids. As more and more hybrid vehicles are developed - by all manufacturers - the costs of these components will be reduced. More important, hybrid components will become more fuel efficient and powerful, offsetting more and more the price of hybrids.

Second, the Times questions consumers' willingness to buy hybrid vehicles that aren't as fuel efficient as expected and that fall "short of federal economy ratings".

HMMMM. Yesterday, AAA lobbied Congress to make EPA fuel economy ratings more accurate (more). Was this because the EPA does such a bad job of predicting hybrid car fuel efficiency?

NOOOOOOO!!!!!

This was because, ALL VEHICLES DO NOT MEET EPA FUEL ECONOMY RATINGS, which is a big problem in terms of foreign oil dependency. Consumers need to know the truth.

One of the biggest problems with the EPA is that it assumes that most drivers do the majority of their driving at 55 mpg on wide open highways. Anyone that lives near LA, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Boston, etc, knows that 55 mph driving is a rare luxury, not the norm.

Conventional vehicles not only achieve far less than their EPA fuel economy ratings, they also pollute far more in the conditions of day to day urban driving. On the contrary, hybrids - even the much criticized Lexus RX400h - achieve their best fuel economy while emitting the fewest pollutants in these same conditions. In actuality, studies have shown that most vehicles - NOT HYBRIDS - achieve about 20 to 30 percent less fuel efficiency than the EPA estimates.

In real world driving for a majority of Americans, hybrids are much more fuel efficient than conventional automobiles, PERIOD.

I'd say Toyota is facing the fewest challenges when it comes to hybrids. If Toyota hybrids aren't successful, then hybrids - by all manufacturers - will not be successful. Toyota has already faced the toughest challenges, challenges which GM, Chrysler, and BMW have yet to face.

Honda Civic Hybrid Expectations

Honda. Honda is the most fuel efficient and green automaker in the world. PERIOD.

Yes, Toyota has the best selling Prius hybrid car, but Toyota also offers a number of very fuel inefficient automobiles. Nonetheless, Toyota is the second greenest automaker and is taking the automotive world by storm with its Hybrid Synergy Drive, which Toyota has added to the Highlander hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and is about to add to the Camry hybrid.

So what has happened to Honda hybrid cars?

While Honda was a hybrid car leader, Honda Corporation did not accurately assess the importance of the hybrid car market.

For example, the Honda Insight Hybrid is and always will be a niche vehicle. The Honda Accord hybrid is a performance hybrid, not a hybrid designed for fuel efficiency. The Honda Civic, on the other hand, has always been a fuel efficient automobile. Still, in terms of hybrid efficiency, the Civic hybrid just isn't up to the same level as the Prius hybrid.

Well, all that could change with the new Civic hybrid.

According to MotorTrend the new Civic hybrid "features a 1.3 litre inline-four engine that employees Honda's intelligent Variable Valve Time and Life Electronic Control (VTEC) system to provide three stages of valve timing (low-rpm, highrpm and cylinder-idle mode) combined with a significantly more compact and efficient Honda Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system."

So what you might ask? Well, according to Honda, the 2006 Civic hybrid should offer "significant improvements in both performance and fuel economy over a similarly equipped 2005 Civic hybrid." Thus, the Civic hybrid could become a serious competitor of the Prius hybrid.

As for me, I can't wait to test drive the Civic hybrid. Hopefully, it will spring Honda back into the role of a hybrid vehicle leader, while creating real competition for the role of hybrid leader.

California's hybrid vehicle carpool lane policy

Last Friday I called California's carpool lane status for hybrid cars "hype" (more). Today the LATimes added to that hype when it announced that California will only be giving hybrid status to 3 vehicles, the Honda Civic hybrid, the Honda Insight, and the Toyota Prius hybrid. Of course this caused angst for Ford.

"The U.S. Congress determined the formula for hybrid vehicles in [carpool] lanes with single occupants, and in that law, the Ford Escape hybrid is equal to the Toyota Prius," said Mike Moran, a spokesman for Ford Motor Co. in Washington, D.C.

Boohoo, Mike.

First, giving carpool lane status to hybrid vehicles as a fuel efficiency incentive was simply a lazy plan by Congress, and more fuel for hybrid haters. Why not just raise fuel efficiency standards? Using the carpool lane to help fight foreign oil dependency can only be called one thing, a joke. It's like using a band-aid to cure a severed artery.

Second, California is only planning on giving the carpool lane exemption to 75,000 total vehicles. Within a year all of the hybrid exemptions will be gone, so the whole move really has limited impact.

For argument's sake, California is trying to clean the air and that is why other hybrids, such as the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, or the Lexus RX400h were not included. While these hybrids offer improved fuel efficiency and much less pollution than their conventional counterparts, they are not as fuel efficient as the leaders. With only a limited number of exceptions available, the greatest impact had to be the priority.

Vehicles, such as the Prius hybrid and Civic hybrid offer the kind of fuel efficiency that can end foreign oil dependency. Yes, hybrid SUVs are better than conventional SUVs, but they aren't 'there' yet. Ultimately, while hybrid technology can significantly improve fuel efficiency, it can also significantly improve performance, such as with the Accord hybrid and the Lexus RX400h. That is not the trend to be supported.

In the future hybrid SUVs could become as efficient as today's Prius. A few software tweeks here and a new hybrid battery development there and today's hybrid SUVs might achieve 45 mpg in their next generation.

Nonetheless, the point is that the hybrid carpool lane exemption is nothing but hype, as are the clean vehicle tax credits. Once again Congress is protecting the status quo, while offering a few 'token' programs - programs that taxpayers, not automakers - are funding.

The real focus should be on the fact that oil topped $67.00 per barrel for a number of reasons, including oil refinery problems (more). Moreover, according to a new poll, two-thirds of those surveyed said that rising gas costs were going to create a "financial burden" within the next few months.

Let's just hope terrorists don't watch the news. It's pretty obvious that choking America's oil supply would cause significant problems to the American economy, and doing that wouldn't be very hard.

Good thing Congress is taking the issue so seriously. They're the biggest joke of all - is it really any wonder so many Americans have given up on voting?

Re: Ford Slams Toyota on Hybrids

According to the Detroit News, Ford is blaming Toyota for its limited supply of hybrid vehicles.

Please. It turns out Ford is having trouble securing enough hybrid transmissions. Hmmm, sounds sort of like the same problem that caused lengthy waiting lists for the Toyota Prius hybrid, and also pushed back the release of both the Toyota Highlander hybrid and the Lexus RX400h hybrid.

In truth, Toyota has had and is still having problems getting enough hybrid parts.

While the Ford Escape hybrid was the first hybrid SUV, Ford has not been nearly as serious for nearly as long as Toyota when it comes to hybrids. Thus, Ford has used the supply network that Toyota and Honda, the other hybrid leader, created.

Ultimately, Ford must develop its own suppliers for hybrid parts, which it hopes to do with Delphi. The fact this development has not yet occurred isn't the fault of Toyota, but of Ford.

In the world of hybrids there is real news and there is marketing hype, this story is just marketing hype. The only good thing about this story is what appears to be Ford's growing commitment to hybrids.

Toyota's 10 new hybrids and their critics

Yesterday, several newspapers ran articles updating the fact that Toyota wants to sell 1,000,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide next decade and that it was working on 10 new hybrids. Really, this isn't new news. Toyota has been saying this for a few years, but I guess people are actually starting to believe them now.

Still, there is incredible hybrid hate in the automotive world. Critics chime that hybrids aren't as efficient as EPA numbers. Of course, essentially all cars aren't as efficient as the EPA suggests - many are actually 35% less fuel efficient than EPA estimates. Of course these critics never acknowledge that fact. For an example, read my post NYTimes Rips Lexus RX400h hybrid.

These critics act as if hybrid technology's potential has been tapped out, when it is only just emerging. Obviously these critics probably thought computers, cell phones, e-mail, and the Internet were also hype.

Nonetheless, Toyota definitely faces an uphill battle. Even though gas prices continue to rise, the cost difference between hybrids and conventional vehicles is a difficult barrier for the average car buyer to overcome. That's why the Toyota Prius has been so successful, it's unique and buyers can't compare the price to a conventional Prius.

Hybrid vehicles, such as the Ford Escape hybrid or the Toyota Highlander hybrid, will always have limited sales potential, even if it only takes 3 years to recover the additional costs versus a conventional Escape or Highlander. Americans just don't have patience or long term vision.

Ultimately, a couple of those 10 new hybrids must be unique vehicles, or the price gap must be made significantly smaller, for Toyota to achieve its goals. Of course, if gas prices continue to rise, all bets are off, and forecasts of 25% of the market might turn into 50% of the market.

I wonder, are hybrid critics more content with the Big 3's fuel efficiency developments. HMMM?

For more on hybrid cars and the EPA, read Hybrid cars and EPA estimates: This is War

NYTimes Rips Lexus RX400h hybrid

In a new article NYTimes writer, JEFF SABATINI, rips on the Lexus RX400h hybrid because it provided few gains in fuel efficiency on his test drive. While a valid criticism, Mr. Sabatini, also acknowledges that hybrid vehicles do their best in city driving, yet Mr. Sabatini's test drives took place on highway drives of several hundred miles.

Mr.Sabatini also states, "But the government's testing procedure (for fuel economy) has a habit - one that seems to be exaggerated with hybrids." Actually, if Mr. Sabatini were being fair, he would have to acknowledge that essentially ALL vehicles fail to meet EPA fuel efficiency ratings. More important, as hybrids do less well on the highway, conventional vehicles do less well in the city.

In fact, Detroit lobbied the government NOT to allow the EPA to revise its testing methodologies, which consumer groups claim inflate conventional vehicle fuel efficiency as much as 35 percent. (Read more)

If Mr. Sabatini had spent a few days fighting Chicago traffic -as millions do everyday - the Lexus hybrid would have made significantly greater gains in fuel efficiency versus the conventional Lexus. Even more important, if Mr. Sabatini were to drive a Hummer, Escalade, Explorer, Escape or Suburban in the same Chicago traffic, each vehicle would have achieved far less than their EPA estimates - not to mention emitting far more pollution.

Obviously Mr. Sabatini had too much of an axe to grind to be fair or objective. He even goes out of his way to suggest that Toyota isn't as green as portrayed.

Perhaps not, yet Toyota is still greener than Ford, GM, and Chrysler. In fact, only Honda is more green. Number 2 isn't good enough?

Moreover, until millions of hybrids are sold, their sales will have little affect on foreign oil dependency or in cleaning the air. Thus, hybrids could be called a work in progress, and new hybrid batteries offer the potential for huge gains in efficiency. Witness the evolution of the first generation Toyota Prius to the second generation Prius.

Finally, we're talking about a Lexus here, right? People don't buy a Lexus solely because they are trying to save the planet, so let's be real. Nonetheless, buying a hybrid Lexus today could lead to more fuel efficient luxury hybrids tomorrow as the technology evolves.

That is the potential of this emerging technology. Isn't that the real point of the Lexus RX400h?

AutoWeek editors hate hybrid cars

Check out the homepage of autoweek where the main story is on the Lexus RX400h hybrid, and the caption states, "Most of my driving was on the highway, so this fuel mileage number would be disappointing if I owned this. Maybe the excessive heat this weekend had something to do with it; the engine rarely shut off. When I drove this at the launch we actually motored around parking lots at slow speed on the electric motor alone. The steering seemed off on this car, heavy with a pretty bad feel. This car also had a hard time on the grooved freeway pavement, jumping all over."

Yet, if you read the whole article, another AutoWeek test driver really liked the Lexus hybrid.

Every time that Autoweek puts a hybrid vehicle on its cover, it focuses only on negatives, yet it can put the H3 on the cover and only find reasons for praise. Obviously, AutoWeek has an agenda and is not an objective company.

How can AutoWeek justify its smear campaign of hybrid cars? Obviously anything objective might offend advertisers.

AutoWeek is definitely not the place to go for objective automotive research. If you are interested in objective automotive research, especially regarding hybrids, don't waste your time with the hacks at AutoWeek. The blatant bias of their editorial staff is simply unprofessional and unacceptable.

The H3 and Hybrid SUVs: Helping or hating?

Environmentalists hate SUVs, and there are few vehicles that draw more green anger than the Hummer. While the new H3 has been downsized, one still has to ask, "What's the point?" Recently I skimmed a USA Today article that questioned the real functionality of the H3, but still noted that it makes quite a statement.

Is that what Americans should be proud of, making a statement? And what does that statement really say? I am materialistic, I am rich, I should be envied, or I am so cool because I bought a vehicle lacking any common sense in the modern world? Screw high gas prices, screw foreign oil dependency, screw terrorism, I don't have to worry about those things because I'm cool and rich.

Right on brother.

Many might extend this line of thinking to SUVs as well, but at least hybrid SUVs utilize the cutting edge of fuel efficient technology. Unfortunately, Americans simply cannot give up the 'big is better' belief. While the H3 does nothing to help balance this problem, hybrid vehicles, such as the Ford Escape hybrid, the Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h offer technological hope.

Hybrid SUVs make a statement that says 'I want to help'. The H3 screams, 'I don't care!'

Honda is high on natural gas

Before I rip on Honda, let me start out by acknowledging that Honda is the greenest auto company in the world, and they deserve kudos. Additionally, they produce excellent vehicles, and the Honda Civic GX is the cleanest vehicle on the road and it doesn't depend on foreign oil. Nonetheless, natural gas vehicles are not going to take over the American automarket, and anybody who thinks they will is just plain silly.

Thus, John Mendel, senior vice president of automobile operations of American Honda Motor Co., seems to have inhaled a few too many natural gas fumes. "We'll do hybrids as it makes sense, but I do not think they are the best solution. Right now hybrids don't make sense economically," Mandel was recently quoted as saying as he expressed his vision that natural gas vehicles are more important than hybrid vehicles.

I don't even know where to start on this one. First, natural gas simply isn't going to replace gasoline as the new energy infrastructure. The savings simply are not that great, and while Honda can sell home fueling systems, most consumers simply are not going to buy into the concept.

Second, while natural gas vehicles do offer independence from foreign oil, and burn cleaner than gasoline vehicles, new technologies - particularly hybrid vehicles - could easily outweigh every positive aspect of natural gas vehicles. One significant upgrade in hybrid batteries ends natural gas's cost effectiveness. Two upgrades and, well, you get the point.

Third, the hydrogen economy is the future. While it will probably take a few decades to achieve it, the hydrogen economy will be built upon fuel cells and those fuel cells will work in coordination with batteries. The hybrid powertrain can evolve into fuel cell-electric vehicles and help move the world entirely from fossil fuels. Natural gas is a fossil fuel.

Fourth, Mandel states, "you can use the car pool lane (in California)." Yes you can in the short term, but don't expect this privilege to last, if sales start numbering in the 1000's.

Additionally, if natural gas capabilities were to be added to trucks and SUVs, or even cars, which demand greater horsepower, the lure of natural gas begins to tarnish rather quickly. In terms of the future natural gas is already dead. In reality, the most interesting natural gas vehicle would be a natural gas-electric hybrid vehicle.

So, what is Honda's deal? I don't know. While Honda has been much more bullish on hybrids than the Big 3, they are still far behind Toyota. The Civic hybrid is a great vehicle, nothing flashy, but a quality vehicle. Still, in terms of hybrid technology, it really isn't Best of Breed. The Accord hybrid is the best Accord ever,but it also is a mediocre hybrid at best.

In terms of pure hybrid technology, Toyota and Ford stand above Honda. The Prius is simply the best hybrid vehicle. The Lexus RX400h, the Highlander hybrid, and the Escape hybrid demonstrate that very fuel efficient hybrid SUVs are possible - as more efficient batteries are developed. This, while frustrating for environmentalists, is simply an important aspect of the American automobile market.

Natural gas is a new fuel for a dying technology. While it offers great potential for fleets, it does not offer the same for the average consumer.

Hybrid technology, on the other hand, is a step towards the future, a future that can offer unlimited horsepower without foreign oil, without pollution. More important, hybrids can work within the current energy infrastructure and the technology can naturally, transparently accommodate fickle consumers afraid of change, as the industry adapts and evolves into the hydrogen highway.

Yes, hybrid technology is a bit expensive, but not as expensive as the first calculators, cellphones, and computers.

NY Times hybrid vehicle bias or ignorance?

I just finished reading the article, Hybrid Cars Burning Gas in the Drive for Power, published in yesterday's NY Times. What is it with journalists? Do they do any research, or do they just set out to make a point, whether it is founded in fact or not? It isn't very surprising when political journalists use bias, in fact, I expect it, but yellow journalism seems to be the norm in today's mainstream publications.

Anyway, the point of the article is to demonstrate how new hybrid vehicles are less about fuel efficiency and more about horsepower. To an extent this point is correct, which is why I was interested in the story. Nonetheless, the article ended up as a complete waste of time, as it focused almost entirely on comparing the Honda Accord hybrid to the conventional Accord. Please!?

Honda hybrids are just not in the same league as Toyota or Ford hybrids. The most important and innovative feature of Toyota and Ford hybrids is the ability to power their hybrids with electric power only. This means that an SUV, such as the Ford Escape hybrid, can sit in LA traffic using almost no gas and causing almost no pollution. Conventional vehicles, and even Honda hybrids, are least efficient and most polluting in these conditions.

While the Civic hybrid is a very fuel efficient vehicle, in city driving, it simply doesn't compare to the Prius hybrid.

The NYTimes is correct that new hybrids, such as the Toyota Highlander hybrid, the Lexus RX400h hybrid, and the upcoming Camry hybrid seem to be focused on horsepower as much as efficiency. Nevertheless, these vehicles do offer significant gains in both fuel efficiency and pollution compared to their conventional cousins, especially for urban drivers, or anyone whom drives in any type of congestion.

Yet, the Times doesn't even touch upon this distinction or point. This is important because while the Highlander hybrid or the Lexus RX400h hybrid could have been made more efficient if V4's, rather than V6 engines, were used, these vehicles still could become much more efficient - even with V6s - in their second, third and fourth generations. Ultimately, the electric motors of these vehicles, if coupled with more efficient batteries - which WILL be developed - could significantly increase their fuel efficiency with each new generation of hybrid battery, without losing any power.

When discussing HEVs, or hybrid electric vehicles, it is the electric components which are key, and Honda has invested the least in the electric portion of their current hybrid electric vehicles.

At this point in time, the only objective way to focus on the point of horsepower versus efficiency is to use either the Highlander hybrid or the Lexus RX400h. By using the Accord hybrid, the NY Times is either demonstrating a bias against hybrids, or just plain hybrid ignorance. Either case is inexcusable for such an esteemed publication.

If you are still confused about which hybrid is right for you, check out Soultek's Hybrid Buyer's Guide.

Consumer concerns of hybrid vehicles

In the past few weeks there have been a few interesting studies regarding hybrid vehicles. Last week, I mentioned the R. L. Polk & Co. study which found that 97 percent of consumers have heard of hybrid vehicles and 78 percent would consider buying one; however, cost would still limit the majority from taking such action.

Another study - if you can call it that - by Kelly Blue Book cited by Money notes that "a majority of consumers are skeptical of hybrid technology even though they feel that hybrid vehicles, which use electric motors in addition to gasoline engines, are likely the future for the American automobile."

So what is the cause of hybrid skepticism according to Kelley? "The two most important causes of consumer skepticism, according to the survey, were the potential costs of servicing a hybrid vehicle and maintenance over its lifetime."

Nonetheless, while Jack Nerad, the editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book, thinks that consumers still need convincing of the viability of hybrid cars, the supply of hybrids still trails demand.

More important, the 425 individuals comprising the Kelley survey, while somewhat skeptical of hybrid technology today, are still very optimistic for the future of hybrids. In fact most believe they will replace conventional vehicles.

Besides, change always brings fear, but there is little evidence - if any - to demonstrate that hybrid technology is anything but reliable. Recent studies of the Toyota Prius, for example, show that almost every Prius owner would buy another Prius.

Still, the early adopters of any technology always take some risk when helping to usher new technology into the mainstream. The success of the Toyota Prius; however, bodes well for all Toyota hybrids, as Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive is pretty much the same in the Prius, Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400h hybrid, and the not-to-far off Camry hybrid.

The Honda Civic hybrid also has a solid track record.

The Accord hybrid and the Ford Escape hybrid are very new to the market, but have been reliable thus far.

While the long term life of the hybrid battery is a justified concern for consumers, most hybrid batteries are guaranteed for 8 to 10 years. Yes, replacing the hybrid battery in 10 years could be expensive, but if hybrids continue to increase in popularity, hybrid battery production will also significantly increase. This will not only add to supply, but create better batteries, which could increase the value of older hybrids - making them more efficient - instead of decreasing their value.

Early adoption and risk go hand in hand, but risk can also offer unexpected rewards. For example, should terrorism ever lead to decreased reliability of foreign oil, the fuel savings of hybrids could instantly diminish all skepticism.

Hybrid hater contradictions

Last month I made a post titled, Edmunds.com's Senseless Hybrid Vehicle Cost Study, that questioned the data behind the Edmunds study. Ultimately, like the EPA, Edmunds uses data which doesn't correspond to the real world driving conditions of a huge percentage of Americans. In particular, assuming that all Americans drive 75% of the time at the speed limit on the highway, while driving just 25% of the time in city driving.

Anybody that commutes in Los Angeles, San Francisco - most of California - or New York, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and many, many other urban areas knows how ridiculous is that assumption. Congestion has become an American epidemic that most transportation scholars say - via real world data - is rapidly becoming much worse, even in far-out suburban and rural areas.

In these areas, hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius hybrid, can achieve unbelievable mileage - for those that care - almost entirely free from pollution. If every driver in America achieved Prius efficiency, the air would be drastically cleaner and foreign oil dependency would end.

Yet, American automakers continue to make their bread and butter off more expensive SUVs and trucks than the Prius. Still, Edmunds complains about the 'cost' of hybrid cars.

The costs? Doctors in Los Angeles insist that air pollution is killing people every day, as well as causing huge amounts of asthma and other respiratory problems. Yet pollution doesn't exist to these rocket scientists - paid by the polluter's advertisements.

Moreover, how many terrorist acts will it take for America to accept the cause and effects of foreign oil dependency? That doesn't cost?

Of course, every American isn't going to drive a vehicle the size of a Prius, and that is the beauty of hybrids. Hybrid technology is still just emerging, and the possibility of a SUV that achieves the same fuel efficiency and pollution reductions as the Prius is almost here.

Is the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, or the Lexus RX400h hybrid there yet? No, but just one significant battery development could make it happen.

Ultimately, the most pathetic of the contradictions is that we shouldn't waste our time with hybrid costs to focus on fuel cells. Well, in terms of costs, the Prius costs about $20,000, a fuel cell vehicle costs about $1,000,000. That's some interesting math.

In time, these hydrogen highway advocates claim costs will come down, but - somehow - hybrid costs will never come down - even though much of Toyota's fuel cell technology is built on a hybrid powertrain?

Ohhhh, GM is going to do it differently. GM tells America they are so excited about their fuel cell technology that they are going to give Americans their Employee Discount on the Hummer and the Yukon in the interim. Give me a break.

Fuel cell vehicles will happen, but they could still be decades away. Hybrid vehicles can make fuel cell vehicles happen much quicker. In fact, most fuel cell vehicles might be hybrid vehicles.

The hybrid haters simply make no sense. Do nothing. Build bigger SUVs, oil is cheap they tell us. Someday cheap technology...when has technology ever started out cheap? Even calculators used to be grossly expensive, let alone cell phones and computers.

Technology is made cheap by investment, and hybrid vehicles are the best investment Americans can make in the automotive sector. The conflicted interest of most hybrid critics is simply pathetic.

Hybrid trucks and other hybrid tidbits

As the fifth tropical storm Emily builds in the Gulf, and BP's new deep oil rig Crazyhorse (Thunderhorse Field) sits listing in the Gulf of Mexico, one cannot begin to underestimate the potential of much higher gasoline prices. And if gasoline prices rise, the technology behind hybrid cars becomes significantly more appealing.

According to a new R. L. Polk & Co. study, 97 percent of consumers have heard of hybrid vehicles and 78 percent would consider buying one; however, cost would still limit the majority from taking such action. (More from Car and Driver)

Obviously higher gas prices can help offset the cost barrier.

Yesterday, Ford released its second hybrid, the Mercury Mariner hybrid, and Toyota continues to suggest that a hybrid truck is soon coming. While Toyota has mentioned this possibility in the past, it indicated yesterday that Toyota seeks to offer the first hybrid truck. Still, Toyota has released few details about a Tundra hybrid.

Nonetheless, even if gas prices make hybrids more desirable, will it matter? Demand is still greater than supply, and the new Mariner hybrid really won't help, since only a few 1000 units are even planned.

Toyota, and the very successful Prius hybrid, combined with the Lexus RX400h, the Highlander hybrid, and the Camry hybrid will still only hit about 500,000 total hybrids next year.

Honda's upgraded hybrids, the Civic and the Accord, will help, but American-made hybrids are the missing ingredient. Foreign oil dependency, terrorism, global oil demand, and global warming - America needs leadership and responsibility from American corporations.

It's furiously ironic that GM often speaks of hybrid costs, while touting fuel cells, which are exorbitantly more costly than hybrid vehicles. Yet, GM is considering a fuel cell agreement with Toyota - a company which is building its fuel cell future on the backbone of the hybrid powertrain?

'American-made' automobiles simply mean nothing if they also mean increased 'terrorist-supporting foreign oil dependency.' It's time for Ford and GM to stop talking about a stronger America and to start building a stronger America today, not tomorrow.

The importance of hybrid technology

Yesterday, President Bush told reporters covering the G8 that the U.S. seeks to utilize technology to help fight not only global warming, but foreign oil dependency as well.

Environmentalists were not impressed. Nonetheless, many environmentalists act like both radical Republicans and Democrats - it's either their extreme view or the highway.

While I would like America, and the world, to suddenly embrace conservation - it just isn't going to happen. The history of the world has been advanced by technological innovation. End of story.

Bush and Detroit have habitually pointed to the 'hydrogen economy' as the ultimate answer. Today's terrorist activities and the current escalating oil crisis demonstrate that the world cannot wait 2 or 3 more decades before achieving a solution.

Hybrid cars, especially the Toyota Prius, prove that the U.S. doesn't have to wait for the hydrogen economy. If everyone drove a Prius, it would drastically change America's foreign oil dependency, as well as pollution emissions.

Nonetheless, just as with conservation, the Prius is not the answer, but hybrid technology does provide a solid solution. It has become quite clear that Americans not only want choice, but they want power and size. The Prius, unfortunately, does not address those preferences.

Still, as Prius hybrid technology has been added to vehicles such as the Lexus RX400h, the Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Ford Escape hybrid, the potential of hybrid technology begins to emerge.

It's still not enough many critics will argue, and they are right. Fortunately, that is the beauty of hybrid technology. The advances made in hybrid technology from the first generation Prius to the second generation Prius, for example, were simply fantastic. Like the technology behind notebook computers, hybrid vehicles could easily double, triple, even quadruple - not only their fuel efficiency, but their performance - in just the next several years.

This doesn't require a completely new energy infrastructure, nor does it require somehow making $1,000,000 fuel cell vehicles more cost effective.

And it isn't just Toyota. Honda will be releasing an updated hybrid powertrain in both its Civic hybrid and Accord hybrid that could truly challenge the Prius. As other manufacturers begin offering their proprietary hybrid technology, gains could be exponentially made.

The time for talking about the technology of the future is no longer acceptable. American consumers must demand that automakers either act today, or perish tomorrow, and hybrid technology is the first step.

Hybrid hype: Toyota to double hybrid production

Despite the constant crowing of critics against hybrids, demand for Toyota hybrid vehicles is still far greater than supply. As a result, once again, Toyota will be doubling the production of hybrid vehicles to half a million for 2006. The greatest increase in numbers will be directed towards the Prius hybrid car, but both the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid will also have their productions increased by 50 percent. Moreover, Toyota will start producing 50,000 Camry hybrids per year next year as well.

According to Asahi.com, "Toyota affiliates in charge of making hybrid-vehicle parts, such as batteries, have reinforced their manufacturing facilities, making it much easier for Toyota to obtain key components of the gas-electricity cars."

Hybrid battery manufacturers could have a huge impact on the success of hybrid vehicles, so this is great news for hybrid supporters.

Highlander hybrid qualifies for hybrid tax credit

The Toyota Highlander hybrid was added to the list of hybrid vehicles that qualify for the hybrid car tax credit. Additionally, the Lexus RX400h, Honda Civic hybrid, Honda Accord hybrid, Honda Insight hybrid, Ford Escape hybrid, and Toyota Prius hybrid also qualify.

Hopefully, the House and Senate can continue the tax credit for hybrid cars.

Oil glimpses $60.00, is Congress watching

The trading day started off O.K., but when oil hit $60.00 today, the Dow dropped triple digits. In the next few years, America is going to walk a fine line. If a hurricane knocks out Gulf of Mexico production, gasoline prices could spike significantly, especially if it appears this winter will be cold. Then there is always the specter of terrorism.

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that either the government, nor American business, will offer any solutions for Americans.

So what can you do? Hybrid cars are one of the greatest free market choices consumers can make. The purchase tells automakers that consumers want clean, efficient automotive technology.

While I think the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrid are the best overall choices, there are more choices than ever. The Ford Escape hybrid and Toyota Highlander hybrid can fulfill your SUV needs, while the Lexus RX400h while fit the luxury-motivated consumer, and if you need a highway vehicle, the Honda Accord hybrid is a nice choice.

Things will get worse before they get better in the world of oil - if they ever get better. Since the government doesn't appear capable of intelligent legislation, it's going to be up you, the consumer.

You can make a difference.

The hybrid car stage, America

While hybrid cars are only a small percentage of total U.S. automobile sales, America is still THE market for hybrids. The hybrid leader, Toyota, sold almost 10,000 Prius hybrid cars in May alone, and recently added the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid to its lineup. Still, getting your hands on a Toyota hybrid isn't easy, and prices often include significant dealer markups.

Supply simply isn't catching up to demand.

To address the problem, Toyota recently announced that it would begin moving some hybrid production to the States. In late 2006, for example, Toyota will begin building 50,000 Camry hybrids per year in Kentucky and plans to add the Prius to U.S. production as well.

The hybrid component supply chain; however, will remain in Japan and this remains the largest obstacle to mass hybrid vehicle production. Currently, Panasonic EV Energy Co, produces all of Toyota's hybrid batteries, but according to AutoWeek, Toyota wants to move some of this supply chain to the U.S.

"Obtaining the necessary components will be the real restriction in how many hybrid vehicles Toyota manufacturers here," says Jim Press, COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Other hybrids, such as the Nissan Altima hybrid, which will be built in Tennessee and the Ford Escape hybrid, as well as the Mercury Mariner hybrid, Toyota hopes, will help create new hybrid component manufacturer's in the U.S. Additionally, in late 2007 through 2008, GM and Chrysler will also begin building hybrids in the U.S., and both Ford and Toyota will be adding new models to their hybrid lineups.

All of this hybrid activity should eventually force Japanese battery companies to move some production facilities to the U.S., as well as create a new market for emerging companies and divisions. Until this happens; however, the supply of hybrids is almost certain to continue to trail demand.

While it is a bit disappointing that it will take some time for the hybrid market to truly flourish, this is great news for America. Hybrid technology isn't just going to be an interim technology or bridge to fuel cell vehicles, hybrid technology is going to become fuel cell technology.

In July, Toyota will begin leasing its first fuel cell hybrid vehicle which has "become the first vehicle in Japan to acquire vehicle type certification under the Road Vehicles Act, as amended and enacted on March 31, by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT)," according to just-auto.com.

Just as with hybrids, America will be THE market for the majority of the first generations of mass produced, commercial fuel cell vehicles. Thus, America must become home to the production of not only fuel cell vehicles, but the technology behind fuel cell vehicles, and that begins with hybrids.

So buy a hybrid vehicle. Not only are you helping fight foreign oil dependency, pollution, and global warming today, but you are helping lay the foundation for a revolution in automotive technology to be built in America.

The state of hybrid vehicle demand

The article Hybrid vehicle demand soars states, "Waiting lists are so long that many customers are paying extra just to move ahead in line. Others are paying full sticker price for a used hybrid -- a practice rarely seen outside the trade of Ferraris and other super sports cars." (DetNews)

In June, Toyota is set to release the Highlander hybrid, but don't expect to buy one anytime soon, unless you are already on the waiting list. By conservative estimates, the next 6 months of vehicles have already been pre-ordered. Toyota's other hybrid SUV, the Lexus RX400h is currently backlogged at 9,000 vehicles.

Can Toyota raise its hybrid production? I don't know, but will it matter? Demand for the Prius hybrid car, even after multiple production increases, still far outweighs supply, and on eBay used ones can sell for more than new ones. According to Fool.com, "In April, Toyota sold more of its hybrid vehicle than Ford's (NYSE: F - News) Mercury division sold of all Mercury-branded vehicles -- combined."

Even the Escape hybrid, which often carries dealer add-on fees as high as $7000.00, is flying off dealer lots. And the Accord hybrid and Civic hybrid set monthly sales records in April.

Americans like technology. Hybrids can go faster than conventionals, while saving gas and significantly reducing pollution. Hybrid vehicles are simply better technology than conventional automobiles.

Is there really any wonder why demand is rising?

No Cheap Way Around Buying a Hybrid Car

I've gone shopping for hybrid cars numerous times, but right now I'm shopping for my wife. And it isn't fun.

My wife is very interested in SUVs and I've had her test drive the Ford Escape hybrid, which she liked very much. Still, in my neck of the woods, the Escape hybrid comes with a $5000 dealer add on, plus additional dealer-added amenities. While my wife isn't afraid to spend money, the dealer add-on fee annoyed her.

I told her that we might do better online, but her interest was already gone. Besides we had agreed that we wanted to keep the vehicle cost under $30,000; otherwise, I wouldn't have had any other choice but to buy the Lexus RX400h - which my wife had already told me was her choice.

"What's next?"

"Either the Civic hybrid or the Prius."

"No. What about the Accord?"

Great. My wife hates it when I talk about technology, so I'm not sure how to approach this.

"The Accord hybrid is a great vehicle, but it's a highway hybrid. We drive in the city, in stop-and-go traffic. The Prius is the best vehicle for those conditions, followed by the Civic." (Read More)

Toyota and GM talks: Hybrids, fuel cells, or both?

When the Asian Wall Street Journal speculated that GM and Toyota might discuss sharing hybrid technology, GM went out of its way to quash such thinking. The meeting to discuss fuel cell technology was set over a year ago, GM immediately shot back while reaffirming its hybrid partnership with DaimlerChrysler. Still, Toyota has stated that its fuel cell vehicles will be hybrid vehicles. Toyota hybrids, such as the Prius, Highlander hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid are simply the beginning of a technological bridge to affordable fuel cells. Thus, isn't a meeting that involves Toyota fuel cells also a meeting about hybrids?

Lexus qualifies for hybrid vehicle tax credit

The just released Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV qualifies for the clean burning fuel reduction, often called the hybrid vehicle tax credit. This should also indicate that the Toyota Highlander hybrid will also qualify for the one time $2000.00 tax credit.

More hybrid cars.

Traffic getting worse - Another reason hybrids rule!

"Gridlock is getting worse. Congestion delayed travelers 79 million more hours and wasted 69 million more gallons of fuel in 2003 than in 2002, the Texas Transportation Institute's 2005 Urban Mobility Report found." (AP Via Yahoo)

Traffic and Terrorism

Conventional gasoline engine vehicles achieve their worse fuel efficiency and cause the most pollution in traffic, and traffic is only going to get worse across the U.S. - requiring more foreign oil and further contributing to terrorism.

Most hybrid cars, on the other hand, achieve their best fuel efficiency and pollute the least in these conditions. In such conditions, hybrids might not just meet EPA estimates, but surpass them. In traffic hybrids save a significant amount of fuel, rather than wasting 69 million gallons.

On the other hand, conventional vehicles, even econoboxes, do not come close to their EPA estimates in traffic, and for SUVs, it only gets worse. The scandal of the EPA isn't hybrid fuel efficiency, it's the inefficiency of gas-guzzlers that is hidden by EPA numbers.

Of course not all hybrids are as efficient in congestion. Honda's Accord hybrid, as well as the Civic hybrid, do not rely as much on their electric motors, forcing the Honda vehicles to use more gasoline.

In stop-and-go traffic, Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive rules - especially with SUVs, the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and Lexus RX400h each perform their best in the worst driving conditions of conventional vehicles. Hybrid technology is simply far more advanced than just a gasoline or diesel engine technology.

I know change is scary, but it's the only certain thing in life.

GM and Toyota partner for hybrids?

Multiple reports are coming out indicating a possible partnership between Toyota and GM for hybrid cars. According to Reuters "details of the discussions, which would enable the companies to offer a wider range of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles sooner than if they worked on their own, remained sketchy."

According to the AP, GM is denying the reports. "There is no truth to that whatsoever," Scott Fosgard, GM's spokesman for advanced technology, told The Associated Press on Sunday (AP).

Already the red hot technology behind the Toyota Prius is being utilized by the Ford Escape hybrid, and will also be utilized by the Nissan Altima hybrid.

GM has stated its interest in hybrid SUVs, so such a partnership might make sense. In addition to the Escape hybrid, Toyota recently launched the Lexus RX400h and the Toyota Highlander hybrid will be released next month.

How long can GM possibly afford to wait?

Hybrid car buyer's guide: Which hybrid vehicle is best for you?

So you've decided that you want to do something to reduce foreign oil-dependency, or to help the environment. Maybe you're just a technology buff and you believe that hybrid cars are a bridge to fuel cells. The point is, you have your reasons for buying a hybrid, but not all hybrids address those issues equally.

So, why do you want a hybrid?

If you want to use as little gas as possible, then the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic hybrid are best. These hybrid vehicles look very different and feel very different. Additionally, leases are available for Civic hybrids, but not for the Prius. Both hybrids are in the same price range, but the Prius is a bit of a better performer.

Perhaps a car just isn't an option. You need an SUV. Fortunately for you, the hybrid SUV segment offers the most choices. You won't save nearly as much gas as with the Prius or Civic hybrid, but the Ford Escape hybrid is the most fuel efficient hybrid SUV. This June, the Toyota Highlander hybrid will come to market, offering slightly less fuel efficiency than the Escape, but more seating and more power.

For a large family, the Highlander hybrid is probably the best choice because it will seat up to seven.

The Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV is the least efficient of the SUV bunch, but by far the most powerful, as well as the most luxurious. This luxury hybrid is faster than its conventional cousin, significantly more fuel efficient, and emits far less pollution. Of course this performance has costs and the hybrid Lexus is priced over $10,000 more than a standard RX330.

The Honda Accord hybrid is a different breed of hybrid, but it is best of breed when it comes to Accords. Just as the RX400h, the Accord hybrid is faster, more powerful, and significantly more fuel efficient than its conventional cousin. In urban, stop-and-go traffic, the hybrid Accord is the least efficient of all the hybrids. This hybrid is a highway vehicle.

Each one of these hybrids is a good investment in the future. On average, with tax credits and 6 years of driving you'll recover your hybrid costs, and you'll have helped make the world a better place.

Can you really put a price on that?

Will the Camry hybrid lead to cheaper hybrids?

Soon Toyota will make the popular Prius hybrid car in the United States, but it might not be the first Toyota hybrid produced in America. Instead, the Camry hybrid might take that honor when Toyota's Erlanger, Kentucky plant begins to produce Toyota's next hybrid in 2006.

"Consumers would win. Any time you localize a vehicle, you're better able to respond to consumer demand," says Daniel Sieger, spokesman for Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America.(USAToday)

When both the Prius and the Camry hybrids are produced in the U.S., not only should hybrid supplies increase, but prices should also drop as the supply chain is simplified. Since the Camry, the Highlander hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h are very similar in terms of production, one could assume more Toyota hybrids will also be built in the U.S. very soon.

That's good news for fans of hybrid cars.

Hybrids: A battery away from total domination

The release of both the Lexus RX400h hybrid and the Toyota Highlander hybrid were delayed because of batteries. Ford has stated that it would like to increase Escape hybrid production, but it cannot acquire more nickel metal hydride batteries.

Currently, hybrid vehicle battery manufacturing is limited to just 3 companies, Panasonic, Sanyo, and Cobasys. While each company is increasing production, each company is limited by the expensive and limited raw materials required for NiMH production.

Still, significant improvements have been made since the first Toyota Prius hit the streets in 1997 and battery weight has dropped almost 50%. Nonetheless, competition from the mobile phone industry could keep supply tight and cost high for some time.

If that were to change, the market for hybrid cars could change drastically. The cheaper and lighter batteries become, the cheaper and more fuel efficient hybrids become, and there is hope.

Lithium ion batteries offer great potential, but many analysts think that they are as much as a decade away from mass-production.

The future of hybrid vehicles isn't dependent upon lithium ion batteries - other solutions are being developed. If, however, a new battery solution is developed, the automobile industry, as we know it, will be over.

Prius lovers, Lexus hybrid haters?

That's the question put forth by John McCormick of the DetroitNews.

"Undeniably, the 400h is fast for a hybrid, but this quality raises an intriguing question: how will Prius owners, a notoriously pious bunch, take this 'distortion' of their 'save the planet' technology?"

As Mr. McCormick states, hybrid vehicles are "superior to a conventional automobile in terms of exhaust emissions," so I think the environmental faction of the Prius "pious bunch" will appreciate a hybrid Lexus a whole lot better than a standard Lexus, or some other large SUV.

More important, I don't know where Mr. McCormick receives the analytics to support his over generalized stereotype of Prius owners, but a significant percentage of Prius owners support hybrid technology because of foreign-oil dependency.

Yes, hybrid car technology is but a small step towards ending this dependency, but it is a step. Stereotyping this action into a "pious bunch" of tree huggers is simply ignorant, especially as Americans continue to die serving foreign-oil interests.

More on hybrid cars.

Read Mr. McCormick's complete article.

New Lexus V8 hybrid

The Lexus 460 will become the first V8 hybrid vehicle when it arrives at the end of 2006 according to AutoWeek. The hybrid, to be called the LS 600hL, will have a long wheelbase and offer the equivalent of a 6.0-liter engine with its hybrid powertrain.

EPA, hybrid efficiency, and the "gas scare"

Yesterday I read a Honda Accord hybrid thread that discussed EPA gas mileage numbers and real world numbers.

EPA numbers are a poor estimate - the point has been beaten into the ground.

The real point is that hybrid technology is diverse, and it is only going to get more diverse. The Accord hybrid is a performance hybrid optimized for highway driving. Think of it as a turbo-charged V6 Accord, except its turbo chargers increase fuel efficiency and significantly reduce pollution, in addition to providing quicker acceleration.

Nonetheless, if your goal is pure fuel efficiency, this hybrid vehicle is not for you. If you live an urban lifestyle, with lots of stop-and-go traffic, the Accord hybrid is not going to be especially fuel efficient.

The Ford Escape hybrid and Toyota Prius hybrid, on the other hand, are most fuel efficient in these conditions because they are able to function using mostly electric power generated just by driving the Prius or Escape hybrid - free, regenerative energy.

Toyota's next hybrids are going to diversify hybrid technology even further. Currently, the Escape hybrid SUV utilizes a 4 cylinder engine in its hybrid powertrain. Both the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid will utilize 6 cylinder engines. Thus, as with the Accord, both new Toyota hybrids will also be performance hybrids.

Still, both new Toyota hybrids, unlike the Accord hybrid, offer significant fuel saving tools. In urban driving both the RX400h and the Highlander hybrid can function on mostly electric power, just as the Prius. On the highway, both new hybrid SUVs can still achieve significant improvements in fuel efficiency, but assistance from the driver is required. Here the Accord hybrid probably has an advantage.

Does it all really matter? Is gas really that expensive?

That was the point in the article, "Gas price scare is just that" by John McCormick of the DetroitNews. AAA recently reported that the average consumer is spending just under $1300 per year on gasoline. Mr. McCormick states, "That's a round of drinks at the bar, a cheap bottle of wine in a restaurant or your co-pay at the doctor's office. Sounds like a deal to me."

Maybe in Detroit people only pay $1300 per year, or $25 per week, as Mr. McCormick states, but averages are always confusing. My friend has a long Southern California commute, like many Californians, and it used to cost him $35.00 per day to go to work and back. Recently, however, he bought a small Toyota and cut his gas bill in half. Still, half is almost $90.00 per week, not including weekends.

That is pretty scary to my friend and many others.

Hybrid cars can help people like my friend, and as gas prices and commute times increase, as predicted by many experts, they'll help much more.

More important, the thing missed by hybrid-haters - especially the Big 3 - hybrids create a covenant between buyer and seller that stands for making the world a better place. That's a pretty strong customer relationship. While a hybrid purchase might only be a step, it is a significant step for many consumers.

Detroit missed this opportunity.

Instead of spending 100's of millions to market gas guzzlers, Detroit could have said, "Make America stronger, buy American-made fuel efficient technology. Help fight the War on Terror and foreign oil-dependency."

The sell isn't that hard is it?

Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV launches tomorrow

The Lexus RX400h hybrid officially goes on sale tomorrow. The early word is that availability is going to be extremely limited, as about half of this year's supply has already been pre-ordered. More hybrid vehicles.

Hybrid performance over efficiency, what's the point?

The success of the Toyota Prius took America by storm. While some flocked to the Prius to help reduce foreign oil dependency amidst growing Persian Gulf problems, a great number of consumers picked the Prius hybrid car for environmental reasons.

Thus, not only has the Prius become almost synonymous with hybrid cars, it has made hybrids synonymous with environmentalism.

This year; however, that perception will begin to drastically change. It started with the Honda Accord hybrid. Yes, the best Accord will offer greatly improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions over the standard Accord, but the Prius goes much further when judged by these standards. The Accord hybrid, on the other hand, will blow the Prius away from 0 to 60.

Toyota's next two hybrids, the Lexus RX400h SUV and the Highlander hybrid, will also emphasize performance over environmentalism. Again these vehicles do improve fuel efficiency and significantly reduce emissions, but not as much as potentially possible.

This new line of hybrid vehicles is about speed and power, offering significant horsepower for hybrids. Hopefully, hybrid vehicles will result in a competition between automakers for the fastest, most powerful, least polluting, gas-sipping hot rods.

Otherwise, what's the point?

High Noon: Escape hybrid and Highlander hybrid match up

The Ford Escape hybrid stands as the only hybrid SUV. In mere days; however, the Lexus RX 400h hybrid officially goes on sale, but it is a luxury hybrid SUV. The real competition won't begin until June, when the Toyota Highlander hybrid hits the street. Funny thing is, in some ways the Highlander hybrid is more like the Honda Accord hybrid than the Escape. For more on an early match up, click here.

Canada's emissions legislation and California

Any step forward is a good step. That's about the only thing that can be said of Canada's new emissions regulations.

A 6% gain is really nothing more than PR for both the Canadian government and the auto industry.

California has created legislation that requires auto makers to cut emissions by 30%. While California gives the industry until 2016 to reach the new levels, Canada's change is required by 2010. Still, even doubling Canada's required reductions in double the time, is still just 12%, not even half of California's legislated requirements.

Will Canada's legislation undermine California?

I don't get Canada's legislation. Granted, I have not followed the story that closely, and while it has been reported that Wall Street was a bit rattled by the news, I see only bark, not any bite, in this deal.

If California's legislation is ultimately upheld against the automaker's lawsuit, Canada's requirements will be pretty much obsolete. If California wins, New York is almost certain to follow. Even just California; however, will require a fundamental shift in auto production that would ultimately affect all of North America.

Hybrid cars already achieve California's requirements for 2016. Vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord hybrid prove that we can clean the air cost-effectively.

Even SUVs and luxury vehicles can be part of the mix. The Escape hybrid, Highlander hybrid, and Lexus RX400h prove that the technology exists to fit American driving habits, while significantly polluting less.

Too many scientific studies are raising too many questions about the climate, pollution, and global warming. Technologies such as hybrid cars might cost more today, but their investment in protecting the future will easily pay off down the road.

What level of catastrophe will it take to force auto-makers, and many consumers, into real action? I'm not sure, but I don't really think a 6% improvement is anything.

Demand nothing less than hybrid car fuel efficiency!

Toyota Prius hybrid car shopping

I'm going to be out this weekend investigating the supply of Toyota Prius hybrid cars, since I've heard supply of the hybrid car has recently been increased. Additionally, I'm planning on stopping by Lexus as well. Since the Lexus RX400h is just days away from its market release, I want to find out what the mood is like in Lexus showrooms.

Toyota hybrid SUVs push hybrid technology

When the Lexus RX400h goes on sale next month, it will cost around $50,000. Based on its packaging the hybrid RX400h will cost approximately $5000.00 more than a similarly packaged RX330. The same price difference is also expected for the Toyota Highlander hybrid, when it goes on sale this summer.

Both hybrid SUVs; however, will offer cutting edge hybrid technology, even superior to that of the current Toyota Prius. For example, Toyota's hybrid SUV batteries are 22 percent more compact, and the front motor is smaller but more powerful than the Prius. Additionally, the air conditioning system is more efficient and compact, and a new variable voltage system increases battery voltage from 288 volts to 650 volts, thus increasing power output from both front and rear motors.

Hybrid car technology, it's only getting better.

2005 Will be the Year of the Hybrid Car

I am predicting that 2005 will be the year of the hybrid car, which will also make it Toyota's year. Of course the Toyota Prius is going to lead the way, almost certainly breaking the 100,000 unit sale's number, but success won't be limited to the Prius. Already the Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV has sold 12,000 units and the hybrid doesn't go on sale until April 15. Hype around the Toyota Highlander hybrid is even greater. And, just for fun, every sale of a Ford Escape hybrid adds to Toyota's hybrid licensing prowess.

Click here for more on why 2005 will be the Year of the Hybrid Car.

Honda hybrid sales versus Toyota hybrid sales

At one time, there wasn’t much difference between the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. Most consumers really didn’t care about either one as hybrid cars were not yet on America’s radar screen.

The 2004 Toyota Prius; however, changed everything. The Prius was the first hybrid to perform as well as a conventional vehicle, while significantly reducing pollution and fuel efficiency. And, the Prius does it with style. For a $20,000 family sedan, the Prius is without rival.

Of course, Honda didn’t quit its hybrid foray with the Insight, adding both the Civic hybrid and the Accord hybrid. Now Honda stands as the only automaker with 3 hybrid cars on the market.

Last year, Toyota sold around 54,000 Prius hybrids, and it could have sold more had the supply been available. This year Toyota plans to sell more than 100,000 Prius hybrids. Yet, Honda sold only about 26,000 Civic hybrids, and is hoping for the same number this year with the Accord hybrid.

Toyota has also already sold more than 11,000 Lexus RX400h hybrids, even though the vehicle is still weeks from market, and that's not the end of the buzz. Demand for this summer’s to be released Toyota Highlander hybrid has been nothing short of phenomenal.

So, why the big difference between Honda and Toyota hybrid sales? In one word it’s, technology. The technology behind Toyota hybrids is a good bit more sophisticated than Honda hybrids. Toyota hybrids are a more direct step towards fuel cell vehicles than are Honda hybrids, and this gives Toyota much more incentive to promote hybrids – which have been expensive to produce.

Honda hybrid cars, at this point in time, are more of an interim technology to Honda fuel cell cars, not the future of Honda.

For Toyota, every hybrid sale is another step, another investment, in Toyota’s vision of the automotive future. Today’s gasoline electric Prius, might be tomorrow’s diesel-electric Prius, hydrogen-electric Prius, or fuel cell-electric Prius.

For Toyota, the future is already here.

Lexus GS 450h hybrid update

Early reports indicate that the Lexus GS 450h hybrid will achieve almost 30 mpg and offer some of the lowest emissions of any hybrid, while exceeding 300 hp. Electric motor torque will help the car achieve 0-60 mpg in under 6 seconds.

According to an MSNBC.com article, "The system's massive electric motor is capable of delivering maximum torque, immediately upon demand." Lexus added. "This unique power delivery characteristic is most noticeable — and most useful — during 30-to-50 (mph) passing and merging maneuvers. It is an experience that must be felt to be fully appreciated."

Hybrid cars, EPA stickers and mountain driving

EPA stickers outdated?

Well, duh. EPA estimates are unrealistic for the majority of drivers in the majority of vehicles, but they are possible.

Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, can achieve EPA standards, if driven differently - you can't be a lead-foot and you must coast when possible. Of course, many of these tactics make a conventional gasoline-engine powered car more efficient as well.

Regardless, a hybrid car offers drivers the ability to save much more gas than a conventional car. And, if you are a lead-foot, a hybrid vehicle will still save you gas, just don't expect to reach EPA estimates on a hybrid, or a conventional car.

Another claimed problem with hybrids is steep hill driving. The Ford Escape hybrid, for example, has been rumored to be sluggish in mountain driving. Yet, a hybrid Escape owner told me that he, "SURPASSED the EPA rating of 31 MPG highway. Over 400 miles of mountain driving I averaged 34 MPG at speeds between 65 and 80 MPH."

34 mpg during mountain driving, in a SUV? Are you kidding me? Those are awesome numbers. Ford and Toyota deserve kudos for that - since Ford leases Toyota's hybrid technology. This too should bode well for the Lexus RX400h hybrid and Toyota Highlander hybrid SUVs.

The Toyota Prius and hybrid car cost

In 2004, Toyota sold about 135,000 hybrid cars worldwide, including 126,000 Prius models. Yesterday, Toyota announced that it would like to produce 1,000,000 hybrids in the very near future.

Some analysts think this number is obscenely high, unless Toyota can reduce costs. So, is Toyota doing anything to reduce costs?

Toyota claims that one problem with cost is limited production facilities. Prius production, for example, occurs only in Japan. According to the Japan Times, Toyota Prius production currently stands at 180,000 vehicles per year. Thus, Toyota will begin producing the Prius in China later this year, as well as in the United States soon.

Additionally, Toyota believes that spreading its hybrid technology into as many models as possible, while also licensing it to other auto manufacturers, will also drive down costs. For example, Toyota has already signed deals with Ford and Nissan, and is currently working deals with Porsche AG and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.

Hence, every time a Ford Escape hybrid, or Nissan Altima hybrid is sold, Toyota hybrids become a bit more cost-effective.

Moreover, some analysts believe that hybrid cars are not really tapping the potential of hybrids, arguing the hybrid SUVs and trucks offer the most to American consumers.

The pre-sales of the Lexus RX400h as well as the buzz around the Highlander hybrid definitely seem to support this belief. And if gas prices stay high, interest in hybrid vehicles will only increase.

Join the Hybrid Buyer's Club.

Where are hybrid cars going?

The New York Auto Show's hybrid car showcase is about one thing, according to the DetroitNews, horsepower. Since 2000 the average horsepower for a hybrid car was 73 hp, today it stands at 176.4 hp.

On the high end, the Honda Accord hybrid achieves 255 hp, while the Lexus RX400h hybrid achieves 270 hp. Horsepower, analysts say, is the way to the American heart.

Yet, hybrid car production costs about 20 percent more than a conventional auto and requires, roughly, 6 years of gasoline purchases to break even. For this reason many research firms, including JD Power, see hybrids topping out at 500,000 cars per year by the year 2011. Additionally, clean gasoline and diesel engines are seen as hybrid competitors.

Just yesterday, while announcing that Toyota hopes to sell 62,000 hybrid SUVs (Toyota Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX400h) this year, Toyota President Fujio Cho announced that Toyota intends to sell 1 million hybrids per year in the very near future.

The last time Mr. Cho made a bold prediction about the sale's numbers of hybrid cars, competitors laughed and ridiculed Mr. Cho. Those same competitors are not laughing any more.

Moreover, new gasoline, diesel, hydrogen, or even fuel cell technology could be utilized by a hybrid vehicle much more efficiently than any of these power sources alone. Additionally, hybrid technology will still evolve.

Batteries are the key to hybrid technology, and they are big and bulky right now. If those batteries become more efficient, such as laptop batteries have done, conventional vehicles will simply not be able to compete.

Toyota wants to sell a million hybrids per year

While launching two new hybrid models of its Harrier and Kluger sport utility vehicles in Tokyo yesterday, Toyota President Fujio Cho stated, "In the future we would like to sell one million hybrid vehicles a year."

Cho didn't provide a timeline, other than to say that this year the company hopes to sell 300,000 hybrids. Currently, the Toyota Prius is the only hybrid car available from Toyota in the U.S.

"The two models are to be put into markets in North America, Europe and Oceania between April and June," said Cho. The Harrier, which will be called the Lexus RX400h in the U.S. is due out in April, while the Toyota Highlander hybrid (Kluger) should be available in June.

Toyota is planning to sell 50,000 of its new hybrid vehicles per month globally.

Lexus GS 450h hybrid luxury sedan shown in NY

Toyota is continuing its assault on America by simply offering the best vehicles available, especially hybrids. On Wed. March 23, Lexus will debut "the all-new GS 450h high-performance hybrid luxury sedan, the first rear-wheel drive hybrid ever offered. The Super Ultra Low Emissions-rated GS 450h will provide an unparalleled combination of high performance, luxury-refinement and unexpected fuel efficiency." Press Release

As gas prices go higher, hybrid cars offer more choices

As gas prices continue to rise, hybrid cars become more cost-effective, I wrote yesterday, but the plus side doesn't end there. Over the past couple of months, as gas prices have slowly risen, automotive analysts have noticed something, large SUV sales are down.

Yet, gas prices, not even into their summer highs, are demonstrating that they are going higher, much higher. California is certain to hit $3 gas.

That's why hybrid car technology is so important. It works with cars, trucks and SUVs. As the costs of gasoline, as well as the costs of acquiring gasoline, continue to rise, hybrids can, minimally, help offset those costs. More important, it offsets those costs while maintaining choice - the Toyota Prius is your family sedan, the Honda Accord hybrid the sporty sedan, the Ford Escape hybrid and Toyota Highlander hybrid as SUVs, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid is your luxury SUV.

And hybrid choices are only going to increase, as each new generation becomes more fuel efficient and cleaner as we naturally progress towards fuel cells.

Oh yeah, and hybrids also outperform their conventional cousins as well.

The great GM failure: The hybrid automobile

GM is in trouble. Marketshare is declining, earnings are diminishing, and their cars continue to lag foreign cars in reliability, safety, and overall customer value. And Ford isn't far behind.

Forbes Magazine's Jerry Flint writes in Cruch Time in Detroit "The structure seems designed to keep finance men up and everybody else down. It's impossible to find anyone on the car side, barring Lutz, who can actually get anything done."

Unfortunately, even GM executive Robert Lutz, has downplayed innovative technologies, such as hybrid cars, calling them a marketing success, but a business loser. Lutz is to have us believe that GM, like Toyota, should have spent $1 billion creating a line of hybrids only as a marketing ploy to give the appearance of environmental concern.

Interesting marketing ploy Toyota has created with its Prius hybrid car. Demand continues to grow, and at least 100,000 will be produced for 2005 alone. That might not be a blockbuster hit, but it sure is interesting. More important, it provides momentum for Toyota's growing line of hybrids.

Early demand for both the Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV and the Toyota Highlander hybrid has been so great that Toyota has had to push their release dates back.

In fact, the first half of this year's intended Lexus hybrid SUV production has already been pre-ordered and it still doesn't go on sale for a month. Based on early previews, this will probably be the hottest luxury vehicle on the market in terms of performance, safety, style, and intelligence.

Next comes the Highlander hybrid this summer. Currently, the Ford Escape hybrid is the only hybrid SUV on the market, but it was built on leased Toyota hybrid technology. Toyota's hybrid SUV will be built on proprietary technology, and this should enable Toyota to offer a pricing discount over Ford - if wanted. Such a move probably won't be cost-effective this year, as demand is almost certain to dwarf supply.

Yet GM hybrids are, minimally, a couple years away. Still, GM has a great opportunity, as does Ford, with trucks and larger SUVs, but the longer they wait the less their opportunity.

GM has to acknowledge that neither hydrogen, nor fuel cells, can arrive quickly enough to save either Ford or GM. Both must lead in the automotive technology of today, not tomorrow. Trucks and SUVs have buoyed American automakers for decades, but after decades, the technology is little changed.

This must end.

Hybrid F150s, Silverados, Tahoes and Yukons, if offered today, would create not only immense buzz, but sales, and it would give many American consumers something in which to believe. Many Americans want to do something to help the environment and end foreign oil-dependency, they just want to do it in a truck, especially an American-built truck.

Saturn isn't going to save GM, only automotive leadership can do that, and that will require immense change.

Will GM be up to it?

Where are the American-made hybrid trucks?

Japan dominates hybrids, especially hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Accord hybrid. Ford has the Escape hybrid - developed upon Toyota hybrid technology - the only hybrid SUV on the market, but that is temporary.

In just about a month, the Lexus RX400h hybrid will hit the streets, followed this summer by the Toyota Highlander hybrid, the first real competitor of the Escape hybrid.

While Ford and GM have dominated the SUV market, the Lexus and Highlander hybrid SUVs are going to provide real buzz for Toyota SUVs.

The most important American segment, unaffected by hybrids, is trucks. Yet, what could be more American than a hybrid truck?

Fuel efficient, environmentally friendly, top performing hybrid trucks - what are American auto-makers waiting for? Unfortunately, the first full hybrid trucks will probably not come to market for at least 2 to 3 more years, and I bet the first will be a Toyota.

Is this American technological leadership? The environment and foreign oil dependency just don't matter until fuel cell cars - even if their development takes 2 or 3, maybe even more, decades?

That doesn't seem very American to me.

Hybrid SUVs: Good or Bad?

There are many sides to the hybrid car movement, some have environmental concerns, some want to end foreign oil dependency, and some just love the newest technology.

Those on the environmental side typically hate SUVs, regardless of their hybrid status. SUVs are inefficient by design, enivironmentalists clamor, and dangerous to compact cars - cars that if driven by every American would significantly improve the environment and reduce foreign-oil dependency.

For the most part, they are correct.

Still, many Americans have a legitimate need for a SUV; therefore, hybrid SUVs, such as the Ford Escape hybrid, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and the Lexus RX400h are very important additions to the American market. These vehicles showcase hybrid technology to a wide spectrum of market segments, converting many naysayers, while providing real tools for Americans to stand for their beliefs when making one of their most important purchases.

Never has the average citizen had so much power to affect change.

Time to take a stand in your life? Demand nothing less than hybrid vehicle performance - less gas, less pollution, greater performance.

Final Consumer Reports notes on hybrids

While the Honda Accord hybrid stole the buzz of the Consumer Report's Top 10 List because of its family car designation, it wasn't the only hybrid car on the list.

The Toyota Prius hybrid won the The Best Green Car.

This was the first time that two hybrid cars were part of the Top 10 list. Based on "Consumer Reports' road tests, consumer-reported reliability and crash testing from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety," the Top 10 are "standouts" according to CR.

The Lexus RX330, the conventional cousin of the soon-to-be-released Lexus RX400h hybrid, took the Best Mid-Sized SUV spot.

Kind of interesting that Toyota and Honda, the hybrid car leaders, are also the Top 10 leaders.

$50 barrels of oil and hybrid car demand

It started when the Toyota Prius won MotorTrend's Car of the Year, then the Ford Escape hybrid won the North American International Auto Show's Truck of the Year, and now the Honda Accord hybrid has been picked as the Best Family Sedan of the year according to Consumer Reports.

Hybrid cars are reliable and rated well in customer satisfaction surveys; for example, more than 94% of Prius owners would buy another Prius.

Momentum is building. The revolution is coming.

The Lexus RX400h hybrid, due out in about a month, has already sold almost half of this year's total production before even hitting showrooms, and interest in the Toyota Highlander hybrid is nothing short of phenomenal.

Demand for hybrids is growing, and so too are the costs of oil.

Many analysts have stated that gasoline prices would have to rise to $3.50 per gallon, a price which seemed totally unrealistic just a couple of months ago, to make hybrids cost effective. In today's geopolitical oil scene; however, California might hit those numbers this year, with the rest of the country not terribly far behind.

While those prices might be temporary, it is definitely going to make more Americans take hybrids much more seriously. Unfortunately, there will be far too few hybrids, and other clean vehicles, available.

At least you'll be able to get a good deal on a huge SUV, you just won't be able to afford to drive it.

Unique Lexus RX400h hybrid features

When the new Lexus RX400h hybrid hits dealers next month, it is going to offer features unique to only hybrids in the RX lineup. Obviously, the Hybrid Synergy Drive is unique to all hybrids produced by Toyota, but the Lexus version will offer 268 horsepower while still qualifying for the stringent Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) rating. The RX400h hybrid; however, will also offer unique 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically-powered air conditioning, electronic brake control and electric power steering, but the Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) feature is the real stand out. Utilizing a variety of sensors the RX400h will unobtrusively correct breaking and throttle control to anticipate any vehicle stability problems. While vehicle stability control systems are available in other autos, the Lexus VDIM is supposed to be Best in Class.

Hybrid cars: Its efficiency, not conservation

Many energy experts say energy conservation is foolish - especially those with financial ties to the energy industry. It will never reduce energy use they argue. While that is a separate argument, hybrid cars are often thrown into the conservation ring, much like some conventional subcompact, hybrids help conserve energy some argue. The fact is hybrids utilize less energy because they are superior technology. The hybrid powertrain functions more efficiently than just a gasoline or diesel engine. Unlike compacts, modern hybrids, such as the Honda Accord hybrid, the Lexus RX400h hybrid, or the Toyota Highlander hybrid are not only more efficient, but faster and more powerful than their conventional counterparts. That isn't conservation, it's just better technology.

Why Toyota believes in hybrids - it's all about kaizen

Toyota has become the undisputed leader in hybrid cars. For years, most of the auto-industry joked about Toyota's hybrid investment. Yet, Toyota just pushed along.

Why?

OK, first, it's important to discuss one main difference between Toyota and most of the rest of the automotive universe - especially those of the western world - kaizen. Kaizen, essentially, is continuous improvement. Because things change, especially when there is competition, one must always seek to improve in order to get better and compete.

Seem obvious?

I agree. Yet, why were most SUVs built upon a truck platform, even when studies showed that a wider wheel base would make SUVs much less prone to rollover? Because it was more profitable for U.S. automakers not to improve the design of SUVs - at least in the short term.

In the U.S., profit, not improvement, is the holy grail.

More important, Toyota does acknowledge that cars require vast amounts of energy to function, i.e., trillions of dollars of gasoline, refined from environmentally destructive oil. To ignore this would be to ignore kaizen; therefore, Toyota didn't give up when the first Prius hybrid car was laughed at by automotive 'experts'.

Now Toyota is producing 100,000 Prius for the U.S. market alone this year, and the Lexus RX400h hybrid and the Toyota Highlander hybrid will be joining the Prius soon - with many more models coming.

Still, many analysts and auto executives continue to question hybrids. Diesel is better, the future is hydrogen and fuel cells, it's just too expensive.

So why then does Toyota continue?

First, diesels are not better. While new diesels are superior to gasoline engines, the Prius hybrid is much more efficient, particularly in tank-to-wheel fuel production efficiency, than diesels. More important, the gasoline engine of a hybrid could be replaced with a diesel and become even more efficient.

Second, at this point in time hydrogen powered vehicles are significantly less efficient than the Prius at well-to-tank efficiency, though some do surpass the Prius in tank-to-wheel efficiency.

The point is, hydrogen is not an efficient fuel source at this point in time - despite all the hoopla most auto executives claim. Additionally, the costs are still astronomical.

Third, even if hydrogen and/or fuel cells are the future, Toyota is already building its fuel cell cars on the Prius, Highlander, and RX400h platforms. So, every hybrid sold is an investment in Toyota's continuous improvement towards fuel cells - all the while continually and significantly improving fuel efficiency and polluting emissions.

Therefore, Toyota believes in hybrids, not only because the technology is superior to the internal combustion engine alone, but because it allows all powertrain improvements - whether gas, diesel, electric, or hydrogen - to be incorporated into its production.

Thus, Toyota believes in hybrids because the hybrid powertrain offers the most ability to continuously improve - it's all about kaizen.

Hybrids and the Geneva Auto show

While hybrid cars haven't produced quite the buzz at the Geneva Auto show as they did at the North American International Auto show, they are still an important part of the mix. Reuters is reporting that while diesels have become the vehicle of choice in Europe, hybrids aim to challenge for markeshare.

Yoshio Ishizaka, executive vice president and board member at Japan's Toyota Motor Co., the world's second-biggest carmaker, stated "Hybrid is really not an intermediate technology. We think hybrid is the technology we have to see for the future," he told Reuters in an interview, predicting it would become the global standard and even power sports cars some day.

Toyota plans to sell about 20,000 Prius hybrids in Europe next year and will also be releasing the Lexus RX400h hybrid as well.

Even Ford, which currently sells the Escape hybrid, plans on Jaguar and LandRover hybrids in the next five years.

Still, others think that fuel cells might only be 10 years away, and that both diesels and hybrids are but a short term distraction. "...both the diesel car and hybrid car are a transition as we head to fuel cell cars or pure electric cars," states Laurent Aebi, a product specialist at Honda Motor Co.

"Fuel cell technology is far, far away, maybe 10 or 20 years," Toyota's Ishizaka replied. "Even if it catches on, fuel cells will still use much of the power technology developed by hybrids," he added.

American pricing of Lexus RX400h

The Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV, that goes on sale April 15, will have a base price of $49,185, including a destination fee.

Canadian pricing for Lexus RX400h hybrid announced

Lexus Canada today announced the 2006 Lexus RX 400h, the world's first luxury gasoline/electric hybrid SUV, will be available in two trim packages with a suggested retail price starting at $62,200.

The RX400h will go on sale in Canada in April.

Thank you Toyota hybrids

Recently, I have grown a bit frustrated with Toyota. Why can't they make more Prius hybrid cars? Why did the Lexus RX400h and the Highlander hybrid have to have their market releases pushed back?

My desire for hybrids to take over the automotive world just isn't rationale at this point in time.

Automotive experts, particularly competitors, are confident that the Prius does not make money, nor do they expect any of Toyota's next hybrids to make money either - at least in 2005. The fact is, it has been terribly expensive for Toyota to accomplish what it has accomplished with hybrids.

Basically, every expert in the world laughed at Toyota's hybrid car endeavors for years, until demand for the 2004 Prius slapped every one of those analysts in the face. And Toyota has had to go it alone, without the help of a vast supply network. So the progress Toyota has made is all the more remarkable, while the lack of progress made by almost every other auto-maker, is all the more disappointing.

Now, places like California, Canada, even the U.S. legislature are demanding that automakers take action. Hybrids have proven that there is another way, not in some fantasy future, but today.

When the CIA and Pentagon describe foreign-oil dependency and global warming as great threats to American security, how long do you wait before contributors to U.S. foreign-oil dependency and global warming are also named co-conspirators against the security of the United States?

Often GM, for example, tries to equate itself with Americana. Not my America, brother. Dumping your waste in my land, polluting my lungs, threatening the environmental stability of the world, while maintaining and supporting an oppressive, robber-barron-like foreign-oil dependency for America is not patriotic, rather the antithesis of patriotism.

America is about freedom and independence, or at least that was the idea, right? Gas-guzzling reduces freedom and independence according to the CIA and the Pentagon.

How dare American corporations risk my freedom and independence for their short term profit. If American auto-corporations represent patriotism, then I say it's time to revolt.

Thanks Toyota.

Best Lexus RX400h Hybrid Review thus far

Lexus' math triumph by Dan Neil is really the best review of the Lexus RX400h hybrid, and in some ways, the hybrid car segment. "Overall, though, the RX 400h feels like a masterpiece of both engineering and accounting. Will Toyota make its money back on this generation of hybrids? Only the board members know for sure. But it seems clear that for Toyota, accounting is a form of martial art, like judo: It's all about leverage." (LATimes)

Honda hybrid buzz?

I love the Honda Accord hybrid. It's just a great automobile, and I've received numerous e-mails from very proud and happy Civic hybrid owners.

Yet, there is little Honda hybrid buzz, and I wonder what Honda's vision of the future is.

The Toyota Prius, Toyota claims, has had a significant effect on Toyota's fuel-cell car development. In fact, the success of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive, driven by Prius development and production, has pushed Toyota to believe that its fuel-cell vehicles will be fuel-cell-electric hybrid vehicles.

Therefore, every hybrid purchase is a significant investment in Toyota's fuel-cell technology, as well as its future as an automotive company.

Honda's hybrid vision has taken a different path. Honda's hybrids are less a step towards fuel cells, except, arguably, the Insight. The Accord and Civic hybrids, it appears, are not as integral a step towards fuel cell development as is the Prius, Lexus RX400h or Highlander hybrids.

Toyota's Ace card is the fact that it has intertwined it hybrid development with its fuel cell development. This makes Toyota's hybrids more of a long term investment, while still solving short-term needs such as reduced pollution and global warming, or reduced foreign-oil dependency.

While I think Honda is still well-positioned for a surge in hybrid interest, the lack of buzz around Honda hybrids compared to Toyota hybrids seems to demonstrate that Toyota is far ahead of the rest of the automotive world and is setting itself up for massive, future marketshare.

Toyota taking big loss on Lexus RX400h hybrid?

An article by Dan Neil, Lexus' math triumph, claims that the cost of the Lexus RX400h hybrid is well below the cost of production. Like, GM's Robert Lutz, Neil is wondering whether Toyota is moving forward with hybrids, just for the marketing.

The article also notes that Toyota is trying to find ways to make more than the 24,000 Lexus hybrids allotted for the U.S., of which 12,000 are already sold.

Hybrid + Solar = Energy Independence?

A number of days ago, I wrote a story, What's better than a hybrid car, a plug-in hybrid of course. In that story I mentioned an electric-truck owner whom forced Ford to sell him an electric vehicle, rather than destroying it, after his lease was up on the truck.

The farmer loved his truck because his fuel, electricity from a small solar array, charged the truck for free.

On the EV1.org website, there is a picture of a house and its solar roof. Only taking one-quarter of the roof, the solar system generates enough electricity to power the home and two electric cars - for the same monthly price as their old electric bill.

What could be more independent, more American, than independently-produced clean energy? No foreign oil, no pollution, no rolling blackouts. And, on a united grid, American citizens could sell energy to other Americans and the world - clean energy - not tied to terrorism.

Hybrid cars, such as the Prius, Escape hybrid, Lexus RX400h hybrid, or Toyota Highlander hybrid could quite easily be converted into plug-in-gasoline-electric hybrids. Able to be charged cleanly in urban driving, these hybrids could also utilize gas when needed.

Fuel cell technology will be great, but the technology to radically make the world safer via cleaner and cheaper energy exists now. Greed and profit are unacceptable justifications for putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today.

Demand nothing less than hybrid car efficiency.