Toyota Expects US Hybrid Sales to Grow 30% in 2007
15 November 2006
Nikkei. Toyota Motor expects US sales of hybrid vehicles in 2007 to grow 30% over its 2006 estimate to about 300,000 units.
Toyota sees its hybrid sales growing now that local output of the gasoline-electric version of the Camry sedan has been launched, strengthening its supply capabilities.
Toyota Motor Sales USA also is targeting a doubling of its market share target for the redesigned Tundra full-size pickup to 10%.
To this end, the automaker plans to enlarge the truck and use a more powerful engine to appeal to a wider base of drivers. Production of the new Tundra will begin at a new plant in the state of Texas.
Toyota Motor Sales USA Chairman Yukitoshi Funo noted that the importance of diesel engines is growing, so the firm is considering a full-scale entry into the market, mostly with trucks. It expects the capital and business tie-up recently formed with Isuzu Motors Ltd. [earlier post] to “help move up” this entry, according to Funo.
To this end, the automaker plans to enlarge the truck and use a more powerful engine to appeal to a wider base of drivers.
Too bad Toyota isn't increasing the power by putting a hybrid 4WD system in. Or are they?
Posted by: JN2 | 15 November 2006 at 01:52 AM
People on this site often state that the second gen prius is heavily subsidized by Toyota. If that's the case, they must have an awful lot of money laying around, they are putting out Prius' in serious numbers, and now here comes the Camry. Is it, too, subsidized? I don't believe it. Sure, the first gen Prius, but not now.
Posted by: Bud Johns | 15 November 2006 at 03:58 AM
The simultaneous announcement that they are increasing their truck capacity and power is another reason why we need overall carbon caps for the United States and the world. SUV and truck sales will continue to more than cancel out any savings we get from hybrids. People should have to pay dearly to drive their empty hulks to work and shopping.
I just spent a week in Barcelona, Spain and saw only trucks that were clearly being used for commercial purposes. I only saw two SUVs the whole time. Somehow the Spanis h seem to get along without these behomoths. Yeh, Spain has increased their emissions significantly since 1990 but it's still way less than half per capita than the U.S.
Posted by: t | 15 November 2006 at 06:16 AM
Yeh, Bud. Toyota will not become the biggest automaker in the world by being stupid. They are not going to subsidize their way into oblivion.
Posted by: t | 15 November 2006 at 06:17 AM
There is no reason a beefy hybrid drive could not power most pickups and SUV's. With a 20 KWH lithium ion battery, and two 105 KW electric drive motors, you could pull a 8000 lb boat up a ramp no problem. All the ICE needs to do is have enough power to handle level drive, say 100 hp, and recharge the battery, say 60 hp, for a combined rating exceeding 300 hp.
Posted by: Van | 15 November 2006 at 07:12 AM
I agree, how green is an SUV with a larger engine. Are the current ones not big enough?
Posted by: RIchard | 15 November 2006 at 07:21 AM
Meanwhile the US automakers are down on their knees begging the president to stop the mean old Japanese from crushing them again.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 08:00 AM
Toyota will soon start selling the Prius in México.
For now, the only hybrid vehicle available in México is the Civic Hybrid.
From January to September, 2006 the sales of Toyota in México (in No. of units) increased 83.2 % with respect to Jan-Sept 2005.
Honda México had an increase of 25.3% in the same period.
Posted by: Jorge | 15 November 2006 at 08:21 AM
Toyota, behemoth that it has become, manages to play the green card while being not much greener than many competitors. Yes, the Prius and Camry Hybrid are nice, but look at Toyota's giant truck and SUV lineup.
Anyway, on a more interesting note, they are talking about partnering with Isuzu on diesels... and of course Isuzu already partners with GM on the "Duramax" diesels used in GM pickups and medium duty commercial trucks, made by their joint venture DMAX. Wonder if Toyota will be installing the Duramax V8 or something very similar in an upcoming Tundra?
Posted by: zach | 15 November 2006 at 09:38 AM
US automakers are likely in discussion with the Bush administration to continue re-engineering the marketplace in lieu of their products. Support of alternative fuels translates to "elimination of CAFE penalties". In addition, it's proposed that CAFE be changed to disadvantage hybrids, that diesel be considered "alternative fuel", thereby gaining access to tax breaks, and that the scope of hybrid tax breaks be limited (why should the US advantage the non-US companies who are masters of this technology?). What more will be done to put the brakes on hybrid sales by "engineering the marketplace instead of products"?
Posted by: Ron Fischer | 15 November 2006 at 09:59 AM
Ever notice how the names of the trucks are the same places that the trucks are destroying?
Tundra, Yukon... there are others but I can't remember.
Posted by: Matt | 15 November 2006 at 10:40 AM
Toyota, behemoth that it has become, manages to play the green card while being not much greener than many competitors.
Toyota has significantly higher CAFE numbers compared to Detroit.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 11:05 AM
Matt - great point! Tundra is perhaps the best. I would think that a "Permafrost" and "Deep Ocean Fisheries" are also due ASAP. Maybe we can start getting vehicles named after cities and islands that won't be above water in 50 years?
Pizmo - that may be, but can you point me to the numbers? IMHO, Honda is by far the greenest auto company, as their worst models aren't nearly as bad as the worst models from almost everyone else, and they sell far greater volume of their efficent models (Civic and Accord) than they do of the larger, thirstier models. Look at the size, fuel mileage and sales volume of Honda's "trucks" (which is a generous description of them) vs. the big 3, Toyota and Nissan. Nearly all of their cars are also low on conventional pollutants, not just fuel use and GHG emissions.
Posted by: zach | 15 November 2006 at 11:27 AM
Pizmo - that may be, but can you point me to the numbers?
Sure.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/DOT/NHTSA/Vehicle%20Safety/Articles/Associated%20Files/SummaryFuelEconomyPerformance-2005.pdf
Keep in mind that a fairly substantial number of vehicles sold by the "Big 3" are exempt from fuel economy standards, as they exceed 8,500 lbs GVWR, whereas very few of those vehicles are sold by Japanese and other foreign companies. If those were included with those numbers, the difference would only grow.
IMHO, Honda is by far the greenest auto company, as their worst models aren't nearly as bad as the worst models from almost everyone else, and they sell far greater volume of their efficent models (Civic and Accord) than they do of the larger, thirstier models. Look at the size, fuel mileage and sales volume of Honda's "trucks" (which is a generous description of them) vs. the big 3, Toyota and Nissan. Nearly all of their cars are also low on conventional pollutants, not just fuel use and GHG emissions.
Someone's going to be buying the larger vehicles, so I don't really understand why some people lambast the Japanese companies for going into those market segments -- as if that somehow negates their long history of producing the highest mileage vehicles (and in large numbers). I don't know if Honda is somehow more "green" in intent, as it's a much smaller company than Toyota et al, and has always succeeded with their lighter/smaller strategy. Though many of their modern vehicles (eg, Pilot and Ridgeline) are pretty darn big compared to their offerings a decade back.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 12:38 PM
I suspect most of the growth will be in new models. Corolla, Prius, and Camry will cover the lower, and mid C car segments, respectively. A hybrid Yaris would cover the B segment, but thus far most talk of hybrid Yaris has been conjecture. I have not heard anything about a hybrid Avalon.
Posted by: allen_Z | 15 November 2006 at 12:49 PM
Pizmo - thanks for the numbers. Getting to your point that someone is going to buy the larger vehicles, I would note that while the big 3 make more of the larger vehicles (and get lots of critism here for that), in the case of GM their 1/2 ton pickups and comparable full-size SUVs are more fuel efficient than the comparable offerings from Toyota and Nissan (or Ford and DCX). I think some of the criticism of domestic automakers is overblown.
Posted by: zach | 15 November 2006 at 01:37 PM
in the case of GM their 1/2 ton pickups and comparable full-size SUVs are more fuel efficient than the comparable offerings from Toyota and Nissan (or Ford and DCX)
That's debatable, and if so, the difference is insignificant.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 01:48 PM
Permafrost would be a great addition to the existing SUV moniker lineup of what the help destroy/cause incl. Tundra, Sierra, Yukon, Denali, Tahoe, Mountaineer, Suburban, Typhoon, Rainier, Sequoia, Trailblazer, Avalanche and Xterra
Posted by: fyi CO2 | 15 November 2006 at 01:49 PM
The reason larger trucks sell better is obvious if your one of the people that buys one. The big suv often gets close to if not the same fuel econ and it can do more. Around here there are about 3-4000 boaters and about 10000 horse owners and anouther 40000 atv owners and a huge number of people who go camping with more gearthen lewis and clark had.
All of them either own an suv or a pickup truck and a full sized sedan. The suvs are replacing the pickup because the suv is alot more fuel eff and can carry everything and everyone and tow the toys.
Back 15 years ago or so when yu saw the rodeo and horse shows go by you saw a bagillion pickups and even more vans and heavy passenger cars. Whenever the swap meets or antique shows went by it was massive numbers of rvs and vans and battlewagons and camper shell behemoth trucks. Now its mostly suvs.
Then of course there are the weekend warriors who mainly need an suv so they can get thier asses and gear up into oddball places where they camp for 2-3 days and get drunk.
And finaly rere are a bunch of people who own an suv for no real reason at all. But love the fact they have it when they go on vacations. They got it just BECAUSE then find the bugger handy.
But in most cases the suv gets alot better milage then what it replaced. Whsts realy gobbling up fuel these days is trnsport stop and go traffic and just plan 300 million people.
Posted by: wintermane | 15 November 2006 at 02:43 PM
Same old silly (and false) rhetoric about how all those big honkers are "necessary". Can't mention light trucks without that popping up.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 03:05 PM
12.8 million Recreational boat registrations in 2004 (~11.7 million powered).SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Boating Safety, personal communication, Nov. 30, 2005.
2 million people own horses. SOURCE:American Horse Council
Posted by: Patrick | 15 November 2006 at 03:24 PM
I suggest that instead of trying to cram people into smaller vehicles they don't want to buy, we look for ways to significantly increase the fuel efficiency of those SUVs and large pickups they *do* want.
Posted by: Cervus | 15 November 2006 at 03:39 PM
Thanks for further proving my point.
Posted by: pizmo | 15 November 2006 at 04:35 PM
Cervus:
Yes, you're on the right track. With a bit of tweaking, GM could produce a 600 HP, V-12, 10-Ton, 9 passenger, 4 x 4 with 30-in wheels, that the majority wants.
Those monsters on wheels would sell well in USA, Australia and Western Canada.
God safe America and the other two AEE partners.
Posted by: Harvey D. | 15 November 2006 at 04:36 PM
Harvey:
Please. Now you're just being absurd.
Posted by: Cervus | 15 November 2006 at 05:29 PM