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Toyota Highlander Hybrid

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#1 of 3943 2005 Hybrid Toyota Highlander by ssachnoff Dec 16, 2003 (9:16 am)
This week (12/8/03) Toyota announced it would debut it's 2005 hybrid Highlander at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next January.   What else has anyone learned about this vehicle besides what's available in the news release on Toyota's website:   http://www.toyota.com/about/news/product/2003/12/09-1-Hybrid-High- lander.html
#2 of 3943 well by jchan2 Dec 16, 2003 (2:47 pm)
I'll be really excited about a hybrid Crossover, as there will finally be a family car out there that isn't too expensive for many families (RX400H) or too small for growing families (Prius) or isn't always delayed. (Escape Hybrid)
#3 of 3943 Price and lauch date of RX400H? by vetpathologist Dec 17, 2003 (1:49 pm)
Would the price of RX400H be comparable to the 330 or will it be significantly higher? Any ideas on the exact release date?
#4 of 3943 RX400H by jchan2 Dec 17, 2003 (1:59 pm)
I estimate it will start $2,000 over the regular RX330, as the Civic Hybrid costs $2,000 more than the Civic EX. Which would bring the starting price from $36,000 to $38,000. Hardly affordable for many families.
#5 of 3943 Excited to see 2005 Hybrid Highlander by dgrayson Dec 30, 2003 (8:37 am)
I, for one, and excited about the upcoming Hybrid HL. I am looking forward to seeing it announced at the Detroit Auto Show and the viewing myself in Feb. at the Chicago Auto Show.   I think the Hybrid HL will put Hybrids on the map for good. Right now the are still kinda "techie" in that the Prius is "teched out" especially in its look. As long as the look remains similar, this should be a hot seller (particularly if the upgraded price is reasonable).   As for price... I am hoping that Toyota will continue to partially subsidize the price in order to increase popularity of the HSD systems. Lexus is lexus... the Lexus 400H is of course going to be costly as the current 330RX is because it is a luzury model. The HL should be much more affordable to the masses (before adding on all the little extras).   As for availability... I hope to drive one of the lot as soon as they become available. I am pretty sure there is going to be a waiting list for this car also (like the Prius)... so order yours plenty in advance!   The HSD system will be perfect for this car. Increasing the power and fuel mileage significantly. Will the new HL Horsepower be 400 similar to the Lexus 400H???   Hope to hear alot more excitement on this board after the role out at the Auto Shows!!!
#6 of 3943 by coolguyky7 Dec 30, 2003 (11:28 am)
I have a feeling the HL's hybrid system will be tuned for maximized mileage and not performance. Not to say that the car will be slow or not perform as well as the regular model, but I bet Toyota could sell many more units of the hybrid if it gets better mileage. The RX330 should be the one to get the predominant power boost.
#7 of 3943 Highlander Hybrid by jchan2 Dec 30, 2003 (2:05 pm)
would promote high MPG, not performance. Performance is for it's cousin- the RX400H.
#8 of 3943 by john1701a Dec 30, 2003 (3:19 pm)
> I am hoping that Toyota will continue to partially > subsidize the price in order to increase popularity > of the HSD systems.   TOYOTA MADE A PROFIT WITH PRIUS.   Your information is grossly outdated. At one time, Prius was subsidized. But that is now ancient history. The classic Prius earned money halfway through it's life here, it didn't cause a loss. And since HSD is a propulsion system, not a specific model. The new version of Prius should be in the "profit zone" shortly, not really that much different from other new vehicles.   Look at it this way... Toyota will be building 300,000 systems per year starting in 2006 (according to their original plan before they realized the 2004 Prius would be so popular). Do you really think they would want to subsidize that many?   JOHN
#9 of 3943 well by jchan2 Dec 30, 2003 (7:02 pm)
Toyota is making a huge profit on every Prius sold. How they're doing it I don't know, but they're making money, and now we can have our cake (Environmentally Friendly) and Toyota can eat it (Higher Profits)
#10 of 3943 PROFIT by john1701a Dec 30, 2003 (8:24 pm)
The profit equation isn't magical. Here's food for thought...   People are under the assumption that the CVT is more complicated than an automatic transmission. (That's because it is so different.) In reality, it is actually quite a bit more simple. That simplicity costs less.   The engine itself is smaller than usual. That results in a lower cost too.   The front-end of the car is shorter than usual too. That's an obvious rather large savings.   The speedometer likely represents a savings as well, believe it of not. No self-contained high-precision moving parts required like in a traditional design. It's just a dumb LED (that looks really impressive via optical tricks).   The dashboard is an obvious cost reduction. Eliminating all the mechanical parts and using just by-wire interfaces instead is cheaper. (You can thank the computer & music industries for that!)   I wonder what else Toyota did. Hmm? They allowed their engineers to build components from scratch, sparing no expense during the research phase. That's rarely an option with normal new vehicle design. Automakers like to reuse parts. But with HSD intended to replace the current infrastructure, this was a special case. Creating entirely new parts for reuse later is viewed upon as a way to save money in the long run too.   Needless to say. Toyota had lots of opportunities to help them achieve a profit with Prius (and HSD).   JOHN

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