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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.)!

Chicago 2009: Photo fun with the 2010 Toyota Prius

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Click above for a gallery of the spinning 2010 Toyota Prius Ahh, the fun you can have when an auto show isn’t exactly busy. Today at the Chicago Auto Show, we found a 2010 Toyota Prius spinning on a stand all by itself (see also: Saturn Flextreme in D.C. last week ). With not all that much to do ourselves, we set the camera to a slow shutter speed and spent some time with our fisheye lens aimed at the car. Turns out, if you fall into the camp that thinks the Prius looks a little like a spaceship, this might be what you’d see cruising through hyperspace (if it looks anything like what the movies tell us). Have fun looking at these and, if you want plan pictures of the new Prius that don’t suggest motion sickness, here they are . Gallery: Chicago 2009: 2010 Toyota Prius Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc. Auto Blog: Etc. , Toyota , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Chicago Auto Show , Green Daily Chicago 2009: Photo fun with the 2010 Toyota Prius originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Chicago 2009: Photo fun with the 2010 Toyota Prius

Fusion hybrid vs Prius? USA Today picks the Ford

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Hybrid , Ford , Toyota Ever since Ford revealed the Fusion hybrid at the LA Auto Show, the discussion has been hot and heavy among fans of the Prius. While Ford has proclaimed the Fusion as the most fuel efficient mid-size “sedan,” Prius fanboys reiterate that the Toyota is classed as a mid-size car based on interior volume. While that is certainly true, based on body styles the Camry is truly the Fusion’s natural competitor. Over at USA Today , auto critic Jim Healey has had an opportunity to spend some time with the new Ford and has made his call. Somehow, Healey managed to get 27.2 mpg over a week in the Fusion although he did top 40 mpg on a couple of trips. In spite of missing out on the Fusion’s EPA numbers he still chooses the Fusion for the same reasons that I am partial to the Ford. Namely, the Ford is much more pleasurable to drive. Granted, we haven’t yet tried the 2010 Prius, but while the current model is clearly efficient, the dynamics leave a lot to be desired. In the coming weeks, we’ve got the Fusion’s sibling the Mercury Milan hybrid coming in for a full week and drives of the new Prius are coming as well. Related: In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Toyota Prius Touring First Drive: 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid [Source: USA Today ] Fusion hybrid vs Prius? USA Today picks the Ford originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:55:00 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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VIDEO: How big is your footprint?

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:05:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Etc. , EV/Plug-in , Hybrid , Jeep , Toyota , Lightweight Click above and scroll down to watch the video A couple of days ago, a Norwegian, know to us only as geisha44 , uploaded to YouTube a nice little video meant to promote and provoke discussion. Consisting of wintry scenes from a bustling town in Norway, we are confronted by a sight unknown to many of the relatively balmy locales in the U.S. No, not the sled, though that would definitely qualify as rare, but rather the people walking on the sidewalks. We also see some traffic and specifically observe three different choices that individuals made to reach a store. One took a Jeep , one took a Prius and the third arrives in a Kewet Buddy . Obviously, a four-wheel-drive Jeep may be handy to get about in a place that receives a lot of snow. On the other hand, the Prius hybrid is not home hiding in the garage until winter ends and has a smaller carbon footprint than the Jeep. With the arrival of the all-electric Kewet Buddy, whose lead-acid batteries haven’t kept it garaged either, we are treated to a demonstration of another advantage of a truly small footprint. Want to see what it is? Hit the jump for a little thought provocation in action! [Source: YouTube ] Continue reading VIDEO: How big is your footprint? VIDEO: How big is your footprint? originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Further evidence of twin Prius models for 2010?

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:50:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Hybrid , Toyota Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius It’s been prognosticated that Toyota will keep its current-gen Prius around for the foreseeable future to share showroom space with the latest version of the iconic hybrid hatchback, which just recently debuted at the Detroit Auto Show . Toyota had in the past downplayed those rumors, but the Japanese Nikkei is once again reporting the two-Prius strategy, which leads us to believe that there may be some background fire to go with the smoke, at least in Toyota’s home market of Japan. We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens in U.S. showrooms when the new Prius finally makes its appearance later in the year. Why would Toyota want to keep its older model around anyway? The answer to that question may have something to do with the automaker’s cross-town rival, Honda. With a new competitor coming in the form of the new Insight , which is expected to be priced well below the Prius, Toyota could decide to keep the old model around a bit longer as a price leader. Gallery: Detroit 2009: 2010 Toyota Prius [Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd] Further evidence of twin Prius models for 2010? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:50:00 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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Further evidence of twin Prius models for 2010?

Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:01:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in Ex-SVP of Tesla Darryl Siry is speaking out again, this time with his assessment of where he thinks the EV industry will be going in the next 12 months. 2009 will undoubtedly be an important year for manufacturers participating in the segment. With a new administration now ensconced in Washington, the atmosphere is likely to be far more biased towards environmentally-friendly rules and regulations. At the same time, the economic environment and political reality will also mean a bias toward preservation of existing jobs and creation of new ones. The first batch of loans from the $25 billion fund being administered by the Department of Energy will be awarded soon and Siry expects the bulk of the cash to go to established automakers to help preserve both jobs and their viability. Another trend that Siry expects to accelerate this year is equity investments by automakers into battery makers. Companies like Ford that don’t have such partnerships have already seen their existing hybrid capacity constrained by limited battery supplies. Check out the rest of Siry’s predictions at his own blog [Source: Darryl Siry ] Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:01:00 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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Darryl Siry prognosticates on the coming year in EVs

Detroit 2009: next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Filed under: Hybrid , Toyota , Detroit Auto Show , Green Daily Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius The 2010 Prius debuted today in Detroit and, well, it’s a new Prius. But it’s also a little bit more in a lot of little ways. First, if all you care about is mileage, the number you need to know is a combined rating of 50 mpg, based on Toyota’s own internal testing. That bump in MPGs (up from 46 in the current model) comes from a larger and more powerful 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle, four-cylinder engine. That may sound counterintuitive, but Toyota’s press release (pasted after the jump) is prepared for that, and says that the higher torque means lower rpm on the highway. And the highway is where hybrids don’t exactly shine. The new Prius has three driving modes: Eco, EV-Drive and Power. The EV Drive isn’t anything new – if you have a Japanese Prius. A first for the U.S., the Eco mode allows battery-only operation “at low speeds for about a mile, if conditions permit.” This is still the nickel-metal battery pack, after all. The other modes should be fairly obvious, with Eco providing the best mileage and the Power giving the car a “sportier feel.” When you’re not cruising down the road, an optional solar-powered moonroof over the rear seats can keep the hybrid from getting too hot when the car is parked in the sun. The electric fan circulates fresh air into the car before you get in and, if that’s not enough coolness for you, a remote starter can turn on the air conditioning. Toyota says this is the world’s first A/C that can operate on battery alone. How cool is the sun? The design team made the redesigned Prius just a little bit slipperier through the air. By moving the B-pillar back a bit and tweaking things here and there (check out the new rear spoiler), the 2010 Prius has a coefficient of drag (Cd) value to 0.25 (the current model has 0.26). There’s tons more information after the break. Gallery: Detroit 2009: 2010 Toyota Prius Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius Continue reading Detroit 2009: next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius Detroit 2009: next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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Detroit 2009: next-gen 2010 Toyota Prius