Toyota Prius: Toyota's hybrid onslaught

Toyota will launch eight new hybrid cars over the next four years as it turns hybrid technology into "mainstream".

The company promised there will be a hybrid version of every model in its lineup by the 2020s.

At this week's local launch of the third generation Prius, the successor to the world's biggest selling hybrid car, the company said petrol-electric vehicles were no longer an experiment and would become a part of our daily motoring lives.

"Hybrid is not an interim technology," said Toyota Australia senior executive director, sales and marketing, David Buttner. "It is now firmly a part of the mainstream solution to sustainable motoring."

Toyota and its luxury division Lexus currently have four hybrid models on sale between them, but another eight models are around the corner.

"One of them is new Prius you're seeing today, the next one is our locally produced Camry hybrid," he said.

"I think it's safe to assume we'll replace the Lexus GS and LS hybrids, just as we've done a couple of weeks ago with the RX [softroader]."

Toyota refused to outline further the exact models, other than saying "at least half of the eight vehicles will be new hybrids".

"Some will be hybrid versions of existing vehicles, others will be new models entirely," he said.

"That's about as much as we're prepared to say. No specific timings … just an assurance that Toyota's commitment to hybrids is absolute -- and that future definitely includes Australia."

Although Toyota does not want to give too much away, the Carsales Network has put together a list of six strong candidates in addition to the hybrid Camry and hybrid replacements for the GS and LS Lexus sedans.

·  Toyota is due to unveil a hybrid version of the Corolla at the Frankfurt motor show in September. It could make it to Australia if made available in right-hand-drive. Or it could come with the next generation model.

·  A hybrid version of the Kluger softroader is already on sale in North America but the Carsales Network understands it has so far only been developed for left-hand drive. It could be adapted for right-hand drive, but for this generation or the next?

·  The Toyota Tarago is available in Japan as a hybrid and could be quickly adapted for local use, but it is a mild hybrid.

·  Toyota is known to be considering a hybrid version of the Yaris, although this would likely not appear until the next generation model which is at least two years away.

·  Lexus executives have in the past hinted at a new small luxury car to sell primarily in Europe, to compete with the BMW 1 Series and Volkswagen Golf. It is understood a hybrid version of this vehicle is being developed. And it is understood Lexus Australia is aiming for this hybrid small luxury car, not the 250h sedan unveiled at this year's Detroit motor show.

·  Given that compact soft-roaders are a substantial portion of the car market, a hybrid RAV4 is a strong possibility according to insiders. But this would likely be based on the next generation model.

The chief engineer for the Prius, Akihiko Otsuka, in Australia for the launch of his new vehicle, said hybrid technology was destined to become more mainstream as stricter emissions targets were imposed around the world.

"By the time we get to Euro Six requirements, it will be very difficult and very expensive for diesel engines to meet these low emissions targets," he told the Carsales Network.

The diesel engines of some small cars can match or get close to the economy of a hybrid, but diesels have higher emissions, particularly of nitrogen oxide.

In the lead-up to the local launch of the new Prius, some European manufacturers with economical diesel cars were keen to highlight the efficiency of their vehicles. The consumption of the new Prius is identical to that of the new MINI Cooper Diesel with manual transmission (3.9L/100km).

However, the Prius emits less C02 than the MINI manual (89g/km compared to 104g/km) and much less than the MINI diesel automatic (5.0L/100km and 134g/km). The automatic comparison is fairer given the Prius is automatic. Then of course there is the difference in size and weight of the vehicles: a five-seater family five-door hatch compared to a small four-seater city car.

Perhaps the most interesting difference, however, was that the MINI emits more than 56 times the number of oxides of nitrogen than does the Prius, according to UK data.

The new Prius arrives in dealerships around Australia on July 17.

As before, there are two Prius models. The base model has risen from $37,400 to $39,990 plus dealer charges and on-road costs and the i-Tech has risen from $46,990 to $53,500.

But both models have more equipment than before. Standard across the range are seven airbags, stability control, heads-up display, smart key, touch tracer and cruise control.

The i-Tech model gains leather seats, a solar sunroof, radar cruise control, self-parking technology, a rear view camera, a navigation system and LED headlights.

In Japan the Prius waiting list stretches eight months. In the first two months on sale Toyota has taken 200,000 orders for Japan only.

It is building cars at a rate of 50,000 per month from its Japanese factory (the US factory was postponed due to the global financial crisis), but needs to distribute this output of cars to 80 countries, almost double the 44 countries in which the previous model Prius was sold.

There is no waiting list yet in Australia as local dealers are yet to take orders, but a repeat of the previous generation model is expected, and demand is expected to outstrip supply. In the first two years of the previous generation Prius sales, the waiting list in Australia also stretched eight months.

Toyota expects to sell 2000 new Prius models locally by the end of this year (to bring the annual tally to 3500) and sell 4500 new Prius next year.

It wants private buyers to account for almost half of the sales. "We expect to see Prius as the main car in a household," says Buttner. "It is a full-size car that can accommodate five adults and their luggage -- and three of them can bring golf bags."

With the previous model, 27 per cent of Priuses were bought privately, the rest by fleet and government and research shows Prius buyers are "early adopters" of technology, according to Toyota.

"Almost one-third of Prius buyers did not consider another vehicle."

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