70 MPG downsized-Prius by Toyota?

The Yaris which has been on sale for a number of years in Europe is virtually identical to the North American Echo.

 

I see the Yaris retains the Echo's absurd dashboard-in-the-middle-of-the-car layout.

[Broken External Image]:http://toyota.com/images/vehicles/future/yaris/photo_5.jpg

 

I thnk that now that their hybrid technology is "proven", they will go for a lower-end market. If they had done that first, I don't know if they would have had the initial market that the Prius had. Personally, I was looking for a 4-door car (my kids were about fed up with getting into the back seat from the front), I would need very strong motivation to get another 2 or 3-door car. Also, I think that people on the lower-end of the market may be more sensitive to needing a car to last, so are looking for reliable technology.

We'll see, but I'll bet they'll do it in some form, whether it is a high-end Scion, or a low-end Toyota.

-Roger

 

the problem i believe is that the "lower end" market will cost the same as the current market. i dont believe that we can currently build a $15,000 hybrid. at least not until the supply stream is much more developed

 

The new redesigned Yaris for 2006 reflects a more European look. The current version has a very disproportionate body. I think given the oil prices here it will be very succesfull in NA. It may also canibalize sales from the Scion xA. And it will compete head to head with the new Honda Fit.

I also cannot wait until the 2007 clean diesel engines from Toyoata, Honda, VW start hitting our shores hopefully sometime in the next year or two.

 

I actually looked to buy an Echo... But I was told at more than Toyota Dealer that they aren't sending Echos into this area anymore (Northeast/Upstate NY)

 

There already exists a "Prius light" (IMHO impractably light) that gets 80-100 MPG. A guy named Mike Dabrowski took a Honda Insight and modified it with a switch that forces the Insight into doing some of the things the Prius does naturally. The resulting car gets nearly 100 MPG in a standard commute.

You can read about it here but it is a paid site so you really can't get much info. But it's a worthy electric vehicle site, so you might consider joining. I did awhile ago.

http://www.evworld.com/index.cfm

Personally, I think within 4 years most of us will be upgrading to a plug in hybrid that goes 30+ miles before the gas engine comes on. And the premium for such a car will be no more than the premium we already pay to get the Prius in the first place.

 

How about something like Daihatsu HVS Hybrid? I can live with 57 mpg 4WD sports car though. Sounds so much like HSD. It even has VSC. Hmm...



"Delivering powerful and exciting driving experience of a 2.0-litre car with better fuel economy than a 1.0-litre car, and high-speed cornering performance using electromagnetic torque-control mechanisms that work on the right and left rear wheels independently"



"The HVS’s power unit is an advanced hybrid system that combines two motors in the front plus an additional motor in the rear. This electrically operated 4WD transmits torque to the wheels with minimum loss to deliver a safe driving performance."



"The HVS delivers powerful standing start and overtaking acceleration in the low to medium speed range as well as lasting acceleration even at high speed. Whatever your speed range, this engine lets you enjoy sports driving with stress-free acceleration and power to spare."

 

I would not consider buying the Ion for that very reason. Was really disappointed that Saturn discontinued the SL2.

 

I think Toyota would produce 500,000 Prius a year if they could get the parts. I believe it's the batteries that are so hard to supply.


Given that, I'd guess they'll try to get the hybrid into some of the more expensive lines (lexus, Suv's, corolla, etc) rather than trying to get a $15K car with almost zero margin. Which is what we've seen them do thus far. Probably fairly smart, but we just don't know how well these will perform (mpg and on the sales floor).

To me, a $43k suv that gets 34mpg is not anything I can afford.

 

I'll be happy to trade my 1996 SL2 for your Prius.

 

Toyota have already made such a vehicle as a concept (the ES3 hybrid).

It achieves 87 mpg (US) in the combined cycle.

A similar effort by Toyota subsidiary Daihatsu (the UFE-II) achieved 140 mpg (US).

But will they bring them to market while gasoline is still so cheap?

 

Nobody even mentioned the Yaris - the new Echo. I say go for it! With the smaller lighter vehicle, perhaps the battery pack wouldn't need to be so heavy, or would provide even better EV button capability!

I agree the price point would need to be about $15K to really capture the market in the small car category.

 

Interesting.

 

didn't toyota and it's sister company... i thin it's daihatsu.... er.. maybe i'm wrong... crated a little 4 seater car. it was called the mini prius on the priusonline forums about 2 years ago. I can't find it.. but if anyone knows what i'm talking about i won't sound soo insane