Toyota Prius News
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With all the talk of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reconsidering allowing states to implement their own fuel-economy emissions and regulations, and the negative flow on effects this would have on carmakers that would be forced to tailor cars to meet varying standards across the country, lawmakers in Texas have offered a glimmer of hope. The state’s Governor, Rick Perry, has revealed that he’s considering implementing a tax break for plug-in hybrid vehicles. Late last year, the Bush administration signed a tax credit of up to $7,500 for plug-in hybrid and similar...
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2009 Detroit Auto Show winners and losers
In the midst of one of the toughest years the car industry has had to face and government loan programs getting underway, the 2009 Detroit Auto Show was set to be a touchy dance with public sentiment. In the end the expectations proved true, and the restrained and carefully orchestrated displays...
Ralph Hanson -
Report: Toyota secretly working on solar car
The Toyota Prius has spent a decade as the world's preferred hybrid, but now competition is arising from all quarters. A new plug-in version of the Prius is expected soon, but already Toyota is thought to be working on a project to bring solar power to mass production automobiles in an effort to...
Ralph Hanson -
Teaser video for 2010 Toyota Prius
Toyota’s next-generation petrol-electric Prius hybrid is scheduled to make its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January, however new images of the car, plus this latest teaser video, have made their way onto the web, showing up-close details of the interior and exterior of the upcoming...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota announces battery-powered FT-EV concept for Detroit Auto Show
A cryptic press release from Toyota today revealed that a new battery-powered concept car would make its global debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Speculation as to what the concept might be has already taken hold of the motoring press, but a few hints gathered from Toyota's recent remarks could...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota pushes back production at Mississippi Prius plant
The precipitous drop in new vehicle sales in the U.S. has hit SUVs and trucks the hardest with small cars and hybrids rapidly gaining market share. That up-tick in share isn't enough to offset the overall slump in volume, however, as even Toyota has decided to put off U.S. production of the Prius...
Nelson Ireson -
Just a few months ago Toyota was struggling to keep up with demand for its Prius hybrid in North America due to skyrocketing fuel prices. Waiting lists at some dealerships were stretching as long as eight months. But now Toyota may be rethinking its plan to supply more of the hybrids with U.S. production as overall sales volumes sink. Flagging demand for Toyota's SUV and pickup models led the company to respond to changes in consumer demand by adjusting the production mix at three of its plants in North America. The Prius hybrid had been planned to be built at a plant in Blue Springs...
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Toyota launches microsite for 2010 Prius
The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Toyota has launched a new microsite for its 2010 Prius hybrid, along with the requisite debut countdown clock for the exact second when the car will finally be...
Ralph Hanson -
More details on Toyota's coupe addition to new Prius family
It's been known for some time that Toyota is toying with the idea of a nearly-full-line Prius sub-brand. Expected to feature a wagon-like, or possible truck-like model and a coupe in addition to the next-gen Prius sedan, the range would offer a focal point for Toyota's serious fuel-efficiency...
Nelson Ireson -
New report claims buyers prefer 'angry faced' cars
Cars are often described with adjectives like 'cute', 'sexy' or 'masculine'. But such anthropomorphic characterizations are generally the domain of savvy marketing agents, not neuro-scientists. A new study shows that's not always the case, however - and people prefer angry-looking cars. Ascribing...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota cuts price on replacement Prius batteries
Those most critical of the hybrid and electric vehicle segment often highlight the huge expense of battery replacement as a primary reason to avoid the electron-peddling powertrains. Thanks to Toyota's latest round of price drops, however, there's less to crow about on the expense front, with the...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota hints again at new Prius brand
The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. We first heard about Toyota using its Prius nameplate for a family of hybrid vehicles as far back as March, but since then there has been little indication that the...
Ralph Hanson -
Toyota has teamed up with utility company EDF Energy in the UK to start trials of a plug-in hybrid prototype based on its current-generation Prius. The trials start today and will continue for more than one year, with all data generated crucial for the development of the company’s first production plug-in hybrid due next year. Several prototypes will be tested by EDF Energy employees, with Toyota’s engineers looking to evaluate how the vehicles perform in an urban environment and what infrastructure requirements are needed. Getting real-world data from users in everyday conditions...
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Used Toyota Prius' averaging higher prices than new models
Demand for the Toyota Prius in the U.S. is so high that most new models sit on dealer lots for an average of just five days, and waiting lists of or more than three months are becoming more and more common. Toyota is struggling to keep up with demand, and has started construction of several new...
Kenneth Hall -
Toyota Prius taxi tops 340,000mi, dispels battery myth
Worries over the serviceable lifespan of battery packs have been at the forefront of many critics dislike of hybrid cars. With doom-and-gloom scenarios of pricey replacements and short service life, the pundits have posited the Prius' long-term impracticality. But an Australian taxi outfit has...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota to fit solar panels to next-generation Prius
There are already a number of independent firms that will retro-fit solar panels to the roofs of hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius to help extend the car’s electric-only driving range, however, from next year onwards the Prius will be available with the panels direct from the factory. The...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota Prius tops major European J.D. Power and Associates satisfaction surveys
The Toyota Prius was rated the highest-ranking model in three of Europe’s most prominent and influential satisfaction surveys conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. The pioneering hybrid vehicle was picked as the most satisfying vehicle in separate surveys conducted in the UK, France and...
Ralph Hanson -
Toyota could build Prius in U.S.
The world's best-selling hybrid is currently built in Japan and China, but with demand for the efficient cars in the U.S. remaining high, Toyota is reportedly considering adding Prius production to its joint-venture facility operated with General Motors. The two companies already use the New United...
Nelson Ireson -
Toyota has managed to rack up one million sales of its petrol-electric hybrid since the car first went on sale in Japan back in December 1997. At the end of April, Toyota said it had sold 1,028,000 Prius models with 100,000 finding a home in anti-hybrid Europe. Only last year Toyota’s combined hybrid sales (including its Lexus models) reached the million vehicle mark, so it just goes to show how much the Prius dominates the carmaker’s hybrid tally. Toyota is well poised to take advantage of increasing demand for hybrid models caused by rising world oil prices and the concern for...
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Toyota loses appeal against Prius patent case
Toyota’s appeal for a case it lost last year against American technology company Paice LLC has been rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, which means the Japanese giant will now have to pay Paice up to $4.3 million in damages. The case involved Toyota using a technology for its petrol-electric...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Toyota developing Prius family of hybrids
The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images. Toyota is looking to take advantage of the green image its Prius petrol-electric hybrid vehicle enjoys by building upon the ‘Prius’ name and launching a...
Ralph Hanson -
Lexus and Prius top J.D. Power UK satisfaction survey
The Toyota Prius hybrid was the highest-ranking model in the latest J.D. Power and Associates vehicle customer satisfaction survey conducted in the UK. The Prius earned a total of 901 points on a 1,000-point scale, with owners reporting particularly high satisfaction with the model’s quality...
Ralph Hanson -
Toyota denies claims Japan government funded Prius development
Reports emerged this week claiming the Japanese government helped fund the development of the first generation Toyota Prius more than ten years ago. Toyota has since denied all claims, which were originated from a recent interview with Chrysler exec Jim Press who was working for Toyota at the time...
James Martinez -
Toyota mulls Prius eco-brand
Toyota is looking to take advantage of the green image its Prius petrol-electric hybrid vehicle enjoys by building upon the ‘Prius’ name and launching a new family of eco-friendly vehicles under it. Earlier reports claimed Toyota could launch a second dedicated hybrid brand but now its...
Ralph Hanson