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Automotive News & Views Toyota in decline in 2009?
3255 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 2:02 PM
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Specs on new Prius I remember posting this on these forums somewhere a few years ago when a Toyota rep said it, and many people guffawed at it and doubted 'Yota could do it. They reduced the size of the hybrid system components and dropped 20% off the weight. Ninety percent of the Prius's hybrid synergy drive system has been redesigned, with the focus on weight reduction. The lighter components include the transaxle to cut down on torque loss, inverter with direct cooling and smaller motor. In all, Toyota says it reduced system weight by 20 percent and estimates a 50-mpg combined fuel economy rating. Three selectable drive modes are now offered. EV-Drive uses only battery power for low speed motoring, Eco for optimal fuel economy and Power mode increases throttle response for enthusiastic outings. Additionally, the regenerative brake system, now with discs at all corners, has been revised for improved regeneration performance. Paired with the hybrid system is a 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder, replacing the previous 1.5-liter unit. The larger engine features a power bump of 22 hp to 98 hp and torque increase of 23 lb-ft to 105 lb-ft over its predecessor, helping to shave off more than a second from the Prius's 0-60 mph time, to 9.8 seconds. With the additional torque, engine revs are kept lower at highway speeds to consume less fuel. Also helping to improve engine efficiency is an electric water pump, exhaust gas recirculation system and the elimination of all belts under hood. New exterior styling boasts sharper lines and more distinctive wedge shape, achieved by moving the top of the roof back 3.9 inches to improve rear headroom and aerodynamics. Extensive wind tunnel work further improves airflow through the underbody to drop the coefficient of drag value to 0.25 from 0.26 of the current model. The redone interior is built partially from plant-derived, carbon-neutral plastics. Cabin comfort improves with an optional moonroof with solar panels powering an electric fan, reducing cool-down periods in warm months. A remote air conditioning system is also offered, capable of operating on battery power alone to adjust interior temperature prior to getting in the car. Reducing driver distractions is a Touch Tracer system that projects an image of audio and info controls on a panel in front of the driver. Radar cruise control and a self-parking system are also available as options. |
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jan 12, 2009 12:46 pm) Well, I could if I felt like paying $38,000 for a Corolla with leather seats. Needless to say, that was not really what I had in mind.... Oh, and lars: just to be clear, the weight of the hybrid componentry in the new Prius is 20% lighter, the overall car is not. In fact, it seems the overall car is almost exactly the same size inside and out, with 5 additional cubic feet of interior space eked from somewhere. Now using the 1.8, they only managed to improve fuel economy by about 8%, while making it a half second quicker to 60 mph from a standstill (now under 10 seconds for the first time in the Prius's history). 8% aint all that much, if this has to stand for the next five years, during which all the plug-ins and electric cars will make it to market.
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 13, 2009 9:14 am) I was just quoting it as an example, that's all. 
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Replying to: anythngbutgm (Jan 13, 2009 9:30 am) Plus, it's an Avensis platform with the 2.4 from the old Camry, so it's basically 90% of the Camry's size and weight (witness the tC that uses the Avensis platform and can't manage to get under 3000 pounds curb weight with the same engine and without hybrid gadgetry and batteries). Given that fact, it's high time the ES got onto a unique platform and stopped so much sharing with the existing Camry. I mean, they could sell the Camry hybrid as an ES250H for around $38K starting tomorrow, and I'm not sure why they don't. Not profitable enough for Toyota-the-profit-fiend, would be my guess.
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 13, 2009 9:37 am) |
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| I just saw an article on MSN.com about the top 10 cheapest cars to own - Toyota dominated with 4 out of the 10 being Toyotas - Corolla, Yaris, Scion XB, and the Pontiac Vibe, which is really a Toyota Matrix. The most any other manufacturers have is one. | |
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| Both of my cars are older models on this list! Echo and '07 Matrix. Being cheap to own over their lifetime is one benefit I have always obtained from Toyotas. | |
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they are admitting that the big "Toyotathon" sales drive from the late fall was a total flop, as they actually underperformed the market in that timeframe. So get ready to call Toyota "GM Junior", as it seems the BIG cash is rolling out now... Coming off a sharp sales decline in December, Toyota Division is trying to lure buyers into showrooms with new cash offers for customers and dealers. ....The new cash incentives are a reversal of Toyota's marketing tactics for the past three months, when the division emphasized 0 percent financing, low interest rates and lease programs. Those incentives generated little interest. Toyota's sales fell 36.7 percent in December, underperforming the market. So for January, Toyota is turning to cash. Toyota's trucks get the bulk of the support, including $2,000 dealer cash on the 2009 full-sized Tundra pickup and $4,000 customer rebates on the 2008 Tundra. But dealers are particularly excited about the cash programs on the 2009 Camry, Corolla and Prius--Toyota's three top-selling vehicles. "Whenever they put something on Camry, that's great," said Brad Paul, owner of Ardmore Toyota in Ardmore, Pa. "The $750 on Prius is a great help. Corolla, Camry and Prius are the big ones. The others are much less a percent of the business." Toyota has put $1,500 customer cash on Corolla's base and LE trim levels and $1,250 customer cash on all other trim levels. All Camry trim levels are getting $1,000 customer cash and $500 dealer cash. Overall, Toyota had a 90-day supply of vehicles at the end of December, compared with a 46-day supply in December 2007. Even the Prius ended the year with a 40-day supply. During the first half of the year when gasoline prices were high, the hybrid was getting as much as $5,000 over sticker. http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090119/FREE/901199995 With the new Camry getting the much-improved 2.5L four next month, and the new Prius coming out in about 4 months, how much is the cash really going to help sales though? I guess it could boost Corolla sales - $1500 is a LOT of cash to put on the hood of a $16K car. Toyota needs to be very careful not to fall prey to GM Syndrome in this hard economy. On a sidenote, they also just announced that Akio Toyoda, a founding family member, will take over as president in June. They are planning on offshoring a lot more of their production in the years to come, and more will come to the U.S. as long as it remains Toyota's biggest market. |
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Toyota taking risk by double-teaming Insight with current and new Prius Toyota Motor Corp. plans to keep selling the current version of its Prius hybrid alongside the third generation after the new Prius debuts later this year, a newspaper reports. The strategy: Slash the sticker price on the current Prius so it can go head to head with Honda's cheaper Insight hybrid. This way they can offer two models that directly compete with each other on the same dealer lot, and the Prius II they will sell, for around $20K according to the article, will still be more expensive than the new Insight for what is a 5-year-old model. Sounds like a winner! Honda had hoped the Insight would scoop a yet-untapped low-end market for hybrids. But Toyota apparently doesn't want to surrender that crown without a fight. Its answer is to make the current Prius cheaper by simplifying the interior, the Nikkei says. The question is, how enticing will it be? The fresh Insight undoubtedly will have more cachet among image-conscious, eco-minded drivers. Why be seen driving a car that has been on the road for half a decade? Why indeed..... http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090121/ANA05/901219947/1186- |
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Replying to: nippononly (Jan 30, 2009 7:48 am) OTOH, I've read that the new Insight has a really cheap interior and not much room in the back seat. Frugal buyers might very well choose the Prius II over the Insight II.
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