PriusChat Forums - Prius and Hybrid News

Insight Sales Down 25% Since 2010 Prius Release

Danny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:56:47 GMT

A new story entry has been added:

Insight Sales Down 25% Since 2010 Prius Release

Quote:

It looks like the new Honda Insight is in for some hard times, sales-wise. Honda sales figures for June show that Insight sales dropped 25% from 2,780 units in May to 2,079 units in June. Over the same period the Prius' sales have risen from 10,091 units to 12,998. It's hard not to point out that the Prius' increase from May to June was greater than the number of Insights sold in June.
At this rate, it's going to be tough for Honda to reach their 90,000 sales goal by the end of the first model year.

Hyundai's first hybrid car gets over 1,000 orders

zenMachine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:33:53 GMT

Starting Wednesday, Hyundai will start selling the Avante LPI, a hybrid version of its best-selling compact car Avante, which is sold as the Elantra overseas.

Unlike conventional hybrid models such as the Prius of Toyota Motor Corp. and the Insight of Honda Motor Co., the Avante LPI is powered by liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and lithium polymer batteries.

... By the end of this year, Hyundai plans to sell as many as 8,000 Avante LPIs in South Korea, according to company officials. The new car is priced from 20 million won (US$15,800) to 23 million won, about 40 percent cheaper than Honda's Civic hybrid in South Korea.

The Avante LPI runs 17.8 km per liter. While the fuel economy is inferior than that of hybrid models by Toyota and Honda, Lee claimed that the Avante LPI could gain appeal because the LPG price is cheaper.

YONHAP NEWS

Hitachi to supply Lithium Ion batteries to GM beginning in 2010.

Rybold — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:17:17 GMT

Hitachi to supply lithium-ion batteries to GM for hybrids, sharply boost output capacity.
Thursday July 2, 2009

Hitachi to supply lithium-ion batteries to GM - Yahoo! Finance

TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese electronics maker Hitachi Ltd. said Thursday it will supply lithium-ion batteries for hybrid vehicles to General Motors Corp. in 2010 and sharply raise production capacity to meet surging demand for gas-electric cars.
Hitachi currently makes 40,000 lithium-ion batteries per month and will lift the capacity to three million units.
"We plan to boost our production capacity for lithium-ion batteries as we expect demand for hybrid vehicles will continue to grow worldwide," said Hitachi spokesman Shinya Yamada. He declined to say when Hitachi would lift the capacity.
The Nikkei business daily said Thursday that Hitachi would invest around 30 billion yen ($311 million) to raise production capacity. But Yamada declined to confirm the report.
Hitachi will also start supplying lithium-ion batteries for hybrid cars to GM next year, the company spokesman said without elaborating further.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrids now use nickel-metal hydride batteries. The world's largest automaker said last month it will use for the first time lithium-ion batteries for its plug-in hybrid cars.
Using a lithium-ion battery will produce more energy, allowing hybrid cars to run more as an electric vehicle, but there have been some technological hurdles.

First Mercedes hybrid will hit dealer lots in two months (Sept 2009)

Rybold — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:51:18 GMT

The Mercedes S400 hybrid with a Lithium Ion battery will hit dealer lots in September 2009 according to the August 2009 Issue of Motor Trend, page 116. The power and EPA mpg is nothing special and nothing to brag about; however I consider this "a start." At least Mercedes is beginning to sell a hybrid version of one of it's mainstream cars. I hope to see more progress in the future. For those that are interested, the S400 hybrid will begin at $90,000. EPA 23/33 mpg. 3.5L V6 producing 275hp/255lb-ft, electric motor producing 20hp/118lb-ft, for a total output of 295hp/283lb-ft. The vehicle weighs 4600lbs.

Automobile Magazine, August 2009, has a comparison of the S400 Hybrid with the Lexus LS600hL. The title of the article is "Battery-Assisted Barges."

Yes, the image is not very good. Go look at the actual magazine or find it online.

Attached Thumbnails

Prius Sales Up 6% in June - Only Toyota With Positive Increase

Danny — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:30:17 GMT

A new story entry has been added:

Prius Sales Up 6% in June - Only Toyota With Positive Increase

Quote:

In it's first month on the block, the 2010 Prius is looking to be solid seller for Toyota - at least compared to the rest of the line-up. With sales of 12,998 cars, Toyota sold 6% more Prius models in June than they did in June 2008. Not too shabby considering the gas situation of June 2008.
The Prius is also the only Toyota with a positive increase compared to June 2008. The RAV4 had a 0.6% increase, but that's small enough to call a wash. Year To Date sales are still down roughly 39%.

Toyota (Australia) Hybrid Battery Warranty Extended To Eight Years

cwerdna — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:56:40 GMT

Toyota Extends Hybrid Battery Warranty To Eight Years | The Motor Report: Auto News And Reviews

Didn't realize that it was previously 5 years/100K km until I looked it up. (Am I right?)

Timing - "Bell the Hybrid" march kicks-off

bwilson4web — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:22:27 GMT

Over One Thousand Blind Americans to March in Detroit

Quote:

Over One Thousand Blind Americans to March in Detroit

Mayor Dave Bing and Martha Reeves to Participate in March

DETROIT, June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the oldest and largest organization of the blind in the United States, will hold its third March for Independence on July 6 in Detroit, Michigan. The Motor City March for Independence is a 5K walk held as part of the National Federation of the Blind convention, which will take place in Detroit this year. . . .

Highlights of the march will include addresses by NFB President Dr. Marc Maurer and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. Congressman John Dingell is serving as an honorary co-chair of the event. Motown singer and current Detroit Councilwoman Martha Reeves, also serving as an honorary co-chair of the event, will perform live as part of the rally. The Honorable Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, will also address the rally. Following the march and rally, the participants will return to the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, where President Maurer will sound his gavel to bring the convention to order for its opening session. . . .

The reason McCurdy is important is during the April hearings on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration programs, he was the only speaker to advocate for noise makers on hybrid electric cars. Having the National Federation of the Blind convention in Detroit is tailor made to release a huge amount of misleading press releases. These in turn will 'echo' through the media. So it makes sense to review the facts and data and have your sources ready:

On average, 4,700 pedestrians die each year, 5 are blind, and since 2001-2006, no blind has died in a Prius accident, yet.
The Prius has the same pedestrian accident rate as ordinary cars.
No blind has been killed by a Prius out of the 4,700 pedestrians killed every year.
There have been only 11 Prius-only, fatal pedestrian accidents in the seven year, 2001-2007 during which 515,000 Prius were sold

Later this week, I'll post a web page with the source material and references ... a fact sheet ... to use when addressing local editors. In the short term, use the material already available at:

www.regulations.gov - search: NHTSA-2008-0108-0020

Recent information: search: NHTSA-2008-0108-0027.1

This is the NHTSA "plan" submitted June 19, 2009 but according to the web sites, comments were due August 1, 2008. Kinda hard to comment on a plan submitted in the future but this plan has more problems. More about this later.

Understand that I'm not sharing the most recent information because we can expect the advocates to do 'opposition research.' There is no advantage to telegraphing the facts and data that refute their claims until the last minute but we have enough already. Use what we've got.

This NFB march looks to kick off their legislative effort to pass H.R. 734 and S. 841 as Congress resumes July 6 for the Senate and July 7 for the House. This weekend is your best opportunity to meet your Congress critters during the July holiday break. Unlike any other, this is the time to meet or attend any 'town hall' or other events during the July recess.

Now if your congress critter is on this list, they have already signed up as a 'co-sponsor.' That means you'll need to use skill but don't ignore your own representatives:

Senate Members:
Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
Sen. Edward Kennedy [D-MA]
Sen. Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D-MD]
Sen. Arlen Specter [D-PA]
Sen. Evan Bayh [D-IN]

House Members:
AK Rep. Donald Young [R-AK]
AR Rep. John Boozman [R-AR3]
AR Rep. Robert Berry [D-AR1]
AZ Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]
AZ Rep. Edward Pastor [D-AZ4]
CA Rep. Bob Filner [D-CA51]
CA Rep. Adam Schiff [D-CA29]
CA Rep. Ellen Tauscher [D-CA10]
CA Rep. Linda S�nchez [D-CA39]
CA Rep. Doris Matsui [D-CA5]
CA Rep. Fortney Stark [D-CA13]
CA Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R-CA46]
CA Rep. Jane Harman [D-CA36]
CA Rep. Barbara Lee [D-CA9]
CA Rep. Maxine Waters [D-CA35]
CA Rep. Howard Berman [D-CA28]
CA Rep. Lois Capps [D-CA23]
CT Rep. Joe Courtney [D-CT2]
DC Del. Eleanor Norton [D-DC]
FL Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D-FL20]
FL Rep. Robert Wexler [D-FL19]
FL Rep. Alcee Hastings [D-FL23]
FL Rep. Clifford Stearns [R-FL6]
FL Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R-FL9]
FL Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R-FL4]
FL Rep. Corrine Brown [D-FL3]
GA Rep. Sanford Bishop [D-GA2]
GA Rep. John Lewis [D-GA5]
GU Del. Madeleine Bordallo [D-GU]
HI Rep. Neil Abercrombie [D-HI1]
HI Rep. Mazie Hirono [D-HI2]
IA Rep. Bruce Braley [D-IA1]
IA Rep. David Loebsack [D-IA2]
IA Rep. Steve King [R-IA5]
IA Rep. Thomas Latham [R-IA4]
IA Rep. Leonard Boswell [D-IA3]
ID Rep. Walter Minnick [D-ID1]
IL Rep. Judy Biggert [R-IL13]
IL Rep. Jesse Jackson [D-IL2]
IL Rep. Daniel Lipinski [D-IL3]
IL Rep. Phil Hare [D-IL17]
IL Rep. Janice Schakowsky [D-IL9]
IL Rep. Danny Davis [D-IL7]
IL Rep. Luis Guti�rrez [D-IL4]
IL Rep. Peter Roskam [R-IL6]
IL Rep. Donald Manzullo [R-IL16]
IN Rep. Andr� Carson [D-IN7]
IN Rep. Brad Ellsworth [D-IN8]
LA Rep. Charles Melancon [D-LA3]
LA Rep. Rodney Alexander [R-LA5]
LA Rep. Anh Cao [R-LA2]
Le Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL18]
MA Rep. Edward Markey [D-MA7]
MA Rep. James McGovern [D-MA3]
MA Rep. John Tierney [D-MA6]
MA Rep. William Delahunt [D-MA10]
MA Rep. Michael Capuano [D-MA8]
MA Rep. Richard Neal [D-MA2]
MD Rep. Christopher Van Hollen [D-MD8]
MD Rep. John Sarbanes [D-MD3]
MD Rep. Elijah Cummings [D-MD7]
MD Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger [D-MD2]
ME Rep. Michael Michaud [D-ME2]
MN Rep. Keith Ellison [D-MN5]
MN Rep. Timothy Walz [D-MN1]
MN Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN7]
MN Rep. Betty McCollum [D-MN4]
MN Rep. James Oberstar [D-MN8]
MO Rep. Roy Blunt [R-MO7]
MO Rep. Jo Ann Emerson [R-MO8]
MO Rep. Russ Carnahan [D-MO3]
MS Rep. Gene Taylor [D-MS4]
NC Rep. Walter Jones [R-NC3]
NC Rep. Mike McIntyre [D-NC7]
NC Rep. David Price [D-NC4]
ND Rep. Earl Pomeroy [D-ND]
NE Rep. Lee Terry [R-NE2]
NJ Rep. Donald Payne [D-NJ10]
NJ Rep. Steven Rothman [D-NJ9]
NJ Rep. Albio Sires [D-NJ13]
NM Rep. Martin Heinrich [D-NM1]
NV Rep. Dina Titus [D-NV3]
NV Rep. Shelley Berkley [D-NV1]
NY Rep. Jerrold Nadler [D-NY8]
NY Rep. Nita Lowey [D-NY18]
NY Rep. Charles Rangel [D-NY15]
NY Rep. Carolyn Maloney [D-NY14]
NY Rep. Maurice Hinchey [D-NY22]
NY Rep. Jos� Serrano [D-NY16]
OH Rep. Steve Driehaus [D-OH1]
OH Rep. Steven LaTourette [R-OH14]
OH Rep. Timothy Ryan [D-OH17]
OH Rep. Charles Wilson [D-OH6]
OR Rep. David Wu [D-OR1]
OR Rep. Earl Blumenauer [D-OR3]
OR Rep. Peter DeFazio [D-OR4]
PA Rep. Paul Kanjorski [D-PA11]
PA Rep. Glenn Thompson [R-PA5]
PA Rep. Tim Holden [D-PA17]
PA Rep. Christopher Carney [D-PA10]
PA Rep. Kathleen Dahlkemper [D-PA3]
PA Rep. Chaka Fattah [D-PA2]
PA Rep. Robert Brady [D-PA1]
PA Rep. Michael Doyle [D-PA14]
PA Rep. Todd Platts [R-PA19]
Po Rep. Carol Shea-Porter [D-NH1]
PR Res.Com. Pedro Pierluisi [D-PR]
RI Rep. Patrick Kennedy [D-RI1]
SD Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin [D-SD]
TN Rep. Steve Cohen [D-TN9]
TN Rep. Phil Roe [R-TN1]
TX Rep. Peter Sessions [R-TX32]
TX Rep. Raymond Green [D-TX29]
TX Rep. Randy Neugebauer [R-TX19]
UT Rep. Rob Bishop [R-UT1]
VA Rep. Gerald Connolly [D-VA11]
VA Rep. James Moran [D-VA8]
VA Rep. Rob Wittman [R-VA1]
VT Rep. Peter Welch [D-VT]
WA Rep. James McDermott [D-WA7]
WI Rep. Gwen Moore [D-WI4]
WI Rep. Thomas Petri [R-WI6]
WV Rep. Nick Rahall [D-WV3]
WV Rep. Alan Mollohan [D-WV1]

More later,
Bob Wilson

Video: Toyota Prius Roadtest (English Subtitled)

Tideland Prius — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:09:31 GMT

I believe this was posted before but here is the video again with English subtitles

YouTube - New Toyota Prius roadtest (English subtitled)

Video: 2010 Toyota Prius - First Drive Review

Tideland Prius — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:08:32 GMT

YouTube - 2010 Toyota Prius - First Drive Review

Priii in Nevada, Arizona and Utah (Fun post)

scottwyden — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:23:49 GMT

I just returned from my vacation. I went to Las Vegas and visiting the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park while I was there. I was counting how many Prii I saw in each state. Which do you think I saw the most in?

Nevada
Arizona
Utah

Video: Prius, Greener Than Ever (Youtube Video )

Flying White Dutchman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:43:25 GMT

YouTube - 2010 European Toyota Prius III LCA

Worst Idea Ever: Toyota To Produce Prius For GM?

Danny — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:35:31 GMT

A new story entry has been added:

Worst Idea Ever: Toyota To Produce Prius For GM?

Quote:

Seriously, Toyota. I was making a JOKE when I wrote on April Fools' Day that Toyota is going to co-produce the Volt with GM. This time, though, it's not the Volt at the center of the conversation, it's the Prius. And this time, it's not a joke.
Read the full story

Honda Insight Disappoints

damack1 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:13:33 GMT

Consumer Reports knocks Honda's new hybrid - Jun. 29, 2009

Aston Martin Teams with Toyota

eaglesight333 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:15:47 GMT

Aston Martin Teams with Toyota - MSN Autos

Aston Martin Teams with Toyota

Aston Martin partners with Japanese automaker for the Cygnet, a city car that boasts the Toyota iQ's economy with a luxury trim.

By Dale Jewett of AutoWeek
Click to enlarge picture

The Aston Martin Cygnet is a $33,000 city car based on this Toyota iQ.

Luxury carmaker Aston Martin has forged an innovative alliance with Toyota to develop what could be the world's first luxury city car. Aston Martin on Monday released a photo of the Cygnet, which is a Toyota iQ with restyled front sheetmetal.
Although officially billed a concept, reports in Britain say that Aston Martin will put the Cygnet on sale next year. At first, it will be offered to current Aston owners or those who have a car on order. But it will be offered to the public later.
The price? The equivalent of $33,000, or �20,000. That's a bit of a step up from the iQ's base price, which checks in at the equivalent of $17,800. Aston says a key part of the Cygnet is a new grille design for the automaker. There also are slight changes to the shape of the headlamps, and the addition ofAston's signature vents on the hood and front quarter panels.
Aston won't make mechanical changes to the iQ. Toyota will build the cars and ship them to Aston's assembly plant in Gaydon. There, Aston will trim out the car's interior with leather.
Reports say that Aston will build up to 2,000 copies of the Cygnet a year.
One important note: The addition of the Cygnet to Aston's vehicle fleet will improve the automaker's emissions ratings.

Prius Awarded WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2009

zenMachine — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:32:01 GMT

The new Toyota Prius was chosen from a short-list of 10 green car finalists which were test-driven at Imperial College, London, by six of the UK's leading green transport and environmental experts. The judging was completely independent and showcased the most innovative green cars available to drive in the UK during 2009.

The 10 cars up for contention for the 2009 Award included: the Citroen C1 ev'ie electric, Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric, Toyota iQ, Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, third-generation Toyota Prius hybrid, Volvo S40/V50 DRIVe start-stop, new Honda Insight hybrid, Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion 2, BMW 318d saloon, and the Citroen C3 Picasso compact-MPV.

Dr Ben Lane, Managing Editor of WhatGreenCar said: "While this year's judges were rightly impressed by the range of green car technologies employed by the 10 car short-list, they were unanimous in their acclaim for the new Prius. In addition to the new model's best-in-class cradle-to-crave environmental credentials, the panel particularly commented on the way the car seamlessly integrates green features as part of its design. If Apple made a car, it would probably be the third generation Prius".

The New Toyota Prius Awarded WhatGreenCar Car of the Year 2009