 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Tokyo (AFP) Sept 14, 2010 The world's top automaker Toyota Motor plans to launch six new hybrid models by the end of 2012, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday, as competition to build greener cars heats up. The six planned models will expand Toyota's hybrid-engine range of vehicles that run on gasoline and electricity at a time when rivals such as Nissan are developing all-electric vehicles. The Wall Street Journal, citing a Toyota official in Detroit, said that the six new hybrids would include two luxury brand Lexus vehicles and four Toyota models. Some will be hybrid models only -- like the Prius -- while others will also have a gasoline-engine variant, the report said. All of the hybrids will be new, and not next-generation versions of existing models. Toyota's Prius hybrid has been a success for the carmaker, particularly in Japan where the compact vehicle has topped the country's best-seller list since May 2009. The automaker has been plagued by safety recalls in the past year for unintended acceleration, engine, steering and brake problems, with around 10 million vehicles in total affected. It is now looking to compete with rivals in the increasingly competitive environmentally friendly market. Nissan's all-electric Leaf vehicle, which has a top speed of more than 140 kilometres (90 miles) per hour and is powered by a lithium battery, will go on sale later this year. The Leaf -- which stands for Leading, Environmentally Friendly, Affordable, Family car -- is billed by Nissan as the world's first mass-produced electric vehicle with zero emissions. Nissan hopes electric vehicles will boost growth and compete with Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV and Fuji Heavy, which makes the Subaru Plug-in Stella. Toyota will also unveil a fully electric version of its RAV4 sport-utility vehicle, developed with its US partner Tesla, at the Los Angeles auto show in late November, the Tokyo-based spokesman said Tuesday. Tesla and Toyota announced a partnership in May to develop electric vehicles using technology from the California-based start-up.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Car Technology at SpaceMart.com
China's Geely unveils ambitious plans for VolvoBeijing (AFP) Sept 14, 2010 The head of China's Geely has unveiled ambitious plans for the future of Volvo Cars, looking to nearly double global sales by pushing the Swedish brand in China, the world's largest auto market. The Chinese carmaker completed the purchase of the struggling Volvo from US auto giant Ford last month - and now chairman Li Shufu is looking to cash in on his investment by selling up to 300,000 ca ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
