Toyota To Double Hybrid Production
June 13th, 2006
In a wide-ranging announcement in Tokyo of programs to develop and market environmental technologies and environmentally-friendly vehicles, Toyota Motor Corporation pledged Tuesday to double the number of hybrid models in its product line in the next five years.
The company also said it is pushing ahead on the development of plug-in hybrids, and is currently working on a next-generation hybrid that is capable of a greater range of electric-only operation.
Toyota Prius Hybrid Sales Top 500,000
June 8th, 2006
Toyota Motor Co.’s energy-saving hybrid Prius car has surpassed the half-million mark in worldwide sales, the Japanese automaker’s US subsidiary said. More than half the sales of the world’s first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid vehicle — 266,212 — have been in the massive US market.
The Toyota Prius was launched in Japan in late 1997 and entered the US market in July 2000 as a niche market vehicle popular with environmentalists and Hollywood stars.
Sales picked up in the fall of 2003 with a second-generation model and grew to more than 107,000 units in 2005.
Toyota Dominates 2006 J.D. Power Quality Rankings
June 7th, 2006
Toyota Motor Corp. held onto its dominant position in annual vehicle quality rankings for 2006, which were revamped to highlight design and layout problems that can irritate consumers as much as defects.
Toyota and Lexus, the automaker’s luxury brand, took the top spot in 11 out of 19 vehicle categories in the survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power and Associates. Porsche AG came in first in the overall ranking of brands, averaging 91 problems per 100 vehicles. That compared with an industry average of 124 problems per 100 vehicles.