China Daily. Toyota may release diesel and natural gas hybrids, according to Senior Managing Director Hiroyuki Watanabe.

Toyota is “developing hybrid systems that can be used for gasoline, diesel, natural gas and fuel-cells, which will be the most fuel-efficient,” Watanabe said in Tokyo.

“It's important to consider how advanced automakers are in environmental-friendly technology when you look at stocks in the long term,” said Masayuki Kubota, a fund manager at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd in Tokyo, who helps manage the equivalent of US$8.5 billion.

The fund manager certainly has that right.

Diesel Hybrids from Toyota would be great news. This is another example of Toyota’s careful but aggressive approach to becoming the global leader in this critical emerging phase of the auto industry. If it actually does launch a diesel hybrid, it will leapfrog once again the efforts of other carmakers such as Ford which are just now bringing their first hybrids to market.