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Report: Toyota To Increase Prius Production in Japan by 50% in 2007

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that Toyota will increase the production of the Prius in Japan by 50% to about 300,000 vehicles in 2007.

Toyota currently manufactures the hybrid almost completely in Japan and exports the vehicles to 40 countries and regions. The company already plans to increase annual output by 15% to about 200,000 vehicles this year, but demand still exceeds production.

Toyota intends to increase Prius production while curbing investment by reorganizing production lines. Production of models other than the Prius are to be moved to other sites from two plants in Aichi Prefecture that currently roll out the hybrid vehicles.

Toyota has set a sales target of 1 million hybrids annually by the early 2010s. The company plans a combination of increasing output of the Prius and offering more hybrid versions of other models.

Earlier this week, Toyota announced it is targeting global sales of 9.8 million vehicles in 2008, up from 8.13 million in 2005, by selling more cars in China and the rest of Asia as well as by tapping emerging markets.

The plan positions Asia as the region with the sharpest growth and calls for tripling Chinese sales from the 2005 figure to 600,000 vehicles by building up dealer and service networks for such models as the Corolla and Camry. Toyota also manufactures the Prius in China.

The company will push for increased market share in the BRIC countries—Brazil, Russia, India and China—with the introduction of a low-priced small car around 2010.

Comments

Paul Berg

Increased production of their talked about plug in or the currrent version? I relly do hope they come with a plugin soon...

azure

Paul,

Evermont is working on a PHEV Prius with electronic from Azure Dynamics.

Evermont for the quarter ending 3/31/06.
http://www.evermont.org/ProjectReports/FTA060331.pdf

I. Background
Through this project, EVermont will develop and prove technology for alternatively fueled commuter vehicle (AFV) applications. The vehicles will be used to test, demonstrate and promote the cold weather suitability of light-duty electric commuter vehicles in a manner not proven by the many AFV programs in warmer climates. The
vehicles will be assembled and road qualified in Vermont.
The vehicles are:
· Three Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), utilizing the Toyota Echo as the chassis, Azure Dynamics drive components and Zebra batteries.
· A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) based on the Toyota Prius, using Gold Peak NiMH Batteries and Azure Dynamics electronics.

lensovet

they want to increase their BRIC sales, maybe they should start actually SELLING the prius in russia.
300k/year still seems kinda small, it's only what, 3% of total sales?

Ed

Anyone know about changes in the drive train for the 2007 Prius? I'm hoping for an ethanol capabile model if not a diesel version before I buy. A PHEV model would also be welcome.

jw

Nice to see. Too bad people can't just applaud this progress instead of yapping about plug-ins as usual.

azure

If anyone is interested in following EVermont's progress with their plug-in prius then you might want to bookmark this site. EVermont gives quarterly updates on their progress. A new report has recently been released. The update also gives details on their BEV Echo that won some awards at tour De Sol.

http://www.evermont.org/CPHEVP.htm

Max Reid

2007 gets the same Model. Talk is in the air about 2008 model being plugin, if it is, then we can see that model probably early next year in showrooms.

But to keep the existing model selling well, they will show the new one only by May/June timeline.

Patrick

Have plug in as an option. I'd rather see a 10-20% improvement in fuel economy in a non-plug in than no change other than making it a plug in. As I have said before: Anyone who doesn't own or rent a house won't be able to take advantage of a plug in capability (most people I know of in the cities live in condos or apartments...I don't know any super rich people who could buy a house in the city and if you take a person out of their city condo/apt and put them into affordable housing just to be able to use a plug in then you suddenly are using more energy to get to work and for everyday chores then if they lived in the city still).

SJC

Getting people to work where they live is a good goal.
That would be affordable housing in the city or businesses in the suburbs. If we can not do that, then carpool or telecommute at least one day a week. There is so much more we can do to save fuel in the U.S., but we would rather buy a hybrid so we can travel in the carpool lane alone.

rick O shay

how about adding gas and hydrogen, for fuel capablity, and a fuel cell (hydrogen) give it that added boost in distance, with the batteries. or slip in a hydrogen maker ..on board .. charges the fuel cell or runs the engine. 35 psi for idle, 50 psi for in town use, and 90 psi for highway.. 48 volts sounds like a winner in cars than 12 volts

cathy

I personally don't want to plug in a vehicle in the freezing winter.

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