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Toyota Camry Hybrid Review

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:15:44 +0000

It is said that as a hybrid the Toyota Camry hybrid does not have the same performance capabilities as the conventional sedan, but I would venture to say that as a moderate recreational driver, this car has all the performance capabilities one would need.

The Toyota Camry Hybrid is a more spacious, luxurious, comfortable version of Toyota’s popular Prius hybrid, with equally impressive fuel economy. The Camry hybrid lacks the aspects of the Prius that some buyers might find off-putting, such as the compact size. The Camry hybrid establishes a perfect balance of fuel economy, ‘green’ living, and a functional family sedan.

The electric qualities of the Toyota Camry hybrid are subtle compared to its counter parts. While driving the Toyota Prius, the driver can tell when the gas engine has shut off and the car’s power is coming from the battery. Likewise, one can also tell when the gas engine has kicked back on, and the car is needing more power than the battery can provide. This is not the case with the Toyota Camry Hybrid. This car offers a smooth, seamless ride. One has to be really paying attention to the engine to determine which source is powering the car.

With the 2008 model’s reduced retail price, and the high gas prices facing our nation, the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a breath of fresh air. As far as I’m concerned, nothing available right now can match the quietness, comfort, and fuel economy of the Toyota Camry hybrid.

At Witz’ End: Detroit Auto Show: Reality Check – Part II

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:53:00 +0000

In my first column reality checking the Detroit Auto Show , some of you questioned my assertion that even Toyota’s relatively high-volume hybrids are probably not profitable. Of course, Toyota has lowered the costs of its Hybrid Synergy Drive components over many years and hundreds of thousands of units. But I believe they’re still too high for any Toyota Hybrid – even the Prius or the soon-to-come higher-priced Lexus HS 250h – to turn a profit. I can’t prove it – Toyota is not about to share its cost numbers with me or anyone else – but that’s my opinion, and these are “opinion” columns. Yours may differ, and yours may be right. But I’ll bet no one outside of Toyota knows for sure. What most folks outside the industry don’t see or comprehend are the enormous costs of designing, testing, developing and validating every one of the thousands of parts and pieces that go into every modern vehicle. Beyond the mostly expensive and relatively low-volume hybrid system components themselves are all the Prius’ specific body, chassis, electrical and comfort and convenience parts and pieces, few of which are shared with other vehicles. The addition of the new Lexus HS 250h on the same architecture will help by raising the volumes of parts that are shared, but I doubt whether even that will turn a profit at its higher prices but much lower volumes. Am I suggesting that Toyota is fibbing by claiming that Prius is profitable? It depends on how they calculate their costs. If they add up the costs of all those parts and pieces – including the still very expensive battery, EVT transmission, motors, wiring, control systems and more – and toss in the relatively minor cost of assembly, the total may indeed be less than the Prius’ average selling price. But they would have to discount all those years and huge costs of design, testing, development and validation, which must be spCar Blog Greenout (“amortized”) over hundreds of thousands, even millions, of units. Their business plan has depended on long-term profitability from growing sales of higher-priced luxury hybrids and sales of the Synergy drive system to other OEMs, neither of which has fared as well as hoped. What I don’t understand is why Prius’ profitability seems so important to some ABG readers. If each unit sold does make a buck, bully for them. If not, so what? Toyota’s whole hybrid program is still a hugely profitable investment as one of the best-ever image-building efforts any automaker has ever carried out. Whatever they have spent on it through the years is worth far more than any amount of paid advertising they could have bought for similar money. What should be important to potential owners is whether any EV’s or HEV’s selling price is worth the long-term gas savings it offers, whatever its cost to its manufacturer. That said, let’s reality check some other electrically-powered vehicles showcased at this year’s Detroit North American International Auto Show. Follow us after the jump. Continue reading At Witz’ End: Detroit Auto Show: Reality Check – Part II Auto Blog: AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Detroit Auto Show , Green Daily , At Witz End At Witz’ End: Detroit Auto Show: Reality Check – Part II originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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At Witz’ End: Detroit Auto Show: Reality Check – Part II

Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO2 and 62 mpg U.S.

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:58:00 +0000

Click above for a high res gallery of the SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept Amid all of the fanciful green concept cars debuting in Geneva like the Rinspeed iChange and the Magna Steyr Mila EV comes something a little more standard looking: the SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept. As you can see from the large lettering all over the car, this concept seats four while emitting just 99 grams of CO 2 per kilometer. The low emissions come from a 105 PS 1.6-litre TDI common rail engine with a particulate filter paired with automatic stop-start technology. But the “automatic” part of that requires a little bit of work: Among the new features debuting on the Leon is an Auto Start/Stop function. When the car comes to a halt – for instance at a traffic light – and the driver selects neutral and takes his foot off the clutch, the Start/Stop function automatically switches off the engine. As he prepares to move off again and depresses the clutch, the engine is re-started and the car can be driven as normal. The concept also uses “a form of brake energy recovery.” SEAT says that this concept car is the next step in building range-extended electric vehicles. See more details after the jump. The SEAT Leon Ecomotive concept gets a combined fuel economy rating of 74.3 mpg (62 mpg U.S.) on the European cycle. We’ll have live pics from Geneva up soon. Gallery: SEAT Leon Ecomotive Concept [Source: SEAT] Continue reading Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO 2 and 62 mpg U.S. Auto Blog: MPG , Geneva Motor Show , SEAT Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO 2 and 62 mpg U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009: Seat Leon Ecomotive with 99 g/km of CO2 and 62 mpg U.S.

Geneva 2009: Ruf Greenster evolves the electric Porsche concept

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:12:00 +0000

Click the Ruf Greenster for a high res gallery Last fall, Porsche high performance tuning specialist Ruf announced that it had built a prototype electric sports car called the eRuf which was essentially a lithium ion battery-powered 911. That was just the beginning of the story as the company has brought the Greenster here to Geneva. The Greenster is a targa top 911 in the old style with a chopped speedster type windshield. In the back sits a 270 kW Siemens electric motor with 695 lb-ft of torque. The battery pack system has been improved and is now 30 percent smaller in volume, restoring the front trunk space that was lost on the original. The battery pack now has greater power capacity allowing it to release and absorb power faster, enabling more regenerative braking capacity. The battery can apparently be charged in only one hour from a 400V outlet. The next iteration will switch to a twin motor setup and the company is planning a small series production run in 2010. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Ruf Greenster Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Porsche , Geneva Motor Show Geneva 2009: Ruf Greenster evolves the electric Porsche concept originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 03 Mar 2009 10:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Geneva 2009: Ruf Greenster evolves the electric Porsche concept

Prius 2010 detail overload: will get 49 mpg highway rating; 100,000 sales predicted for 2009

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius There are reasons that the Toyota Prius is the best-selling hybird car in the world. It’s simple to use, gets better mileage than pretty much anything easily available, and you can turn it into a shuttlecraft if you want to. But, all that ease-of-use hides a lot of serious technical work. During a media event in Napa, California last week, Toyota gave us the details of just what and how the third-generation Prius came about after four-and-a-half years of work and literally thousands of meetings. In fact, Prius chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka joked that TMC doesn’t stand for Toyota Motor Company but Toyota Meeting Company. An old chestnut of a joke, perhaps, but totally true in this situation. Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division, told us that the official mileage rating for the 2010 Prius is 50 mpg city, 49 mpg highway. We already knew about the 50 mpg combined number from the Detroit unveiling, but those almost identical city/highway numbers are new. The difference between the city and highway ratings was something that current Prius owners wanted to see improved in this new model Carter said. There was a three-mpg difference in the second generation models; seven in the first. Production of the new Prius will begin in late-April and the first vehicles will arrive in late spring. Toyota is predicting that around 100,000 3rd-gen units will be sold in 2009; 180,000 in the full calendar year after that. That’s their forecast, but they will adjust building rate to the demand. A necessary decision considering the current economy. Toyota is confident there is demand for the new Prius, and believes the Prius could have a seven percent share of the midsize vehicle segment. One important factor will be pricing (and Insight competition ), which Toyota will announce much closer to launch. The new Prius won’t go on sale for another few months, but if you’re curious about what you’ll get when it becomes available, come with us after the jump. Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius Continue reading Prius 2010 detail overload: will get 49 mpg highway rating; 100,000 sales predicted for 2009 Auto Blog: Hybrid , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Prius 2010 detail overload: will get 49 mpg highway rating; 100,000 sales predicted for 2009 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Prius 2010 detail overload: will get 49 mpg highway rating; 100,000 sales predicted for 2009

Geneva Preview: Magna debuts new EV concept

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Magna Steyr mila ev concept Auto supplier Magna Steyr has chosen the Geneva Motor Show to unveil its new mila ev concept vehicle. You may recall that Magna is currently working with Ford on a production version of the Focus-based electric car that the Blue Oval is expected to launch as a production model in 2011. Like the proof-of-concept EV from Magna that we got the chance to drive at the Detroit Auto Show , the mila ev uses a lithium ion battery pack that’s capable of providing a range of around 100 miles (150 kilometers) after a charge of about 2.5 hours. Though it’s clearly possible to convert a gas-guzzler to an electric machine, the mila ev highlights the advantages of designing a purpose-built electric vehicle with a spacious five-door hatchback bodystyle and the ability to accommodate a natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell or hybrid powertrain in addition to the fully electric version currently being shown. Integrated rooftop solar panels provide an extra jolt of power and could possibly allow for a climate control system that doesn’t drain the batteries. Magna says that the mila ev concept is ready for production and that it can assemble the modular vehicle for any manufacturer at its own flexible manufacturing plants. Check out our gallery below and see the official press release after the break. Gallery: Geneva Preview: Magna Steyr mila ev [Source: Magna Steyr] Continue reading Geneva Preview: Magna debuts new EV concept Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Geneva Motor Show Geneva Preview: Magna debuts new EV concept originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:47:00 +0000

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius We’ve finally gotten some official confirmation from Toyota about the sell-two-Prius-models-at-once strategy we’ve heard so much about. During a recent media event where we drove the next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius (sorry, we can’t say much about that right now) we had a chance to talk with John McCandless, from Toyota corporate communications, and Masahiko Maeda, assistant chief engineer who was heavily involved with developing the 2010 Prius. They confirmed that both the current and next-gen models will be available for sale at the same time, but only in Japan. Here in the U.S., once the 2010 version hits the streets, that’s all she wrote for the old model. Well, except for dealers who participate in the Toyota’s Certified Used Hybrid Program . While Toyota hasn’t released pricing information for the new Prius, we’re pretty sure it’ll be more than the Honda Insight. Considering the strong sales the Insight has had in Japan thus far, keeping a cheaper Prius option around seems like a smart move for Toyota. Auto Blog: Hybrid , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Japan Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S. originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.

Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:47:00 +0000

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Toyota will sell second-gen Priuses alongside 2010 models in Japan, not in U.S.

Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)!

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Click image above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Spark The Autoblog/AutoblogGreen team is just rolling into Geneva this morning for one of the biggest auto shows of the year, and look what we found before we even got out of the airport: Sitting in the Chevrolet media lounge right by the train station is the brand-new Chevrolet Spark. Essentially a four door version of the Beat concept we saw two years ago in New York, the Spark will be launching in other parts of the world in early 2010 and in the U.S. a year later. Both the 1.0-liter and 1.2-liter engines are expected to top 47 miles-per-gallon (U.S.) combined and emit less than 120 g/km of CO 2 . They wouldn’t let us sit in the car yet but it looks surprisingly roomy at this first look. Hopefully, General Motors will be around long enough that we’ll get to drive it. Gallery: Geneva 2009: Chevy Spark Gallery: 2010 Chevy Spark [Source: General Motors] Continue reading Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)! Auto Blog: MPG , Chevrolet , Geneva Motor Show Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)! originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)!

Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)!

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 05:18:00 +0000

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Welcome to Geneva! Meet the 2010 Chevrolet Spark! 47 mpg (U.S.)!