2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan a redesign of the Lexus HS250 hybrid

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

Toyota Motor Corp will be releasing a new petrol electric hybrid in Japan while the Prius will compete with Hyundai Motor Co in Korea. Toyota hopes to sell 36,000 of its new Sai hybrid sedan, Toyota’s goal being one million hybrid cars a year globally after 2010.

The Sai is Toyota’s second hybrid-only car, this car is a redesign of the Lexus HS250 hybrid. The Sai is based on a concept derived from the Japanese word sai-which means "talent" when written as "" and "coloration" when written as ""-as a hybrid-only sedan "combining advanced talent and multi-color sophistication".

The Sai is based on the Lexus HS250h hybrid, a vehicle designed for people who want a more premium hybrid experience than they would get in the Toyota Prius. The Sai would seem to fit somewhere in between. It offers the same powerplant as the HS, but not quite as many luxury features. It's basically an HS with different nose, tail and interior detailing.

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

The Toyota Sai Hybrid features a gasoline-electric hybrid system with a 2.4-liter engine for outstanding fuel efficiency and use of Ecological Plastic for approximately 60% of the interior surface area. The Sai features the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) II combining a 2.4-liter Atkinson cycle combustion engine with an electric motor and a reduction gear. The Toyota Sai Hybrid uses a 2.4-liter petrol engine generating just under 150 horsepower, and up to 187 Nm of torque. It is mated to a strong electric motor, powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery, which produces an additional 140 hp and up to 270 Nm of torque. The Toyota Sai Hybrid powertrain is designed to utilize the two generators efficiently, giving the driver up to 185 hp at any given time.

An exhaust heat recovery system uses exhaust gas to heat the engine, thus shortening engine-warming time and contributing to greatly improved fuel efficiency, especially when outside temperatures are low.

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

LED headlights conserve electric power and consequently reduce power-generation requirements on the engine.

In addition to Standard Driving Mode, which balances fuel efficiency and power, drivers can also select Eco-Drive Mode, which prioritizes fuel efficiency by moderating driving force relative to accelerator operation and putting the air conditioner into a low energy-consumption mode, and Electric Vehicle (EV) Drive Mode, which uses the electric motor only, resulting in extremely quite cruising and zero emissions.

A Hybrid System Indicator that shows real-time driving status and an Eco Driving Indicator that lights up to signify fuel-efficient vehicle operation provide visual support to the driver.

The ESPO1 system, which encourages and rewards environmentally considerate driving, enables drivers to gain extra enjoyment.

G-BOOK mX, TMC's advanced telematics service, assesses environmentally considerate driving and awards points to driver; mastery of eco-driving can be determined according to rate of points gained each month.

2010 Toyota SAI Hybrid Sedan

Programs that allow drivers to make donations to charities using points received, that rank fuel efficiency of nationwide Sai ESPO users, and other fun incentives to encourage drivers to drive in environmentally considerate ways, are available

Toyota is also sending its brand to South Korea where the Hyundai Kia partnership dominate. The Prius and Camry hybrids will be first and joining them will be the petrol version of the Camry and the RAV4.

Toyota Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo told a news conference, “The introduction of the Toyota brand into South Korea is aimed to meet the diversifying needs of consumers in this growing market,”

“We intend to make every effort to contribute to South Korean society and earn a loyal following.”

December the seventh is the release date for the Toyota Sai retailing at 3.38 million yen ($40,250), the Lexus HS250 is priced at 3.96 million yen ($47,159).

The Sai is expected to have a consumption rate of 4.34 liters per 100 km. At this stage Toyota has no plans to export the Sai, preferring to concentrate on the home market.

Toyota FT-CH Concept-Looking for a smaller Prius?

Looking for a smaller Prius? Toyota officially announced the Prius sub-brand of vehicles (all powered by the Hybrid Synergy Drive system) will become a reality at the 2010 Detroit auto show. Toyota's FT CH concept will be smaller and cheaper than the current Prius if it reaches production. Though the FT CH is quite a bit smaller than the Prius, it is nearly as wide and has been designed to maximize interior volume.

No details have been released as yet about platform, powertrain, battery, or performance, but it's likely that the car will be sufficiently smaller and lighter to accommodate an engine that's smaller than anything currently on offer in a U.S. Toyota. A smaller Nickel-Metal-Hydride battery pack will probably be used in order to keep the price down, but if Lithium-Ion technology is not out of the question if the prices fall enough. Downsizing and light-weighting of all components, along with continued improvements in efficiency will probably lower prices to within spitting distance of rival Honda's Insight, though the more sophisticated hybrid system is likely to deliver superior fuel economy.

Toyota's European design center won the styling competition with this muscular hatchback shape that is aimed at engaging the "8-Bit" video-game set. Okay, if they say so. The airy interior suggests it will connect with any device an 8-Bit driver could possibly own, and as shown the seats are minimalist mesh units that look very light (it was locked, so we can't tell you what they feel like). Toyota officials suggest that unless the reaction to this styling model is negative, past history suggests we'll see a production version within 20 months, though the official green light has not been given as yet.

In other Toyota sustainability news, it was announced that a fully electric small car like the FT-EV2 will likely go on sale in 2012 with a lithium-ion battery, capable of traveling 100 miles. A fleet of 100 FCHV fuel-cell powered Highlanders is in use, achieving 431-mile range with 68-mpg (gasoline equivalent) fuel economy. Development is progressing toward a target on-sale date of 2015. And 150 plug-in Priuses are in the works with 13-mile full-EV range and a 65-mph top electric speed.

Toyota Camry Hybrid previews

Toyota sales in Australia during 2009 might have been down on the previous year, but they still managed to sell over 200,000 vehicles – 200,991 to be precise.

It’s an outstanding result, when you consider that Holden, the number two player in Australia, sold just 119, 568 cars although, to be fair, the Commodore was our number one selling car for 2009, with 44,387 units moved off the showroom floor.

‘More Australians buy Toyota’ is what Toyota management can proudly yell, and that’s no marketing spin. In fact, this was the sixth straight year that the brand has sold more than 200,000 vehicles in Australia, and the only car company to have ever reached that number in a twelve month period.

The ever-popular Corolla, and the unstoppable Toyota HiLux were crowned Australia’s number two and three best selling vehicles respectively in 2009.

And in the case of the HiLux, that is a truly remarkable feat, when you consider that an essentially commercial vehicle outsold the hugely successful Mazda 3 and Ford Falcon passenger cars.

Toyota Sales and Marketing chief David Buttner, was cautiously optimistic about potential sales though 2010, despite his dealer’s order books looking very strong. He is predicting sales will be of a similar number to this year, which topped out at a better than expected 937,328, buoyed by the Federal Government’s investment-allowance bonuses.

Toyota introduced its Etios hatchback and sedan

Honda has upped the competition by introducing a new compact car concept, just when Toyota introduced its Etios hatchback and sedan at the Auto Expo 2010. Honda doesn’t have a name for the car yet, but it’s confident that the concept will roll out from the production lines by 2011. Auto Expo staged the world premiere for the car (a global model, they say) which comes with special changes to meet the demand of the Indian customers. It has five-seats and three doors and has been designed on the principle of ‘Man Maximum-Machine Minimum’. Courtesy of the wide platform, this compact car concept offers plenty of cabin space.

New Toyota Etios Hatchback and Sedan 2010

All new Toyota Etios Hatchback 2010re 2 variants of the Etios Hatchback and sedan.

All New Toyota Etios Hatchback special edition 2010

To be installed Hatchback 1200 cc engine, while the sedan will be installed 1500 cc engine. Its selling price will be set in the $ 10,000 in India.

interior of Toyota Etios sedan seater

dashboard of Toyota Etios sedan 2010

Toyota iQ3 revealed

Toyota has unveiled a new, more powerful version of their tiny iQ minicar to extend its iQ Range.

Dubbed the iQ3 (iQ cubed), the new variant is powered by a 1.33 Dual VVT-i engine with Toyota Optimal Drive that develops 98 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 125 Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. Despite the added power, the iQ is still a slow poke as 0-62 mph takes 11.8 seconds (11.6 seconds with the CVT). If you have all day, you might even be able to reach the iQ's top speed of 106 mph. Though it's not fast, it's frugal. Thanks to the iQ's stop & start system, the Toyota iQ3 comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, offering 58.9mpg and 113g/km CO2 emissions, or a Multidrive CVT transmission with 55.4mpg and 120g/km.

Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, chrome-finished exterior mirror housings, climate control, and a six-speaker sound system. If that sounds a little basic for your tastes, options include additional chrome trim, rear parking sensors, a sporty body kit, leather seat upholstery, and a navigation system with Bluetooth connectivity.

The new Toyota iQ3 is on sale now. Price from £11,495 for the six-speed manual version and £12,495 for Multidrive.

2010 Toyota Prius goes on sale in Japan with 80,000 orders already taken

Toyota’s all-new 2010 Prius officially went on sale in Japan today and has already garnered enough orders to easily outsell the rival Honda Insight hybrid. According to Toyota, the Prius has already had 80,000 advance orders and should easily reach its annual sales goal of 400,000 units worldwide.

The news bodes well for Toyota, which is still preparing for an all-out price war with Honda's Insight. Now, sales for both cars are expected to rise, especially in light of new incentives for hybrid car buyers provided by the Japanese government.

The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, remains the best-selling petrol-electric hybrid in the world, with sales of more than 1.25 million units since its launch. With a fuel-economy rating of 51mpg in the city, 48mpg on the highway and a combined figure of 50mpg, the latest Prius is expected to be the most popular yet and by itself should eclipse this tally.

Pricing starts at ¥2.05 million (approximately $21,400) in Japan, which is more costly than the Honda Insight, but it comes with a larger engine and more standard features. Interestingly, Toyota is still selling the previous generation Prius alongside the new model and it will be interesting to see what this will do for overall sales. In the U.S., pricing for the 2010 Prius will start at $21,000, or about $1,200 over the Honda Insight.

Whoever will win out of the hybrid battle will now be decided in the global market, but whatever the outcome the result is good for consumers as the rivalry will likely create a new price war.

Toyota launches new build-your-own Prius configurator

Last month Toyota has released official pricing for the 2010 Prius, starting at $21,000, or about $1,200 over the Honda Insight, and now Toyota has officially launched the online configurator for the 2010 Prius, which allows you to create your own hybrid with exactly the options you want and find out just how much it's going to cost.
Here it is. Starting with the Prius II (there are five levels, Prius I through Prius V, the Prius I still unannounced), which is expected to be the most popular model, the $22,000 base price grows to $25,674 with the addition of just the leather interior upgrade (including leather-faced seats) and the Vehicle Stability package, which adds a smart key system, stability control, a backup camera, auxiliary audio input and MP3/WMA playback - all core features for most buyers. And that's without any options like cargo nets ($51), carpet mats ($199), wheel locks ($67), or an XM satellite radio receiver ($449).

While the Prius remains popular around the world, in Japan the cheaper second-generation Honda Insight hybrid is achieving triple its monthly sales targets despite the doom and gloom surrounding the global economy. Furthermore, with a starting price of just $19,800 in the U.S., analysts are expecting the Insight to perform similarly in local showrooms.

To combat the Insight - at least in Japan - Toyota is selling the current Prius alongside the third-generation model as a cut-priced model. The company has also slashed prices on its new, improved and more feature-packed new 2010 Prius to nearly match that of the Insight. Prices start at $21,000, though the model expected to prove most popular, the Prius II, starts at $22,000. The configurator doesn't yet allow you to price out your own bargain-basement Prius I.

"The 2010 Prius delivers outstanding mileage, performance and advanced technology at a great price," said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division. "This [$22,000] model provides more than $2,000 added value, including the features most buyers want, at the same price as the current base model," he said.

Five trim levels are available, Prius I through Prius V. The Prius I is the $21,000 model and offers a minimalist - but still unannounced - feature set, while the Prius II starts at $22,000 and adds a host of features including electronically adjustable driver's seat, keyless entry and more. Prius III bumps base pricing by another $1,000, and the Prius IV adds $2,800, starting at $25,800. The top-end Prius V starts at $27,200 and includes 17in alloys and foglamps, but navigation is still an optional extra available for $1,800 on the Prius III and higher.

Toyota’s hydrogen fuel-cell car coming in 2014

Bio-ethanol, biodiesel, E85, pure electricity - there are almost too many "alternative" fuels out there already, but hydrogen is shoving its way into the room. Honda's FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle has grabbed lots of headlines, as has BMW's combustion-powered Hydrogen7 and Mazda's rotary RE line of vehicles, including the RX-8. But Toyota is working on a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle too, and it could be on the streets by 2014.
The company had previously released plans to have a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle on the road by 2015, but that schedule has been bumped up a year to meet the incentives within California's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate. Toyota has already shown a hydrogen hybrid prototype in the form of the Highlander.

“So much of what happens is directly related to the California ZEV mandates — they’re followed by at least 14 states, and they affect nearly half of the cars on the market in the United States. Phase IV of the mandates covers model years 2015 through 2017, so that means we could begin complying in late 2014," John Hanson, a Toyota spokesperson, told the New York Times.

California's ZEV scheme has previously influenced Toyota and other carmakers, including General Motors, to introduce zero-emissions vehicles, including the RAV-4 EV and the much-discussed EV-1.

This time around, the monetary benefits to California's program are such that it's now a valid business case for Toyota to build the hydrogen fuel-cell car.