Opel Sets Aggressive Hybrid Goals

GM Europe Head, Nick Reilly told Reuters he would be pushing to refresh the Opel line-up with hybrids over the next five years.

"We will have hybrid engines in our programme, in the next five years, Reilly said. Its first electric car with range-extending technology -- the Ampera -- will hit the market at the end of 2011.

"We expect (to sell) 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles a year at the start. Later it could quickly become substantially more," he said

The E-REV coming before the hybrid is a new approach, but makes sense with the limited hybrid production available in Europe. It may make complete sense to skip over the interim hybrid technology and go straight to the plug-in hybrid.

Although, Toyota may end up having a big advantage there since they have so much experience already with working on two engine types in the same vehicle. The plug-in Prius may be coming after the Volt (and Ampera), but I'm expecting it to be more finished than the Volt will be right from the beginning.

The new Opel head is also talking about an all-electric vehicle in under three years.

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Hybrid Nano in the Works

Tata chairman Ratan Tata was once again quoted a hybrid version of the Nano is in the works.

Source: India's Tata says plans Nano hybrid cars: report | Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - India's Tata Group is planning to produce hybrid versions of its Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car, to join in the environment-friendly trend, its chairman said in an interview with a South Korean newspaper.

The Maeil Business Newspaper on Monday quoted Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group...

No real details are available (price, date, type of hybrid, etc...). I would imagine Tata is looking a mild version of the Nano, in lines with their low price ($2,000). So, a small increment in fuel efficiency would be in line with a start-stop system in place.

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Toyota to Sell Hybrids in South Korea

Toyota is looking to begin selling hybrids and other models in South Korea. With modest goals, 500 units a month initially, Toyota is looking to break into the Korean market.

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

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

The Prius, Camry Hybrid, Camry, and RAV4 will go on sale soon. Toyota hopes to increase sales there to 700 units a month in 2010.

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Prius Still a Best Seller in Japan... And Will Continue to Be for the Next Year

The Toyota Prius was once again the best seller in Japan, with 31,758 units sold in September. That makes it five months in a row according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

Toyota noted that, with the backlog in orders, the Prius you ordered today in Japan won't arrive until after May, 2010.

Honda came in second with 17,241 Fit sold, making it number 2 on the list for the sixth month in a row. The Honda Insight, which debuted at Number 1 in April, came in fifth in September.

The Fit, Prius, and Insight are all benefiting from tax breaks and subsidies in Japan, that are supposed to expire in March, 2010.

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Prius Outsells Everyone in Japan

Prius continued it's stranglehold on the top of the charts for the fourth month in a row in Japan.  Toyota sold 21,669 units in Japan, followed by the Honda Fit. 

The tax breaks and subsidies continue to keep hybrids at the top of the market in the Japanese market.  Before the third generation Prius came on market, the Insight grabbed the top spot.  But immediately after the new generation Prius came out it grabbed the top spot and it refuses to let go.

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Mercedes-Benz launched the S-Class Hybrid in Japan

Mercedes-Benz launched the S-Class Hybrid, S400, in Japan (Source: Mercedes-Benz launches 1st luxury hybrid model in Japan). That makes them the first foreign company to compete in the red-hot hybrid market of Japan.

The S-Class Hybrid gets 30% better fuel efficiency than the conventional model, and costs about 14.05 million yen (upwards of $150,000 in US). It is eligible for the tax-breaks that make the Insight and Prius so popular in Japan.

The V6 3.5 liter gas engine is mated to a 15kW electric motor.  Combined, the engines produce 299 hp and a maximum torque of 385 Nm (284 lb-ft).  The fuel economy is about 7.9L/100 km (30 mpg).

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Toyota Camry Hybrid in Australia

Toyota of Australia began a pilot build program at the end of August for the Camry Hybrid. The pilot program at the Altoon assembly plant in Melbourne produces a small batch of vehicles to test the processes, parts and assembly methods.

The pilot production begin in anticipation of full scale production beginning in December, with sales starting in February. The Camry Hybrid built in Australia will be the first hybrid built in Australia. The powertrain and hybrid technology will be imported for assembly.

"The Hybrid Camry is a significant step towards a greener, more sustainable automotive industry," Federal Industry Minister Kim Carr said in a statement.
The car will give Australians a choice if they prefer a hybrid, he said. "This is a major achievement for Toyota Australia - this plant is one of only five Toyota plants in the world making hybrid vehicles."

Once it is up and running, Toyota plans on producing 10,000 hybrids per year for domestic sale and 300 for export to New Zealand.

The Federal Government gave AU$35 million to Toyota from the Green Car Fund in order to help Toyota in making the changes necessary to build the hybrid in Australia. Toyota will spend AU$145 million in the total re-work.

"This is a major achievement — particularly in the current global economic climate — and a major vote of confidence for Victoria and our economy," Premier John Brumby said.

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Toyota to Triple Production of HS 250h

Toyota will be tripling their production of the Lexus HS 250h hybrid by October according to a Nikkei report (via Green Car Congress).

2,000 units were produced in July, but Lexus already has 8,600 pre-orders to fill. Pre-production monthly domestic sales targets were set at 500, but hybrids have proven to be more popular than expected in Japan.

Tax breaks and other incentives have pushed hybrid sales through the roof in Japan, with the Prius becoming the most popular model in Japan. The Honda Insight is also provind g to be very popularh in Japan.

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Toyota to Build Hybrid Corolla in Thailand

Toyota in Thailand is planning on building a hybrid Corolla, just don't expect it to be soon.  With Toyota planning on producing a hybrid Auris in England, it's not too surprising to see Toyota to continue to expand their production of hybrids into other countries.

Toyota has said for the past few years they want to create hybrid versions of their line-up over the next 10-20 years.  And they've been slowly expanding their production of hybrid vehicles into other countries.  The Prius is build in Japan, but Toyota had plans of moving production to Tennessee before the recession hit.  And Toyota Thailand builds the Camry Hybrid.

The Corolla hybrid will likely get existing hybrid motors design, rather than attempting to build a new generation hybrid system.

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Prius Continues Torrid Pace in Japan and US

Toyota continues to outsell everyone else in Japan with the third generation Prius. Over 25,000 units were sold in Japan for the month of July (Source:Over 25,000 Toyota Prius hybrid cars sold in July › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion). That's up from the 22,292 units sold in June.

And sales should continue at this pace as long as the production can meet it. Pre-orders have set up a backlog of orders that should take a year to fill in. The tax break and other incentives in Japan have really given the Prius a huge start.

US sales have also seen a big jump, with Toyota selling over 19,000 units in the US. Production can't keep with that sort of demand.

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Toyota to Build Hybrd in UK

Toyota has plans to start building a hybrid Auris in the UK by the end of the year according to the Times.

The Burnaston plant near Derby was selected to build the hybid Auris hatchback, after months of negotiation with the government. Toyota is expecting some government assistance in the new production.

The Auris Hybrid will use the 1.8 litre engine from the Prius mated to an electric motor and is expected to get 72.4 mpg (I'm assuming that's imperial). The Auris is smaller and lighter than the Prius, so it should get a lower carbon dioxide rating.

It's expected to compete against the Insight, with a price tag similar to the cheaper hybrid from Honda.

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Prius Sales Top 180,000 Sales in Japan

The Toyota Prius has had 180,000 pre-sales in Japan over the past few months. In comparision, Toyota has sold under 43,000 units from January to May this year in the US. The release of the next generation Prius, coupled with government incentives, has sent demand for the Toyota hybrid skyrocketing. (Source: Toyota gets 180,000 orders for new Prius hybrid)


Prius sales in the US have dropped in anticipation of the new generation being released this month. Add in lower gas prices and the recession and sales have been down 30-60% over the past months in the US. But that's no longer so in Japan.

Toyota had set a goal of 10,000 sales a month in Japan. At that rate, it's going to take them a year and a half just catch up.

Incentives in Japan include tax free sales plus a 'cash for clunkers program.'  Overall sales in Japan are still slumping, down 19% from last year, even though hybrid sales have been very high.  The Insight was the number one seller in Japan in April, while the Prius captured the top spot in May (and will continue to stay on top if these pre-sale orders are correct and as long as Toyota can keep producing them).  Toyota may just end up building the Prius here in the US just to free up production in Japan.

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Insight is Tops in Europe

Honda announced they have sold more Insights than any other hybrid in Europe. The Insight was the top selling hybrid in Japan back in April, before being topped by the new generation Prius. But once again, in the first month of sales, the Insight has proven to be very popular.

The question of course, is will it last? Or will the Prius be able to command attention once again. Also, the other point to consider is how well the Insight and Prius are doing outside of the US, but sales haven't been as considerable here.

Part of that is the acceptance of smaller vehicles in general in Europe and Japan. Another is the way the Japanese government is pushing hybrids.

We still have to see how well the new Prius will do in the US, but Honda has already admitted they won't be making their sales goal here.

The sales figures in Europe were obtained from Jato Dynamics. They showed the Insight was tops in its sector, the hybrid and alternative fuels. In Europe, the alternative fuels sector contains any passenger car not powered by petrol or diesel.

The Civic Hybrid was third on the charts.

Honda Motor Europe, Senior Vice President, Ken Keir is delighted that the Insight has been so well received, commenting: "We introduced Europe to hybrids almost 10 years ago when we put the original Insight on sale. The Insight was the first hybrid to be sold in Europe and this sector is set to continue to expand and diversify."

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Hyundai LPI Elantra Hybrid

Hyundai has begun receiving pre-launch orders for its Elantra LPI Hybrid Electric Vehicle, its first commercial hybrid in South Korea. Pre-orders will end July 7, a day before it officially introduces the car in the Korea domestic market.

The hybrid electric vehicle is powered by a Liquefied Petroleum Injected (LPI) engine. The LPI Gamma engine has a displacement of 1.6 liters, a 15kW (105 Nm) electric motor and a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Together, the engine emits just 99 g/km of CO2 and 90 percent fewer emissions than an equivalent standard gasoline powered Elantra to qualify as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV).

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), often referred to as auto gas, is a low carbon emitting hydrocarbon fuel which burns more cleanly than gasoline or diesel and is especially free of the particulates associated with the latter.

The hybrid engine is a mild (assist) hybrid, which should attain 17.8km/l (or gasoline equivalent of 22.2km/l). That's a 47 percent increase over the conventional 1.6L Elantra. Hyundai points out LPG in Korea is 50% less than that of gasoline, making it an even better option.

The electric motor will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, the first hybrid in the world according to Hyundai to adopt the lithium-ion polymer battery cells. The technology and all key components in the LPI HEV have been developed by Hyundai and its local partners including the motor, battery and low DC/DC converter.

Elantra LPI HEV Specifications

Hybrid Type	Flywheel-mounted motor-generator parallel type (mild)
Length	4505
Width	1775
Height	1490
Wheelbase	2650
Tires	Low-Rolling Resistance
Engine	In-line 4, 1.6L Gamma All-Aluminum (Atkinson Cycle)
Bore x Stroke	77.0mm x 85.44mm
Compression Ratio	12:1
Head	DOHC 16-Valve
CVVT	Single-Type (Intake)
Maximum Power	114ps @ 6000rpm
Maximum Torque	15.1kg m @ 4500rpm
Acceleration 0-100km/h	11.5 sec
Transmission	CVT with Metal V-Belt & Multi-Disc Wet Clutches for Start-Up
Motor	Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Maximum Power	15kW
Maximum Torque	105Nm
Maximum Speed	6000rpm
Batteries	Lithium Ion Polymer Forced Air Cooling
Voltage	180V
Capacity	5.3Ah
Tires	185/65 R15 (STD) 195/65 R15 (OPT) Low-Friction
Fuel Economy	17.8km/l  (22.2km/l gasoline equivalent)
CO2 Emissions	99 g/km
Emissions Classification	SULEV
Top Speed	188km/h
Steering	Motor-Driven Power Steering
Weight	1297kg
Fuel Tank (L)	45.2
Suspension	(F) McPherson Strut
	(R) Multi-Link

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Toyota Prius Number One in Japan

The 2010 Toyota Prius has topped the sales charts in Japan (excluding minicars with displacements of less than 660 cc) for the month of May according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA). (Found via GCC).

The Prius doubled sales from last May, hitting 10,915 units sold. The Honda Insight was the first hybrid to become a top seller in Japan in April, but the Prius has surpassed the Insight, pushing it down to third after the Honda Fit. I can't imagine Honda is too upset with that since they occupy the first two spots.

According to some reports, Toyota has over 100,000 pre-orders to fill for the Prius. Which means that as long as they keep building the Prius at this rate, they should stay atop the rankings for quite a while.

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Sales of the Prius in Japan Soar Above the Rest

According to a dealership in Japan, nationwide orders of the Prius have topped 110,000 (Source: The Associated Press: Toyota Prius sales boom in Japan despite slowdown). That's well above the pre-orders announced by Toyota just a few weeks ago (80,000), and the sales rate of the Honda Insight.

Toyota has set their sales goal in Japan at 10,000 a month, which would make it the top selling car in Japan. Of course, if they really do have over 100,000 orders already, it's going to take them a year just to catch up to the orders they've already taken.

Hybrids in Japan have received a boost from the government, since they are being sold with a tax exemption (Source: LA Times). Add in the cash-back rebate for cars older than 13 when traded in for greener cars, and you get the rush on a hybrid promising 90 mpg in city driving (according to Japanese numbers... in the US, the Prius is rated at 50 mpg).

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