Toyota Maintains Pace, Broadens Scope Of Advanced Environmental Technologies

EV Concept Confirms Battery-Electric Vehicle in 2012; First of 150 Plug-ins Arrive Late ‘09 to Lease-Fleet Customers; As Many As 10 New Gas-Electric Hybrids by early 2010s

Detroit, January 10, 2009 – - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it will display the Toyota FT-EV concept on opening Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), confirming its plan to launch an urban commuter battery-electric vehicle (BEV) by 2012. This announcement, coupled with its compressed natural gas powered Camry Hybrid concept display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, signal Toyota’s intention to broaden the scope of its advanced alternative-fuel vehicle development.

“Now, more than ever, while we are so focused on the pressing issues of the moment, we cannot lose sight of our future,” said Irv Miller, TMS Group Vice President, Environmental and Public Affairs. “Nowhere is this more important than with our industry’s duty and commitment to provide true sustainable mobility with vehicles that significantly reduce fuel consumption, our carbon footprint and overall greenhouse gases.”

The FT-EV concept shares its platform with the revolutionary-new iQ urban commuter vehicle. Already a huge hit in Japan, the iQ is lightweight and seats four passengers in comfort and security, while delivering exceptional mileage, sporty performance, unique refinements and a fun, youthful image.

Toyota’s FT-EV concept imagines an urban dweller, driving up to 50 miles between home, work and other forms of public transportation, such as high-speed rail. Although, for now, the FT-EV remains a pure concept, it represents a natural pairing of product strategies.

“Last summer’s four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly. It was a brief glimpse of our future,” said Miller. “We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.”

Although BEVs and new smaller vehicles like the iQ will be a key component of Toyota’s sustainable mobility strategy, the conventional gas-electric hybrid, like the all new third-generation Prius, is considered Toyota’s long-term core powertrain technology.

Last year, Toyota announced that it planned to sell one million gas-electric hybrids per year sometime during the early 2010s. To accomplish this, Toyota will launch as many as 10 new hybrid models by the early 2010s, in various global markets. The new third-generation Toyota Prius and all new Lexus HS250h, both debuting in Detroit, are the first two examples of that effort.

Also, last year, Toyota announced that it would roll-out a large number of plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) to global lease-fleet customers in 2010. That schedule has been moved up.

Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will start global delivery of 500 Prius PHVs powered by lithium-ion batteries. Of these initial vehicles, 150 will be placed with U.S. lease-fleet customers.

The first-generation lithium-ion batteries powering these PHVs will be built on an assembly line at Toyota’s PEVE (Panasonic EV Energy Company, LTD)
battery plant, a joint-venture production facility in which Toyota owns 60 percent equity. During its development, the new Prius was designed and engineered to package either the lithium-ion battery pack with plug-in capability, or the nickel-metal hydride battery for the conventional gas-electric system.

The 500 PHVs arriving globally in late 2009 will be used for market and engineering analysis. Lease–fleet customers will monitor the performance and durability of the first-generation lithium-ion battery, while offering real world feedback on how future customers might respond to the plug-in process.

“Future customers will have high expectations for these emerging technologies. This Prius PHV fleet program is a key first step in confirming how and when we might bring large numbers of plug-in hybrids to global markets,” said Miller.

“Our business is no longer about simply building and selling cars and trucks. It is about finding solutions to mobility challenges today and being prepared for more daunting challenges in our very near future.”

Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said. “There are no future GM vehicles planned for the joint venture at this time”. On its part the Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said in a statement that the Japanese automaker is disappointed to see the partnership end. “The economic and business environment surrounding Toyota is also extremely severe, and so this decision by GM makes the situation even more difficult for Toyota,” he said in a email.

More details about the car like launch date, price and number of cars will be decided soon, and the car will be sold in Europe. Aston Martin is known for its premium sports cars which have been made famous thanks to the James Bond movies.

In Japan, Toyota will be making a a sporty, limited edition iQ customized under Gazoo Racing, of which President Akio Toyoda, who took over as president last week is a member. He wants to make cars which are more fun to drive.

2009 Lexus IS-F is on the road as the luxury carmakers Lexus is taking aim at the performance market with the 416 hp version of the IS sedan.… Toyota’s luxury brand says its new $64,400 IS F super sports sedan, its first “truly authentic” performance car… Lexus says the IS F’s intention is to broaden the IS brand, attract buyers who may never consider a Lexus, and maybe even snag some Lexus GS owners looking for a little more hardcore driving action.

Based on the compact rear-wheel-drive six-cylinder IS five-passenger sedan (which starts at $31,900 for the 204 hp IS 250), the new high-performance iteration is the first Lexus to wear the brand’s new “F” badge, an internal code for special Lexus vehicles that “fall outside the normal engineering and development process,” says the carmaker.

With a unique V8, transmission, suspension, dynamic safety systems, brakes, bodywork and interior, the first F-badged Lexus is anything but a quickie tuner chop-job. To match its German rivals, Lexus has stuffed a 5.0 L V8 under the IS F’s bulging hood. It’s an enlarged version of the 4.6 L unit found in the LS luxobarge.

With a generous amount of aluminum in its build, and unique engineering – like an oil-scavenge pumping system that keeps the engine juiced even with the IS F in smoky doughnut mode – the basically all-new mill pumps out a competitive 416 hp with 317 lb.-ft. of torque. The only transmission available is an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters. It can run in straight-up automatic, sequential, or full manual modes.

Lexus claims that its new super sports sedan betters the 414 hp M3 in the 0-to-100 km/h run by 0.1 second at 4.8 seconds (the 475 hp C63 AMG is even quicker at 4.4). If you’re beyond splitting tenths of seconds, the sound of the IS F’s V8 at full throttle is an aural delight, as yet unheard of in any of the brand’s quieter models.

On the way to its 6600 rpm redline, there’s a tonal change at a little more than 3000 rpm when the dual-path intake system opens the secondary plumbing. Sweet. Normally, “real drivers” would guffaw at an automatic. But if automakers like Lexus (plus Audi and Mitsubishi) keep making these quick shifting gearboxes – with properly placed paddle shifters – using a clutch may go the way of roll-up windows.

Upshifts are shaved by a full second (1.3 to 0.3) compared to an IS 350, says Lexus. There’s also a delicious throttle blip on downshifts to match revs that will make any driver grin in false self-satisfaction.

Have some specs !

This Outline said me to write something (a success note) about TOYOTA – A largest AutoMobile Company of Today’s World… Lets have a look at short history of TOYOTA…

Toyota has grown to a large Multinational Corporation from where it started by becoming the largest seller of cars in the beginning of 2007, the most profitable automaker ($11 trillion in 2006) along with increasing sales in United States. Toyota brands include Scion and Lexus and the corporation is part of the Toyota Group…

Toyota has introduced new technologies including the first mass-produced hybrid gas-electric vehicle, of which it says it has sold 1 million globally (2007-06-07) , Advanced Parking Guidance System (automatic parking), a four-speed electronically controlled automatic with buttons for power and economy shifting, and an eight-speed automatic transmission…

In 2005, Toyota, combined with its half-owned subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Company, produced 8.54 million vehicles, more than the number produced by GM that year. Toyota has a large market share in the United States, but a small market share in Europe. Its also sells vehicles in Africa and Australia. Due to Daihatsu it has significant market shares in several fast-growing Southeast Asian countries…

In the Fortune Global 500, Toyota Motor is the 8th largest company in the world. Since the recession of 2001, it has gained market share in the United States. In the first three months of 2007, Toyota together with Daihatsu reported number one sales of 2.348 million units. Toyota’s brand sales had risen 9.2% largely on demand for Corolla and Camry sedans. The difference in performance was largely attributed to surging demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Toyota currently maintains over 16% of the US market share. Toyota, and Toyota-produced Lexus and Scion automobiles, consistently rank at the top in certain quality and reliability surveys and Consumer Reports…

The pricing for the new crossover will put the base front-drive vehicle at $27,300. The base 4×4 will be $28,750. Sport models will cost $29,950 and $31,400 for front- and all-wheel drive, respectively. And the Highlander Limited will go for $32,700 and $34,150 for front- and all-wheel drive, respectively. Prices do not include a $685 destination charge.

As for features and specs, Toyota says the new version is four inches longer and three inches wider than the first generation that went on sale in 2001. The new model also has an inch more ground clearance and three inches more in its wheelbase.

The new Highlander rides on a version of the platform underpinning the Camry and Avalon.

The Highlander has standard anti-lock brakes, with stability and traction control. Seven airbags are outfitted to the crossover vehicle, too. Active head restraints and a pedestrian-safe hood design have been designed into the new vehicle.

Toyota promises the Highlander will have a more flexible interior, with a stowable second-row seat that allows easier access to the rear cargo area and third-row seat. The flexible interior arrangement has two second-row chairs that can be converted into a three-seat bench – the middle seat stows into the floor when not in use. The second-row seats also slide fore and aft 4.7 inches for more third-row seating room. The third-row seats fold flat for cargo, and the hatch glass is flip-up on most models.

A new 3.5-liter V-6 puts out 270 horsepower in the Highlander, up 55 from the previous 3.3-liter engine in the last edition.

Hybrid models will be offered in base and Limited versions, all with all-wheel drive, electronic steering, and stability control. Though the Highlander has gained 500 pounds in its latest growth spurt, the increased engine power – the Hybrid is now a 3.3-liter V-6 with battery and motors – horsepower is identical to the gas-only version at 270 hp. Toyota says the Hybrid’s fuel economy stays the same at 31/27 mpg, though the figures were calculated by 2007 model-year methods, not by the updated EPA methods.

Other features on the new Highlander include a backup camera that doesn’t require the buyer to order a navigation system; a Smart Start keyless ignition system on Limited and Hybrid models. Nineteen-inch wheels will be standard on some models. Options will include a six-disc, nine-speaker JBL audio system; leather seats; and the ability to delete the third-row seat.

Real-World Economy:

Perception and reality have proven to be sitting on either side of a large gap when it comes to the mileage of hybrid-electric vehicles. Various industry sources show that the promised fuel economy on vehicles like the newly-updated Toyota Highlander Hybrid can run as much as 30 percent less in real-world driving.

Toyota’s goal, however, was to not only match the EPA-generated mileage numbers for Highlander, but get real-world performance closer to what’s on the window sticker, said the automaker’s Paul Williamson. That was no easy task, he stressed, considering the new crossover/SUV is larger and heavier than the vehicle it replaced.

To improve fuel economy, the ’08 Highlander makes greater use of lightweight body and chassis materials, as well as a wind-cheating belly pan. Additionally, three steps were taken to make the hybrid drive system more fuel-stingy:

·A new LED readout in the instrument cluster shows a motorist the best RPM range to drive within to yield the desired level of acceleration;

·A new ECON button on the center console effectively smoothes out the way the engine management system responds to the throttle pedal. The effect is similar to what happens when an automatic transmission is in overdrive, explained Williamson, noting “you won’t get as much engine response.”

·The third new feature is an EV mode button that will force the management system to drive on electric power only whenever possible, at speeds up to 25 mph and for up to one mile with a fully-charged battery.

Even with these new features, the 31/27 mpg rating for Highlander is expected to be trimmed back when the EPA officially switches to a new and more accurate testing process in 2008.