Toyota Preparing to Launch Inexpensive Compact Hybrid
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With gas prices almost as unpredictable as the weather, it?s nice to know that Toyota is working hard to create vehicles that are not only affordable and equipped with genuine Toyota parts, but also have high gas mileage.
That?s why I was excited to learn recently about a new compact hybrid car that will go into production in Japan in 2011 and reach United States showrooms by 2012. At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on January 11, 2010 Toyota announced that the vehicle, currently called the FT-CH (CH stands for compact hybrid) was part of a larger strategy to increase the number of hybrids in its lineup.
Currently, Toyota is expecting to release over 150,000 vehicles during their first production run. While no pricing information has been released yet, the vehicle is expected to be released at a price point well below the Toyota Prius so it can compete with the Honda Insight, priced at $20,000 base, and other subcompact vehicles. This is done in an attempt to target less affluent drivers who can?t afford the $22,500 base price of the Prius.
Industry insiders expect the vehicle to get in excess of 50 MPG making it the most fuel efficient of any of Toyota?s current lineup of hybrids. This comes as exiting news to many budget conscious and environmentally conscious care buyers who will now be able to get both high gas mileage as well as a low price tag.
The styling of the vehicle was done at Toyota?s European Design and Development (ED?) center in Nice, France. It?s a full 22 inches shorter than the Prius, but less than one inch narrower. The vehicle is meant to be sleek, fun, colorful, stylish, and evoke the ?8-bit generation.? The Toyota FT-CH should be a huge hit amongst a younger generation of drivers looking for affordable hybrids.
Toyota?s impressive lineup of hybrids already includes seven vehicles. Three of these are under the Toyota brand and four are sold under the upscale Lexus brand. Most popular of these vehicles is the Toyota Prius, which, as the first mass produced hybrid electric vehicle, had sold 1.2 million cars by early 2009.
It will be interesting to see how the new vehicle fits in with the Prius which boasts an impressive 50 MPG and starts with a price tag of $22,500. So far, no vehicle has come close to competing with the Prius in sales. However, with the lower price tag and a higher expected MPG rating, the Toyota FT-CH could be just the vehicle to overtake the Prius.
During the NAIAS, Toyota announced that the FT-CH was only the first of a number of upcoming hybrid, plug in hybrid, battery electric, and full cell vehicles that would be released with Toyota Parts in the coming decade. This is an exciting announcement from a company that is so committed to pioneering increasingly fuel efficient vehicles that are still fun to drive.
If you want to learn more about the new Toyota FT-CH, see the official press release at: http://pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota/toyota-unveils-compact-dedicated-151199.aspx