Toyota Auris Hybrid Price and Options

Toyota Auris Hybrid

Toyota has set the price for its Auris Hybrid at £18,950 for the base model, T4. The T Spirit model will cost £20,700.  That makes it a little more expensive the Honda Insight and a little bit less expensive than the Toyota Prius in the UK.

The Auris hybrid is the first hybrid to be built in the UK at the Derbyshire plant. The Auris hybrid mates the 1.8 liter engine to an electric motor for a total of 134 hp. It improves the Auris fuel efficiency by 19 percent and emits 17 percent less. The T4 is rated at 74.3 mpg with CO2 emissions of 89 g/km and the T Spirit models will average 70.6 mpg and 93 g/km. And it can go from 0-60 in 11.2 seconds for a top speed of 112 mph.

The Auris hybrid was shown at the Frankfurt Auto Show back in September. It's the first offering for what Toyota expects to be a full conversion of their line-up into hybrid options. Toyota hopes to capture the consumers who don't want to stand out as much from the crowd by buying a Prius. Instead, they want the fuel efficiency but without making a statement about it.

The T4 grade includes:

• Climate control air conditioning
• Six-speaker audio with CD, radio, MP3 file player
• USB and Aux-in connection
• Front and rear electric windows
• Electric, heated door mirrors
• Front fog lights
• LED running lights
• Colour-matched door handles and mirrors
• Push-button start
• Seven airbags, including driver’s knee airbag
• Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC)
• Hill-start Assist Control (HAC)

T Spirit grade adds:

• Leather and Alcantara upholstery
• Cruise control
• Bluetooth
• Dusk-sensing headlamps
• Rain-sensing windscreen wipers
• Smart Entry and Start
• Auto-dimming electrochromatic rear view mirror
• Rear view camera display in rear view mirror

You can add in an optional NAV package for £1,200 or Bluetooth for £285. The NAV package includes satellite navigation, rear camera and rear parking sensors.

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NHTSA Will Add Sound to Hybrids

Photo from flickr

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will begin writing legislation to set requirements "for an alert sound that allows blind and other pedestrians to reasonably detect a nearby electric or hybrid vehicle" within 18 months and must finalize the rules within three years (Source: Detroit News, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers).

The sound will be activated automatically and drivers will not be allowed to turn off the sound.  The NHTSA still has to decide how loud and what type of noise the cars need to make in order to alert blind or other pedestrians.  They also have to consider the overall community noise impact.

There has been recent study data indicating hybrids have a higher rate of pedestrian impacts, although there is some controversy over the results.

The legislation will impact hybrid cars and electric vehicles which can run 'silently' at low speeds.  The concern is for blind pedestrians who listen for oncoming cars and will not realize a car running on electricity is there.  Two major auto manufacturing groups, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers, sent a letter supporting the move by the legislation.

"Good policy is a collaborative effort, and this is a good approach for pedestrians and automakers," said Alliance President and CEO Dave McCurdy in a statement. "This encourages an innovative solution."

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Calcars Lists 20 Companies Making Plug-ins

The Companies Who are Making Plug-in Vehicles - Calcars

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the reason you keep hearing about plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) lately is because everyone is doing it.  Calcars put together a list of 20 car makers who are working on their plug-in hybrid technology, and the list just keeps on getting longer.


I love the image they put together (I hope they don't mind my posting it here with attribution to them!).  It really brings home how cars are moving towards electrification.

By merging the best of gas engines and electric cars (in other words, getting rid of range anxiety from electric cars while reducing gasoline usage), car makers are betting that PHEV technology will bring more consumers to the table than all electric vehicles will.  And with more stringent laws about emissions coming, car makers have to increase their fuel efficiency now.


Some car makers are more serious about their efforts than others, with Fisker basing their whole business model on electric options, GM building the Volt, Toyota plugging in the Prius and so on.  Others are just talking about it or building concepts that may or may not become production models.


The good news for you is, the more car makers who opt in, the more choices you have.  The better news is, with more companies working on and building cars with bigger batteries, the sooner the cost on those batteries will come down.


The Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle with 100 miles range, is going to sell at for over $32,000 here in the US.  And at that price, Nissan is talking about taking a loss.  Over half of that price tag comes from the battery pack alone. The Chevy Volt, with 40 miles of all electric range, plus several hundred more miles of range using the gas engine, is predicted to cost $40,000.  Those price tags put the electric and plug-in electric cars out of the range of most buyers, even with the tax credits from the federal government (up to $7,500).


But with more companies jumping in, the more quickly the prices on the batteries and the technology will drop.  

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Nissan Looks for Leaf to Become Profitable in Three Years

Brian Carolin, Nissan's US sales and marketing chief, predicts the Nissan Leaf will be profitable... eventually. With the battery pack costs at $18,000, it's just about impossible to make money off the car.

“Over the course of the vehicle life, it is profitable—in year three,” he said (WSJ).

But in 2012, when Nissan starts producing the Leaf in the US at the Smyrna plant in Tennessee, Nissan hopes the economies of scale will have kicked in. The Smyrna plant has the capacity to build 150,000 cars a year.

As it is, only about 20,000 cars will be sent to the US each year for the next two years. Since the Leaf already has 9,000 pre-orders and hopes to have 25,000 by the time it launches, anyone who doesn't pre-order will most likely have to wait for that plant to open up before they can get one.

Keep in mind that the pre-orders that have been made were done so without any advertising and were in a closed system. Now that Nissan has opened up to the public, Nissan is very likely to surpass that 25,000 mark easily.

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Nissan Opens Up Leaf Reservations to the Public

Nissan Leaf Reservations Open to Public

Nissan is opening up reservations for the Leaf to the public. After taking 9,500 reservations from consumers who had previously shown an interest in the compact electric vehicle, Nissan is hoping for another 15,000 pre-orders (according to reports).

The Nissan Leaf will be available starting in December, but only in select areas. Full market rollouts won't occur until 2012. Anyone with reservations will be sequenced in order for their particular market.

The Nissan Leaf price was surprisingly low, and can be made a lot lower if you live in certain states (Nissan details some of the possibilities in their statement, see below).

To make a reservation, follow the guidelines:

• Through the Nissan LEAF website via NissanUSA.com, the customer will create an account, configure his or her vehicle, and answer questions to complete a driving profile.
• Consumers will be asked to pay a fully refundable $99 reservation fee by credit card.
• After placing a reservation, a customer will be able to indicate a preferred dealer.
• Consumers who reserve a Nissan LEAF will receive confirmation numbers. Nissan will provide individual updates for their reservations by June 30.
• Reservations are limited to one per household.
• Consumer inquiries about the reservation process can be answered at the Nissan LEAF call center, 1-877-664-2738.

Including the maximum $7,500 federal tax credit for which the Nissan LEAF will be fully eligible, the consumer's after-tax net value of the vehicle could be as low as $25,280. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price *(MSRP) for the 2011 all-electric, zero-emission Nissan LEAF is $32,780. Additionally, there is an array of state and local incentives that may further defray the costs, and increase the benefits, for owning and charging a Nissan LEAF. For example, a $5,000 clean-vehicle rebate is offered in California; a $5,000 tax credit in Georgia; a $1,500 tax credit in Oregon; and carpool-lane access in some states, including California. The lease price for the Nissan LEAF begins at $349 per month.

*MSRP excludes applicable tax, title and license fees. Dealer sets actual price. Prices and specs are subject to change without notice.

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Darker Side of CT 200h

Dark Ride Campaign

Lexus is ramping up their marketing campaign before they launch the new CT 200h (more details on the new Lexus hybrid) in 2011. As part of the campaign, viewers can take charge as Norman 'Tony' Reedus drives across the Nevada desert.

Interested?
DIRECT FILM VIEWING LINK: www.lexusdarkride.com
CAMPAIGN LINK: www.darkersideofgreen.com
TRAILER LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0KhesoAZcI

Get more details from the press release below:

TORRANCE, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- "Get in, buckle up and start talking." Lexus customers will be calling the shots in a high-definition interactive film entitled "Dark Ride." The film features Lexus' newest hybrid, the CT 200h premium compact car, piloted by actor Norman Reedus (Boondock Saints franchise). Reedus is behind the wheel in this 12:30 action film, but he is following the directions of the person riding shotgun...the consumer.

"With 'Dark Ride' we are creating a unique virtual test drive opportunity so consumers can experience this hybrid, that is like no other, months before it is available at dealerships in early 2011," said Dave Nordstrom, Lexus vice president of marketing. "In it, consumers play a co-starring role as the fun-to-drive Lexus CT 200h is put through its paces. By guiding the driver and the CT through a series of adventures, customers will be exposed to 'The Darker Side of Green,' which is completely different than the way hybrids are usually portrayed."

The film releases online at www.lexusdarkride.com today along with the trailer for the film, which will appear in select movie theaters across the country. Visitors to the www.lexusdarkride.com site will get to insert themselves into the film, sitting beside "Tony" (Reedus), and navigating while he drives the CT 200h from the Nevada desert to a Los Angeles safehouse and protects it from a variety of enemies who wish to get their hands on the new prototype.

Consumers will use an array of interactive features in the film — allowing them to insert their own likeness (via a Webcam or profile pic), record their own dialogue lines, control the camera movement and POV, and make decisions that alter the path of the film so new situations arise each time.

The "Dark Ride" film is the next step in the launch of the Lexus CT 200h and demonstrates Lexus' marketing theme, "The Darker Side of Green." This theme, which shines a different light on this new breed of a fun-to-drive hybrid, debuted at a star-studded event prior to the CT 200h's North American debut at the New York International Auto Show in April. This initiative will continue through the launch period with in-market custom events and a VIP marketing program that will give tech-savvy influencers access to an edited "Dark Ride" list of restaurants, clubs, bars and lifestyle brands. Brand partners include Duncan Quinn bespoke suits, VeeV Acai Spirit, The James Hotel and Grand Hospitality for The Soho and Tribeca Grand Hotels.

DIRECT FILM VIEWING LINK: www.lexusdarkride.com
CAMPAIGN LINK: www.darkersideofgreen.com
TRAILER LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0KhesoAZcI

The all-new CT 200h premium compact hybrid will go on sale in the U.S. in early 2011 as the first dedicated hybrid vehicle in the premium compact segment. Expected to lead its class in fuel economy, the stylish, sporty five-door also delivers a dynamic, fun-to-drive experience. The CT is powered by a 1.8L Atkinson cycle four-cylinder gas engine with Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) and Lexus Hybrid Drive technology. The CT will be equipped with four drive-modes: Normal, Eco, Sport and EV.

With its reputation for high-quality products and exemplary customer service from its 228 dealers, Lexus has been the top-selling luxury automaker in the U.S. for ten years in a row. In addition, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader, now offering four hybrids, with a fifth on the way, that provide the best in innovative technology and first-class luxury. When Lexus was established in 1989, it offered two models of vehicles. Now, more than 20 years later, Lexus offers variations of 11 vehicles, from the entry-level IS 250 to its first V10 supercar, the LFA.

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Hawaii Rebates for Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Hawaii will receive $4.25 million in stimulus money to help develop the plug-in hybrid car market in the island state. Rebates of $4,500 will be made available to those who purchase an electric or plug-in hybrid starting on August 1st. The program ends March 30, 2012.

That's in addition to the up to $7,500 available nation-wide. In addition, another $500 will be offered to those who purchase a charger for their new vehicle.

This is good news for those who were excited to learn Hawaii had been added to the short list of the initial states the Nissan Leaf would be available in. Also, the Chevy Volt launch date is rapidly approaching.

Another $3.25 million will be allocated for the installation and deployment of charging stations.

Rebate forms and grant applications will be available on the state's energy website and is given on a first-come first-served basis.

Source: KITV

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