Toyota Prius 2009 News

Cheap and green is the name of the game, with the Yaris aiming to deliver the least expensive hybrid in the market, with the best fuel economy and emissions figures in the light car segment. Rather than relying on the 1.8-litre engine from the Prius, Toyota has downsized to a 1.5-litre and a smaller electric motor, inverter and battery pack, saving about 20 per cent in weight and avoiding having to cannibalise the Yaris cabin and 286-litre luggage space. The new system is tipped to deliver a maximum of 74kW with fuel economy nearing 3L/100km and emissions as low as 80g/km. This brings it under the Prius’ 3.4L/100km and 89g/km, and also makes it a contender against new ultra-light city cars such as the Volkswagen Up. Initially slated for Europe, the Yaris will make its international debut at Geneva Motor Show in March and hit the showrooms over there by May. And it will eventually hit our shores, but don’t expect to see it here for some years, Toyota Australia says. “For the Australian market we have the Prius C arriving towards the end of first quarter this year – within a couple of months -- and that will take the spot of the Yaris Hybrid here,” a Toyota spokesman says. “That’s for the interim. (TMC boss) Akio Toyoda’s vision is that every Toyota model will have a hybrid variant by 2020, so by then we will have one.” As the first full hybrid model in the B segment in Europe, Toyota’s newcomer will hope to build on the strength of Yaris being their top seller there – and snare younger buyers that can move up the model line as they mature.

M.I.G. Security relies on its nine-strong Toyota Prius fleet for security patrols around Mandurah and surrounding areas, about 75km south of Perth. Operations manager Paul Hiron said the longest-serving Prius, which has been used for patrols since 2005, is still going strong after 788,411km. Hiron says reliability is vital to their business as clients depended on the company to give them peace of mind. "Prius is ideal for our work, being quiet, economical and comfortable," he says. "It's ideal in stop-start traffic for fuel-efficiency and it performs on the open roads as well."

Feedback from show patrons will help determine whether the production version of the Prius c Concept is headed to Australia. The Prius c Concept is the inspiration for a future small hybrid with an entry price point and superior fuel economy. If approved for Australia, the city car will join the iconic hybrid Prius brand, broadening its appeal. Toyota Australia senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the urban appeal of cars such as the Prius c would further increase the acceptance of hybrid cars in the market. "This car has the core Prius values based on Toyota's proven Hybrid Synergy Drive technology  strong performance, great fuel economy and ultra-low emissions," Mr Buttner said. "We are bringing it to the Australian motor show to test its appeal among buyers who we expect will come from a different group to those attracted to the current Prius. They are compact-car buyers, including young singles and couples, who want a mainstream city car that provides outstanding fuel economy while being fun to drive." The Prius c Concept, unveiled at this year's Detroit auto show, provides a surprisingly spacious interior in a compact package. It will include many advanced technology features, including some offered on the current Prius. The production car is due to be launched in the US during the first half of 2012. No timing has been announced for a possible Australian introduction.

Toyota's eco-friendly but buyer-cool Prius hybrid was the first to slash its price, down between $5000 and $7500 depending on the model.  Effective immediately, Prius is $34,990 and the upmarket i-Tech version is $45,990.Toyota Australia says the substantial drop is in answer to its hybrid technology becoming more popular. Indeed, global Prius sales have exceeded a pleasing two-million units but in Australia, sales have totalled a relatively minor 16,000 since inception.It has recorded a 63.7 per cent year-to-date plunge for 2011 compared with the same period in 2010 despite total hybrid private buyer passenger car sales almost doubling. It is believed the Toyota Camry Hybrid has taken a large slice of the Prius market.Toyota Australia doesn't believe Prius buyers are disadvantaged by the price cuts.  Its sales and marketing director, Dave Buttner, says Toyota Australia has offered "substantial cost-of-ownership benefits for a considerable period through low-interest finance, in anticipation of official approval for the price repositioning"."Customers who have taken advantage of these offers to buy a Prius from our dealers over many months have made substantial savings and are certainly not disadvantaged."National passenger car sales slipped 4.1 per cent in March on a year-to-date basis and down 6.5 per cent on March 2010. Some big losers included the Ford Falcon, Volvo V70 and S40, VW Passat Mazda RX-8 and BMW 3-Series, the latter down 31 per cent on the same three-month period in 2010.Coincidentally, BMW has taken a knife to the prices of its 3-Series models with cuts of up to 11 per cent.  It says the "sharpened pricing" is "a celebration of what has been the world's most successful premium model series".Price changes affect the 3-Series sedan, wagon, coupe and convertible models. The 325i gets the biggest discount, falling $9100 (11 per cent) to $71,900 from $81,000 previously and at the same time, picking up the "Exclusive Innovations" pack with an upgraded sat-nav, voice control and bi-xenon headlights.The M Sport version of the 325i sedan is also down 11 per cent, now $76,700 with a similar $9100 saving.  The 3-Series 325i Convertible with the "Innovations" pack is $9500 cheaper at $94,600.Toyota's price cut aims to create greater acceptance of hybrids. The company is licensing its technology to other car makers.  Toyota's Dave Buttner says new hybrid models "will revitalise the market and help to make eco-cars in general more popular"."A key factor in lowering the cost of any advanced technology is market acceptance, leading to strong sales," he says.  "The more popular hybrid cars become, the more affordable their prices and, therefore, the greater the impact on the environment."

The problem is that no-one knows the plural of Prius, a world originally chosen in Japan because it meant 'to go before'. It's a latin word with no previous plural. In the USA, where two new Prius models were previewed at the Detroit auto show, Toyota has taken the task to the people with a massive online poll that has drawn hundreds of thousands of votes from five Prius choices. It narrowed the field to five potential choices before the start of voting with Prius fans given a choice between Priuses, Prii, Prius, Prien and Prium. The poll closes on February 20 when Toyota USA will announce the result, as well as locking in a Prius plural for its work on the expanded model lineup. The first newcomer for the range - joining the current Prius and plug-  in Prius hatches 0 is a more family-focussed people mover revealed as the Prius V at Detroit. V, in this case and in the same way it is applied to Volvo's wagons, stands for versatility. The next new model is the smaller and slightly sportier Prius C. The Prius V is expected to be in American showrooms in the second half of this year, with the Prius C in the first half of 2012. The launch dates point to more Australian action in 2012. The two leading contenders in the Prius poll are Prii and Priuses, with Prien running last. As well as running the Prius vote, Toyota USA is using the arrival of the new models for an unusual online marketing campaign with a series of short films "featuring a notable expert exploring the etymology of words". Etymology is the study of the development of words and the historical verification of their meanings. PRIUS is likely to stay Prius in Australia. Despite the American push for a plural, Toyota Australia has a much more straightforward attitude to the name of its hybrid hero. "A Prius is a Prius. It's the same for one Prius or 20 Prius," says a Toyota Australia representative. The company is studying the results from the USA but is unlikely to be rushed into any decision or change in its sales program.

It has slashed the vehicle emissions of the News Limited national fleet by almost 30 per cent and put it in the enviable position of a carbon neutral company.  Critical selection of new fleet vehicles has, since News Limited embarked on its One Degree energy efficiency mission in 2007, resulted in 24 per cent of new cars purchased emitting less than 150 grams of CO2 per kilometre. In total, the company's fleet is emitting almost 30 per cent less CO2 compared with three years ago.  One Degree accurately demonstrates how energy efficiency - and in this case, careful fleet vehicle purchases - can make substantial changes to the environment. But it doesn't stop there. The chairman and chief executive of News Limited, John Hartigan, says the company is on track to achieve its goal of reducing its emissions by 20 per cent. Low-emission - and therefore low fuel consumption - vehicles added to the fleet since 2007 include the Australian-made Toyota Camry Hybrid. It also has Toyota Prius Hybrids, Honda Civic Hybrids and diesel passenger cars including Hyundai i30 and Mazda6. The trend to smaller, more efficient cars is reflected in new additions including the Ford Fiesta and Golf - in diesel and petrol - models.  New Ltd Manager, Environment & Climate Change, Dr Tony Wilkins, says it's not just diesel and hybrids that are reducing corporate emissions. "The Volkswagen Golf TSI petrol surprised us with its 149g/km CO2," he says.  "That has helped bring down the fleet's carbon footprint since 2007 by 24 per cent." In total, News Limited has reduced its emissions by 18.4 per cent in 2009-2010 and is expected to meet its 20 per cent goal in the 2010 calendar year, when figures are released. Efficiency measures introduced over the past three years had reduced carbon emissions by 8.4 per cent (from 146,166 tonnes of carbon dioxide to 134,880 tonnes) with an additional 10 per cent reduction coming from renewable energy certificates. "In June 2007 we launched One Degree, setting aggressive targets to cut carbon emissions across every part of our operations," Mr Hartigan says.  "We started with one idea and a singular commitment, auditing over 85 per cent of operations and identifying 179 carbon reduction projects to change how we approach every aspect of our business. "As a result we have cut almost 30 per cent of vehicle fleet emissions, business travel is down by 22 per cent through the use of video conferencing and we have invested in more energy-efficient equipment to reduce emissions from lighting, cooling and printing." Mr Hartigan says One Degree is proof that small changes can add up to a big difference.  "One Degree has become part of the way we do business, and that will continue.  We are saving money by using less energy; it's an issue our employees are interested in; and it's an issue our readers continue to want debated."

Toyota is expanding the Prius hybrid brand with a youthful family wagon and is also working on a smaller city car.  The Prius V - for versatile - looks exactly as expected, with pumped- up bodywork that closely follows the look of the existing five-door hatch. The end result is partly down to the need for aero efficiency, but also because it is the best way to package the existing hybrid synergy drive. The V has an interior that's 50 per cent larger than the existing Prius, complete with a multi-function tail end that's suitable for families and hauling work. The Prius C - for city-centric - is one of the few surprises at this year's Detroit show and proves that Toyota is serious about turning its hybrid family into a sub-brand, similar to the Scion family - including the Rukus in Australia - that works well as a youth destination in the USA. The C-car is all about price and will lead the Prius family when it goes on sale in 2012. Only very sketchy details on the concept car, focussing on its size and price potential, are revealed. The Prius V is certain for Australia but there is no news yet on the Prius C, even if Toyota Australia is taking a conservative line on the hybrid expansion. "The Prius V is under consideration for the Australian market, however no final decision has been made as to when or if this specific model will be introduced here," says Mike Breen of Toyota Australia. "The Prius C is still a concept, so we cannot make any comment on the future production of this vehicle."

An RACQ study conducted in Brisbane has found no discernible difference in audible detection of approaching vehicles between petrol-electric hybrids cars and conventional cars from the same manufacturer. The study by RACQ researchers Russell Manning and John Ewing follows complaints in the US by organisations representing pedestrian and blind people that hybrids are dangerous to them because they are so quiet.  Manning said the study, conducted with the help of Vision Australia, tested four vehicles with 11 volunteers, five of which were blind. "There was no significant difference in the detection distances between hybrid and similar-sized conventional vehicles in a typical urban environment with typical urban ambient noise levels," his report reads. "This is not to say that hybrids are not a risk, only that they are no more of a risk than equivalent conventional vehicles under these conditions."  Manning said noise regulations are not a concern. "To suggest that modern cars, be they hybrid or conventional, are too quiet could lead to the conclusion that noise regulations are too stringent," he says.  "We believe lower noise levels are, on balance, good from an environmental and social aspect." Volunteers in about 40 per cent of cases were unable to detect vehicles approaching at 60km/h from a safe distance.  "Had they been in the path of the vehicle  then contact would have resulted and in several cases potentially serious injury or fatality may have occurred," the report found. Manning said tyre and wind noise were the main audible signals of approaching vehicles, either hybrid or conventional.  "The lack of, or reduction in, mechanical noise from hybrid vehicles did not appear to significantly increase the risk factor," the report said. Several manufacturers of hybrid and electric vehicles have been working to create artificial noise to overcome concerns expressed by pedestrian and blind representative groups.  Nissan engineers worked with blind people to create special frequencies for their quiet Leaf electric vehicle, expected to arrive in Australia in the next year. Toyota and its luxury branch, Lexus, which account for the bulk of hybrid cars available in Australia, are also developing a solution to the noise concerns.  Lotus Engineering, a division of sports car maker Lotus, has developed a realistic engine sound for electric motors that varies with speed and the world's first all-electric supercar, the Tesla Roadster, is getting a "space sound generator" on its Brabus-tuned models. Owners will be able to set their Tesla to make noises similar to a V8 engine, a racecar engine or two "futuristic soundscapes" named "Beam" and "Warp".  However, it is expected that more sound effects will be added to electric cars until governments step in and legislate for the new technology. The Pedestrian Council of Australia has previously called for changes to the Australian Design Rules to set a minimum noise for vehicles powered by an electric motor.  Similar standards are being considered in the US. PCA chairman and CEO Harold Scruby said the group supported a hybrid noise requirement being legislated by the Federal Government before the vehicles became too popular.  "With an ageing population and the expectation of millions of these vehicles on our roads in the next five to 10 years, there will be a dramatic increase in pedestrian and cyclist road trauma unless this is done and without delay," he said. Vision Australia has called for hybrid vehicles to be fitted with beepers to operate when the vehicles are running on electric power only.  Spokesman Michael Simpson said Vision Australia advocated a beeper for all reversing vehicles, but believed hybrids should have a beeper when operating in electric-only mode.

Toyota has bought a significant stake in Tesla, which plans to add a prestige family sedan soon to its Lotus Elise-based Roadster, in a deal which will also revive a dormant factory in the USA. The NUMMI factory in Fremont, California - its name stands for New United Motor Manufacturing, Incorporated - was originally set us as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. But, just like the shotgun marriage between Toyota and Holden in the 1980s in Australia, the deal fell apart and production at the factory ended this year. Now Toyota plans to assist Tesla to establish a giant new manufacturing operation at the NUMMI site as it taps into the American start-up company's expertise in electric-car technology.  It has bought a stake in Tesla costing more than $59 million and Toyota chief Akio Toyoda is bullish about the potential in the deal. "I’ve felt an infinite possibility about Tesla’s technology. Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has," Toyoda says. "Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future." Tesla will build its upcoming Model S, although it is unlikely to approach the 500,000 cars-a-year production capacity at the factory.  The Model S was unveiled last year and has a target price in the USA of $49,900, a figure helped considerably by a government tax break, as well as a claimed range of 500 kilometres between re-charges. "The Tesla factory effectively leverages an ideal combination of hardcore Silicon Valley engineering talent, traditional automotive engineering talent and the proven Toyota production system," said Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.  "The new Tesla Factory will give us plenty of room to grow."  But Tesla is still in its infancy and has delivered less than 1000 of its Elise-based electric Roadster sports cars to date.

More than eight million of the marque’s most popular models have been recalled in the United States, Europe and China to address sticking accelerators caused by at least two separate problems -- slipping floor mats and a design fault in the pedal. To date Australia has been isolated from the problems, but the latest safety concerns over inconsistent brake feel have hit closer to home.  Toyota Australia says it is investigating reports that some owners have experienced inconsistent brake feel when the vehicle is driven over potholes, bumps or slippery road surfaces. There have been more than 100 complaints of brake problems on the Prius in the United States and the world's biggest car manufacturers says that 77 similar concerns were reported in Japan to the end of last year. Toyota has not released the number of Australian complaints. Toyota Australia says that while it is investigating the reports of Prius brake problems in Australia and will make no further comment or supply numbers of complaints the company believes there is no relationship with the earlier overseas recalls.