Report: Toyota To Boost Japan Output Of Prius Hybrid 60% By Next Year
27 March 2008
The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to boost domestic output of the Prius by 60% to 450,000 a year by 2009.
Toyota manufactured about 280,000 Priuses worldwide in 2007, up 33% on the year. Excluding some Chinese production, the car is assembled mainly at two major plants in Japan. Output capacity will be boosted at these facilities as the Prius gears up for a major redesign as early as next year.
Toyota assembled roughly 1.4 million Corollas and 900,000 Camry sedans in 2007. Had 450,000 units of the Prius been produced that year, the car would have been among the top five Toyota models.
This is good. Hopefully helps to lower the price of the Prius.
It would be nice to have an EU assembly plant too.
Posted by: sola | 27 March 2008 at 01:57 PM
Increase of 33% in 2007 followed by 66% in 2008 is a worhty accomplishment. Thanks to Toyota, the world will probably produce over 1,000,000 fuel efficient hybrids a year by 2010. (over 50% may be Toyotas)
Next generation Prius Hybrid (2009?) may very well do 60 mpg.
The following Prius generation (2010-2011?) will be the first generation Prius PHEV at 100+ mpg.
The second generation Prius PHEV (2015?) should reach 150+ mpg or use very little liquid fuel in most uses.
Once the Chinese Prius factory is fully operational, the extra cost for the hybridized version will be reduced considerably.
Way to go Toyota. Please keep the high quality in future hybrids and PHEVs.
Posted by: Harvey D | 27 March 2008 at 04:23 PM
Yes that is quite remarkable what this company has accomplished in this area, to sell 1 millions HEV when all the rest of the auto industry failed in that technology. Quite the opposite to GM, little words but a lot of real actions and delivery, they are far ahead of the hype of the Chevy Volts and its promise of 10 000 vehicle in 2011...
Posted by: Treehugger | 27 March 2008 at 07:08 PM
But hold it, should'nt we demand isolation policies? Mandate import taxes and tariffs agaisnt foreign imports? and foreign countries?
Those evil republicans! They're forcing our evil American companies out of business, how dare they!
Stupid free market system.
Posted by: Michael | 27 March 2008 at 07:35 PM
Yes you are right Michael, how come these japanese company dare make efficient fuel cars that save gaz and jeopardize the profit of our big oil companies as well as threaten our national car automakers who can no longer sell their gazz guzzler, we should ban these fuel efficient cars in america for the sake of the free wasteful market, congress should vote an amedment for this, the right to defend yourself agaisnt the threat of fuel eficient cars...
Posted by: Treehugger | 27 March 2008 at 08:39 PM
Ok so they want to make the Prius in China.....how does China get it's power?....oh yeah dirty coal......how much power does a auto plant use?.....Why are we doing this again?
Posted by: chris | 27 March 2008 at 09:40 PM
By refusing to use readily available cheaper energy (gasoline), we will impoverish ourselves and our children. Markets cannot assess externalities on their own, typically. If we can show that economic diminishment is exceeded by the total real value of diminished pollution, diminished global warming, diminished dangerous storms, and diminished political hamstringing, then we can justify governmental mandates. We have allowed the Europeans to assume technological risks involved in nuclear powerplants and now solar energy as they have refused oil and suffered. We need good judgement, prudence, and intelligence in making these decisions.
The Arabs will soon be minorities in many of their own countries. If you thought they were unstable now, wait a few years.
So, do we want a guy who was 5th from the bottom of his class in college or a valedictorian making these decisions? Hillary.
Posted by: Ross C. "Bubba" Nicholson | 27 March 2008 at 09:46 PM
Uhh, Bubba... Huh?
Posted by: George | 27 March 2008 at 11:30 PM
Chris writes: Ok so they want to make the Prius in China.....how does China get it's power?....oh yeah dirty coal......how much power does a auto plant use?.....Why are we doing this again?
Chris, the question is: How much fuel is saved by a hybrid versus that used to make it? I think if you do the math, it will come out looking pretty good. Yes, coal is an extremely dirty fuel; no question about that. But cheaper Chinese production reduces the cost of Prii, displacing more environmentally unfriendly vehicles. Note that "we" are not doing this; Toyota is. They are doing it to make money.
Posted by: George | 27 March 2008 at 11:38 PM
Maybe once they start building more Prii in China the government will begin to persue greener policies. I'd assume some will be sold in China, this can't all be for the US. Maybe China rips off Hybrid Synergy Drive, puts it in some Cherry automobiles, boom, growing superpower starts making less pollution and maybe begins to clean up its act.
It'd be funny if what we are now seeing in China is an accelerated and managed form of technological revolution and they're about to move from industrial age ICEs to Technology age EV's before this high speed change tapers off. Maybe then they can make some positive changes on freedoms, but I doubt it, and I'm an optimist.
Posted by: Elliot | 28 March 2008 at 12:39 AM
What is freedom? The change of middle class to participate in political discourses. Or the change of a black poorlittle boy to go to Eton?
Already, Chinese middle class is involved in the Chinese politics. It´s not only the "communist demon" that is leading the country.
Still culturly, China is not "Angel-Saxonia" nor the most democratic state in the world, Iceland. England for example still has a none-democratic head of state.
Different cultures design different political systems.
Should we boycott England? Economical warfare against the people which except a none elected leader as head of state?
Posted by: Michael | 28 March 2008 at 07:36 AM
Bubba,
Despite what the other commentors stated, this is all about Hybrid vehicles which are 100% powered by Gasoline so at this point in time your diatribe does not apply. In fact, a hybrid makes more gasoline available at a lower price than a standard "old school" vehicle [IF all vehicles were changed to a hybrid in a very short period of time].
Posted by: Patrick | 28 March 2008 at 08:07 AM
chris:
For your information:
1) USA gets about 54% of its electrcity from coal powered plants
2) China gets about 69% of its electrcity from coal powered plants.
This may look good but since USA consumes many times the electricity than China does, USA still has more coal fired electrical plants than China (for now).
However, since China has 4 times the population, it may eventually have 4 times the coal fired power plants. Anything wrong with that?
OTOH, a Canadian Bank (CIBC) has come out in favour of a carbon import tax on all imported goods. Remains to find a way to determine the CO2/GHG created to produce the imported goods.... That's what USA's Administration has effectively done, for its vehicles, with a ban (instead of a carbon tax) on Alberta dirtier Oil from Tar Sands. What a way to start a trade war?
What would be more acceptable: A USA style ban or a proportional import carbon tax?
Posted by: Harvey D | 28 March 2008 at 08:08 AM
Would it be too much to ask for everyone to hold off on trumpeting the next generation Prius' mileage acheivements before an official number is given? Eggs before they hatch type thing :)
Posted by: DRD T-bone | 28 March 2008 at 08:51 AM
FYI. China now gets around 80% electricity from coal. The government has realized the pressure on environment and the transportation system. Efforts are being made to diversify the power sources. Nuclear, wind and hydro will play bigger roles. It is projected that electricity from coal will be reduced to less than 50% by year 2020.
Posted by: jim | 28 March 2008 at 08:52 AM
jim:
That's good news from China. Down to 50% from coal (by 2020) it will about match USA's and we will have to stop accusing China all the time.
OTOH. we may still use many times the energy per capita and also produce may times the GHG per capita... but we probably have the ... given right to do so, or at least we still believe we do.
Posted by: Harvey D | 28 March 2008 at 09:06 AM
Michael:
Note the last major tariff increase was imposed by a REPUBLICAN President (Bush, steel tariffs of 30% in 2001).
Ironic, isn't it, that the Democrats have become the party of free trade and fiscal restraint, while the Republicans tax imports and increase spending...
[q->t to email]
Posted by: Adam | 28 March 2008 at 10:05 AM
Harvey,
You should shut down your computer and get off the internet -> lest you be labelled a hypocrite! Posting to a blog does nothing productive and wastes energy!
Posted by: Patrick | 28 March 2008 at 10:36 AM
"It is projected that electricity from coal will be reduced to less than 50% by year 2020."
No. China is building 500 new coal fired plants by 2020 and none have CO2 capture or sequestration in their design. Why? Because China says, you guys polluted the air - now it's our turn. Well...yeah.
OTOH, great news for Prius, Toyota and the fuel efficient transportation market. Who was it sent those sales so high?? Oh, right. Those American capitalists.
Posted by: sulleny | 28 March 2008 at 11:17 AM
I wish I had a life.
Posted by: Fatrick | 28 March 2008 at 01:04 PM
Patrick:
We may not like it, but Canadians and Americans are still amongst the worse polluters in the whole world, at almost 25 tonnes per capital per year. As such, we are not in a very good position to ask China or India to pollute less. To do so would make real hypocrites of all of us.
On top of that, we have been pushing some of our own pollution on those countries by having them produce $$$ billions of manufactured goods that we import every year.
To be fair, we should add the pollution created to produce all the manufactured goods we import. If we did, our per capital yearly pollution may be closer to 35-40 tonnes and their's may be much closer to zero.
Sorry, the truth is never easy to accept. We have been and still are the heavy polluters.
Posted by: Harvey D | 28 March 2008 at 04:17 PM
How can Toyota do this while losing $1,000 to $2,000 per car? It's amazing!
:->
Posted by: richard schumacher | 30 March 2008 at 09:46 AM
I do not know if Toyota loses money on every Prius that they produce, but I read that they make $10 billion in profits annually. They would have to have some reason to lose money on each of the more than a quarter million units each year. (I know you were only kidding :)
They might consider it a "loss leader" just to get people to buy their brand, but their brand is already popular. They might be trying to corner the market on hybrids, but I think they can do that without losing money on each unit.
Toyota watched the PNGV program in the mid 90s. They were not included in the program, but they certainly paid attention to it. They went ahead and actually produced cars based on the concept and now they reap the benefits of that decision. In Japan, they have a relationship between business and government to coordinate efforts. They also learn from others and adapt very well.
Posted by: sjc | 30 March 2008 at 04:44 PM
Elliot:
The Chinese subsidize their gasoline to the point where it's pennies per gallon. The Chinese consumer has no incentive to buy a hybrid when gasoline is practically free.
Posted by: Dan A | 30 March 2008 at 06:16 PM
The Chinese subsidize their gasoline to the point where it's pennies per gallon.
November 2006, Retail gasoline prices (US$ per liter)
United States - 63
China - 69
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/en-international-fuelprices-part2-2007.pdf
Posted by: Fact | 31 March 2008 at 07:04 AM