Toyota Extends Extra Services Nationwide for Recall Customers

Toyota is extending the 'extra services' they offered to New York residents nationwide, in cooperation with Attorney Generals across the country.Two days ago, Toyota announced they would be providing extra services to New York residents. It took two more days for them to announce the same extras would be provided to everyone else.The extras being provided may include (depending on the owner's individual circumstances):Expediting scheduling of the repair.Pick up and return of the vehicle by a dealership representative.Driving the customer to the...

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Recalls are Affecting Toyota Loyalty - Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports has conducted a quick study to see how the recent rash of Toyota recalls has affected owner loyalty. The question was asked of current Toyota owners, would they from Toyota again? 60 percent said yes they would, which is high, but drops them down by 10 percent since the last survey (December, 2009). It also dropped them in behind Honda.Toyota is still above other major brands however, including Chevrolet (52 percent), Ford (51 percent), and Dodge (28 percent). Notably, Dodge owners are less likely to purchase another vehicle...

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Honda Civic Hybrid Lawsuit Continues

A federal judge in California has rejected the proposed settlement in the lawsuit over Honda Civic Hybrid fuel economy. Consumer advocates and 26 state attorney generals stepped in and argued the deal was not good for consumers. Most owners covered under the lawsuit would be eligible to receive $1,000 coupon off a new Honda, although the coupon did not cover the most fuel efficient cars such as the Insight, Civic Hybrid, or Fit. Honda was also offering to send a DVD on how to improve fuel efficiency. Lawyers on the case would have received...

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Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid Price

Volkswagen TouaregThe Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid has been priced at 73,700 euros, or about 20,000 eruros higher than the base V6 diesel. That's over 35% increase in the retail.The Touareg is expected to be priced in the $100K range in the US. The luxury hybrid SUV mates a 3.0-liter V6, eight-speed gas engine with an electric motor and is rated at about 29 mpg (8.2 L/100km), a bit of an improvement over the TDI (7.4 L/100km). A full hybrid engine,...

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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Price in Japan

The Honda CR-Z is now available in Japan for 2.27 million (a little over $25,000 US). The two seater hybrid will be available in the US in the late summer.According to edmunds, Honda had 4,500 pre-sales, and has targeted around 1,000 a month for the sporty hybrid.I'm curious to see how well it will do in the long run. The last time Honda sold a 'power' hybrid, rather than a fuel efficient first hybrid, sales didn't go well once other options became available (see the Honda Accord hybrid). Sales of the current Insight haven't been stellar, either....

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Porsche Cayenne Hybrid

Porsche CayenneLook like its finally going to happen. Despite many fits and starts, there's been a lot of interest in a hybrid Porsche. The new Porsche Cayenne S and Turbo will be offered up in July, with hybrid version coming sometime in the fall.The 3.0-liter supercharged V6 is mated to an electric motor to drive independently or together as needed. Combined, the performance is 'on par' with the V8 Cayenne S, while fuel efficiency is up by 23%.Porsche...

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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for 2012

Autocar.co.uk is reporting Toyota is planning on a hybrid RAV4 for the next generation which is due in 2012. According to the article, this is all part of Toyota's plant to offer a hybrid variant on all of their models.We'll have to wait and see if that's true or not. Even if it is true, will it be available here and how much is it going to cost are certainly up in the air.Only the five door RAV4 would get the hybrid treatment.Autocar also mentioned a Lexus IS rear-drive plug-in, but with a Toyota bad...

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Lexus CT 200h at Geneva Auto Show

Lexus CT 200h Badge - Just a teaser for nowThe Lexus CT 200h will be on hand at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. Billed as the first and only full hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment, the CT 200h was created for those who wish to 'lower their emissions but not their standards.'The CT 200h joins Lexus hybrids like the RX, GS and LS to create a full line-up of hybrid cars for the luxury arm of Toyota. The CT 200h will come with the second-generation...

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Professor Recreates Sudden Acceleration in Toyota Vehicles

ABC News has picked up on a report by Professor Dave Gilbert of Southern Illinois University, who has demonstrated an ability to create a sudden acceleration in Toyota vehicles.the short circuits introduced by Gilbert in his tests and demonstrations reflect what can happen in the real world because of corrosion, moisture, and manufacturing imperfections...."This is a dangerous condition, it is not fail safe," said Gilbert in an interview to be broadcast Monday on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer. What's worse is, if the conditions do occur, the...

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Mercedes F800, a Fuel Cell Plug-in Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz F800, Hybrid ConceptMercedes-Benz will be showing off its F800 concept vehicle at the Geneva Motor Show, a hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid. According to the press release, the F800 concept can travel 18 miles on an all electric charge, after being plugged in overnight. Once the charge in the lithium-ion battery pack is gone, the fuel cell can power the vehicle for another 375 miles.The result is no emissions, at least while you're...

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Honda Working on Large Hybrids, Possible Minivan

Honda is working on a new hybrid system for larger cars, with a version available in around three years. That according to Tomohiko Kawanabe, chief operating officer of automobile R&D.This is quite the follow-up to the push from CEO Takonobu for hybrid development.The single electric motor used in the Honda Insight and Civic is too 'mild' for a larger car. And would likely be used in a hybrid engine for the Odyssey minivan or Pilot SUV. Minivans, in particular, are an untapped market for hybrids so far. That makes Honda's announcement exciting...

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Hertz Partners with Nissan to Rent EV Leaf

If buying an electric vehicle is out of reach for now, perhaps you'd rather rent one and see what it's like? Hertz and Nissan announced the Nissan Leaf will be available to rent starting in 2011 in the US and Europe. Nissan is touting the Nissan Leaf as the first affordable, zero-emission car, and just announced you can reserve one starting in the spring of 2010. But they have not announced what the MSRP will be. It will come with the batteries...

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Hybrid Car Sales, January 2010

Hybrid car sales were up compared to last year, with reported full hybrid sales increasing to 17,051 units sold.  That's an increase of 13.0% from last year.  That's still below the levels from 2007 and 2008 (pre-Recession). Monthly Sales January 2009 January 2010 % Change Make Model N % N % Ford Escape/Mariner 880 5.8 715 4.2 -18.8 Ford Fusion/Milan 0 0.0 1,152 6.8 0.0 ...

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2010 Prius and HS 250h Brake Recall is now Official

Toyota announced a voluntary safety recall on the 2010 Prius and 2010 HS 250h to update software in the vehicle's anti-lock brake system. Toyota also recalled them in Europe and Japan, adding in the Sai Hybrid in Japan.First and second generation Prius are not affected by this recall (but you may want to read this article about that). That affects 133,000 Prius and 14,550 Lexus HS in the US, and around 400,000 vehicles worldwide.Toyota has already implemented the software fix on their production lines, so only Prius produced after May 2009 are...

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Hybrid ATS in Cadillac Future

GM is looking into migrating their two-mode hybrid powertrain into rear-wheel drive sedans in the next generation of hybrids from GM (Source: Tom Stephens, GM Vice-Chairman: Autonews).In other words, GM is looking to build more hybrid Cadillacs. Possibly the ATS followed by the CTS.In order to fit into a sedan size car, GM is working on building an electric motor that is 25 percent smaller and 20 percent more powerful than the one in GM's full sized truck and SUV hybrids. The question becomes, should they? The Volt may be a better way to go...

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Prius Bargain Shoppers

Surprising results, to say the least. According to Edmunds.com, shoppers are more interested in the Prius than ever after all the news regarding the problems with the braking software."Are Problems a Selling Tool? Prius Purchase Intent Rises With Brake Woe News" Green Car Advisor"When a car or automaker receives bad press, people sense an opportunity" to get a better price through distress sales or incentives, he said. "We saw the same reaction from consumers when Chrysler and General Motors declared bankruptcy."Is this really a good thing?I'm...

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Toyota Expanding Safety Exam Into Lexus HS 250h and Sai Hybrid

Toyota is checking the braking system in the HS 250h and Sai Hybrid. Both models use the same system as the Prius, which Toyota has already acknowledged has an issue in the software for its braking system.The 2010 Toyota Prius has reportedly had issues when braking on bumpy or icy roads. There may be a slight delay (less than one second) as the system switches from regenerative braking to friction braking. The small delay can have serious issues when traveling at high speeds (worst case seems to be an extra 90 feet to stop at 60 mph according...

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Fisker Moves Out of Michigan

Fisker has closed its Michigan office and will move operations to its offices in Irvine, CA. 20-30 employees are relocating, while Fisker says they will be hiring 100 new workers in the coming year.Source: Fisker Automotive to shut facility in Michigan - latimes.comFisker says it is using some of the money it received in private funding to fund the move. They are getting ready for production of the Karma, a plug-in hybrid, while also preparing for the Nina proje...

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Ford Recall On Hybrid Brakes

On the day after the NHTSA opened an investigation into the Prius braking system, Ford announced they are also fixing an issue in the software that governs the transition from regenerative braking to friction braking in their hybrid cars.Ford says 17,600 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrids are being recalled (although they say its not an official recall) to have the new software installed to fix the problem.A Consumer Reports test driver first noticed the issue. The test driver ran a stop sign in a residential area when the brake...

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Toyota Admits to Software Problem in 2010 Prius Brakes

Toyota is blaming the software in the Prius braking problem they are having. Keep in mind, this is separate from the massive recall on other Toyota cars.The 2010 Toyota Prius is likely to face a recall after Toyota admitted (Source: CNN.com to a software glitch in the Prius anti-lock brake system.According to the story, Toyota has already fixed the problem in cars that are being manufactured now.  They just haven't provided any communication to owners. The 'disconnect' causes a less than one second delay before the brakes take hold. Customers...

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Ford Focus RS Hybrid

Autoexpress is detailing the possibility of a Ford Focus Hybrid RS in the future. The possibility of more power, less fuel has RS fans excited.Ford and Peugeot are planning on co-developing the hybrid system (as seen in the Peugeot SR1 concept). The electric motor mated to the 1.6 liter turbo engine is supposed to allow for four wheel drive, 0-60 in five seconds and 40 mpg.Source: Auto Express.Too bad it's not going to become a reality for at least...

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Japan Orders Toyota to Investigate Prius Hybrid Brakes

Japanese authorities have ordered Toyota to investigate the brakes in the Prius.Japan Tells Toyota to Test Prius Brakes for Defect - NYTimes.comNAGOYA, Japan — The Japanese government said Wednesday that it had ordered Toyota to investigate a possible defect in its newest Prius hybrid model after receiving 14 reports of brake trouble, another blow for an automaker already embroiled in its biggest-ever recall.Complaints mount about Prius brakes - Feb. 3, 2010In the U.S., more than 100 complaints alleging poor brake performance have been lodged with...

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Toyota (Prius) Hybrid Sales Were Up in January Despite Recall

Prius and other Toyota hybrid sales are up this month, which may be a little bit surprising given all the issues surrounding Toyota right now.  In total, Prius sales were up by 13%, while Toyota hybrid sales were up 2.6%Where the Prius goes, so goes hybrid sales in general.  So that means that hybrid car sales for January will also likely be up from last January, although I haven't gotten all the numbers, yet.Keep in mind that Prius sales, and hybrid car sales in general, were way down in January.  The next generation Prius was coming...

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Apple Co-Founder Wozniak Weighs in on Prius Safety

Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak complained about his 2010 Toyota Prius at the Discovery Forum 2010 (CNet)."Toyota has this accelerator problem we've all heard about," Wozniak said. "Well, I have many models of Prius that got recalled, but I have a new model that didn't get recalled. This new model has an accelerator that goes wild but only under certain conditions of cruise control. And I can repeat it over and over and over again--safely.""This is software. It's not a bad accelerator pedal. It's very scary, but luckily for me I can hit the brakes,"...

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Pennsylvania Rebate for Hybrids is Ending Soon

In case you missed it or forgot about it, the Pennsylvania rebate program is still happening.  A $500 rebate is available to those who buy or lease a hybrid in Pennsylvania, but only until March 6th.The program is pretty strict and is available on a first come first serve basis. The rebate instructions and forms are available on the Pennsylvania website.The following 2009 model year vehicles are eligible for a rebate: Toyota Prius Honda Civic Hybrid Nissan Altima HybridFord Escape Hybrid Mazda Tribute HybridMercury Mariner HybridToyota Camry...

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Kiplinger Rates Hybrids Highly

Kiplinger has announced their annual buyers guid for 2010. And not surprisingly, hybrids dominate the categories for most fuel efficient in most categories.  The Toyota Prius was also tops for resale value in its category.It's clear the Toyota Prius is tops in value, but whether the new hybrid cars that have really had an impact, for instance, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, can also retain their value remains to be seen.See the press release from Kiplinger for the categories rated.  Also, Kiplinger has a sortable buying guide. Washington, DC...

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