Toyota's 2011 Low-Cost Dedicated Hybrid to be Based on the Yaris
A news report has shed light on Toyota's plans to develop a dedicated small hybrid model to take on Honda's Insight hybrid that just went on sale in the USA. Speaking with Japan's Nikkei business newspaper Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer of the third-generation Toyota Prius, revealed that Toyota's new low-cost dedicated hybrid will be based on the Yaris platform. The reason why Toyota is planning such a model, is because Honda's Insight significantly undercuts the new Prius in price.
"We are developing a low-priced hybrid vehicle like Honda's Insight," Otsuka told the newspaper. "We are going to compete by expanding our hybrid-vehicle lineup to smaller hybrids, in the class of the Vitz and Yaris."
Even though Otsuka did not reveal details on the launch date, reports from Japan suggest that the small hybrid could find its way into international markets as soon as 2011.
Via: Autonews & Nikkei
- Toyota And Lexus To Debut Six New Hybrids And Ev By 2012
With the recent unveiling of a production-ready Fit / Jazz hybrid by Honda, fellow Japanese automaker Toyota is readying for a big hybrid fight. Undaunted by the recent drop in hybrid sales, Toyota plans to launch six new hybrid models by end of 2012,...
- New Toyota Prius Hybrid Tops May Sales In Japan
Toyota's latest generation Prius hybrid made it to the No. 1 spot in the Japanese sales chart in May with 10,915 units registered. According to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the Prius hybrid's 2009 May sales increased...
- Honda Insight Hybrid Outselling Toyota Prius In The Uk
Honda's all-new Insight hybrid is off to good start in Britain having sold 229 units since it went on sale in the market on April 4, 2009. That's compared to 198 units of the current generation Prius - always according to Honda's data. Besides...
- 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid: Prius Rival Bows In Detroit - 73 High-res Photos
The all-new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid car made its world debut at the North American International Auto Show. Honda's mass production hybrid will be launched worldwide in the beginning of April 2009 and will be priced in the States below the Civic...
- Honda Insight Best Seller Japan
Hybrid sales success has, in a way, been rather overstated. Even in America, the nation that has gone head-over-heels for hybrids, the best-selling cars are not gas-electric. Honda, however, is changing the story. Since becoming the first automaker to...