Yaris Hybrid
06-25-09, 02:56 PM
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Yaris Hybrid
TOKYO -- The green car race between Toyota and Honda is heating up.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans a new small hybrid car to take on the Insight, the inexpensive Honda hybrid that just reached the United States.
The small gasoline-electric car being planned will be a low-priced spinoff of the Toyota Yaris, said Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer of the redesigned, third-generation Toyota Prius.
"We are developing a low-priced hybrid vehicle like Honda's Insight," Otsuka said. "We are going to compete by expanding our hybrid-vehicle lineup to smaller hybrids, in the class of the Vitz [sold in Japan] and Yaris." He did not say when the small hybrid would debut, but it could arrive as early as 2011, according to Japan's Nikkei business newspaper.
Toyota's plan is the clearest sign yet that it is worried about the inroads that its domestic arch rival is making into small, low-priced hybrid vehicles. The Honda Insight, which starts at around $20,000, is selling briskly in Japan and will be followed by a hybrid version of the Fit compact.
Cheaper than a Prius
By contrast, Toyota's third-generation Prius has a bigger engine and many options common to premium cars. The current, second-generation Prius, at around $22,000, already is more expensive than the Insight. The updated model is expected to be even pricier when it arrives in May in U.S. showrooms.
Otsuka said the small hybrid being developed will be cheaper than the Prius.
Toyota's hybrid strategy calls for bringing more core technologies in-house, he added. The electric motor and inverter for the Prius currently are manufactured by Toyota.
The company also is developing its own lithium ion batteries so it won't be overly reliant on its joint venture with Panasonic for power packs, Otsuka said.
The Prius uses nickel-metal hydride batteries supplied by Panasonic EV Energy Co. But future green cars are seen switching to lithium ion because they are lighter and more powerful.
Honda is teaming with Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp. to develop its lithium ion power packs. The Insight uses nickel-metal hydride batteries from Sanyo.
Better aerodynamics
Otsuka said the top priority in developing the new Prius was to boost fuel efficiency, not reduce the price. Through countless overhauls, he achieved a preliminary EPA fuel economy rating to 51 mpg city/48 highway, up from 48/45 mpg for the 2009 Prius.
Foremost among the improvements is better aerodynamics. The new Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.25, the slickest in Toyota's lineup. That compares with 0.26 for the current Prius. That difference alone delivers a 1 percent increase in overall mileage, Otsuka said.
The latest Prius also gets a 1.8-liter gasoline engine, up from the current generation's 1.5 liters, so it can get better fuel efficiency at higher speeds.
While the new Prius shares the same name as its predecessor, it has a new platform it shares with the Auris, which replaced the Toyota Corolla hatchback in Europe. The new Prius also shares more parts with the Auris than with the second-generation Prius.
"The Auris platform was designed so it could also carry a hybrid system," Otsuka said. "By making it flexible, it can accommodate future overseas production and reduce costs."
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...903259986/1186
Toyota Motor Corp. plans a new small hybrid car to take on the Insight, the inexpensive Honda hybrid that just reached the United States.
The small gasoline-electric car being planned will be a low-priced spinoff of the Toyota Yaris, said Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer of the redesigned, third-generation Toyota Prius.
"We are developing a low-priced hybrid vehicle like Honda's Insight," Otsuka said. "We are going to compete by expanding our hybrid-vehicle lineup to smaller hybrids, in the class of the Vitz [sold in Japan] and Yaris." He did not say when the small hybrid would debut, but it could arrive as early as 2011, according to Japan's Nikkei business newspaper.
Toyota's plan is the clearest sign yet that it is worried about the inroads that its domestic arch rival is making into small, low-priced hybrid vehicles. The Honda Insight, which starts at around $20,000, is selling briskly in Japan and will be followed by a hybrid version of the Fit compact.
Cheaper than a Prius
By contrast, Toyota's third-generation Prius has a bigger engine and many options common to premium cars. The current, second-generation Prius, at around $22,000, already is more expensive than the Insight. The updated model is expected to be even pricier when it arrives in May in U.S. showrooms.
Otsuka said the small hybrid being developed will be cheaper than the Prius.
Toyota's hybrid strategy calls for bringing more core technologies in-house, he added. The electric motor and inverter for the Prius currently are manufactured by Toyota.
The company also is developing its own lithium ion batteries so it won't be overly reliant on its joint venture with Panasonic for power packs, Otsuka said.
The Prius uses nickel-metal hydride batteries supplied by Panasonic EV Energy Co. But future green cars are seen switching to lithium ion because they are lighter and more powerful.
Honda is teaming with Japanese battery maker GS Yuasa Corp. to develop its lithium ion power packs. The Insight uses nickel-metal hydride batteries from Sanyo.
Better aerodynamics
Otsuka said the top priority in developing the new Prius was to boost fuel efficiency, not reduce the price. Through countless overhauls, he achieved a preliminary EPA fuel economy rating to 51 mpg city/48 highway, up from 48/45 mpg for the 2009 Prius.
Foremost among the improvements is better aerodynamics. The new Prius has a drag coefficient of 0.25, the slickest in Toyota's lineup. That compares with 0.26 for the current Prius. That difference alone delivers a 1 percent increase in overall mileage, Otsuka said.
The latest Prius also gets a 1.8-liter gasoline engine, up from the current generation's 1.5 liters, so it can get better fuel efficiency at higher speeds.
While the new Prius shares the same name as its predecessor, it has a new platform it shares with the Auris, which replaced the Toyota Corolla hatchback in Europe. The new Prius also shares more parts with the Auris than with the second-generation Prius.
"The Auris platform was designed so it could also carry a hybrid system," Otsuka said. "By making it flexible, it can accommodate future overseas production and reduce costs."
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dl...903259986/1186
06-25-09, 02:57 PM
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Quote:
Toyota will launch a hybrid version of its Auris hatchback this autumn, and the car will be built in the UK at the Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.
The Auris Hybrid Synergy Drive will share its petrol-electric drivetrain with the new Prius — so that means it has a 98bhp 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine and an 80bhp electric motor.
But it will cost less, partly because it is a smaller car and partly because it will be less well equipped. The Auris will give Toyota a more direct rival for the Honda Insight, although Toyota’s hybrid system is more sophisticated than its rival’s.
The lower weight and smaller size could make the Auris hybrid Toyota’s cleanest model when it is launched at this autumn’s Frankfurt show, undercutting the new Prius’s 87g/km of CO2.
The hybrid Auris launch will follow the arrival of the new Prius this month, and will in turn be followed by a hybrid RAV4.
The three models are all built on the same platform; they are part of a strategy aimed at boosting Toyota’s annual hybrid sales to a million units. The firm’s wider aim is to base its image on offering models with strong environmental credentials
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...-Auris/240937/
06-25-09, 03:07 PM
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06-25-09, 06:59 PM
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I'd like to see it as an option but these lower class models will have to be very, very efficient to justify the extra cost over a simple $13K base version that already gets 40 mpg. We're talking 55-60 mpg which should be feasible if the larger Prius gets a EPA 51.
Thing is, is the argument that it would compete with the Insight.
I'm getting tired of pointing out that base for base, the Insight is only $2K less than the Prius which puts them pretty head to head especially when factoring the better mileage of the Prius. Even a [cheaper than Insight] Fit Hybrid would cost more than a Yaris Hybrid so a Yaris/Insight comparison is silly.
I can say though that most Yaris owners are really into simplicity and would never opt for a hybrid because of it's cost and complexity. They just don't surpass the efficiency of the Yaris by much.
Thing is, is the argument that it would compete with the Insight.
I'm getting tired of pointing out that base for base, the Insight is only $2K less than the Prius which puts them pretty head to head especially when factoring the better mileage of the Prius. Even a [cheaper than Insight] Fit Hybrid would cost more than a Yaris Hybrid so a Yaris/Insight comparison is silly. I can say though that most Yaris owners are really into simplicity and would never opt for a hybrid because of it's cost and complexity. They just don't surpass the efficiency of the Yaris by much.
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06-25-09, 09:30 PM
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CRV is still best selling in class (although it doesn't have 3rd row option)
06-26-09, 05:31 AM
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Anyway, the way I see it is that although both are hybrid but I do not see they are competing with each other. It's like a Civic vs Accord or Corolla vs Camry. One is a mid-size and the other compact. They overlap but not true competitor. Maybe those who want a hybrid but don't want the size of the Prius?
06-26-09, 06:05 AM
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Honestly!! Nice strategy but this is downright greedy. We don't need another small car from Toyota. How many small cars do they plan to make until they make a small sport's car. We get it, you don't want be under price by Honda.
I’m curious how do a person even decide which small car to purchase when they go into a Toyota dealership.
I’m curious how do a person even decide which small car to purchase when they go into a Toyota dealership.
06-26-09, 06:34 AM
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Honestly!! Nice strategy but this is downright greedy. We don't need another small car from Toyota. How many small cars do they plan to make until they make a small sport's car. We get it, you don't want be under price by Honda.
I’m curious how do a person even decide which small car to purchase when they go into a Toyota dealership.
I’m curious how do a person even decide which small car to purchase when they go into a Toyota dealership.
06-26-09, 07:06 AM
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That is true that sale of Insight is not doing well but that's is because of a few factors like the gas prices is relative low and the US economy is still not doing well, but not because it's POS knock-off.
How could this POS knock-off manage to win some comparison against the Prius?
How could this POS knock-off manage to win some comparison against the Prius?
06-26-09, 07:20 AM
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10,091 Priui were sold in May. So almost 5X the amount of Insights.
06-26-09, 07:44 AM
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i've mulled a prius for commuting work car but think i'll wait for li-ion models.