One of the complaints with the super-silent Toyota Prius (thanks to its hybrid configuration) is that pedestrians often fail to hear oncoming Priuses. (Yeah, whatever happened to stop and look in the stop-look-listen heuristic?)

Cases have been reported of near-collisions and actual collisions involving these silent Priuses and Toyota has finally taken action by creating a noisy-making device for the car.

Toyota has started to roll out these devices in japan in hopes of warning pedestrians of the sound since Priuses run are considered “near-silent” when running at low speeds in response to the Japanese government’s guidelines on hybrid noise.

The speaker, mounted, emits a sound which varies pitch depending on the vehicle’s running speed. Why just can’t they simulate a sound of a V12 monster, instead of a (what we assume) as a whiny noise.

Probably this is where the Nissan Leaf will trump them since the Leaf’s noise-making device simulates a airplane’s turbine.

Toyota’s recalls should now have been categorized as WTF! moments because Toyota’s sinking in a sea of crap right now. I’ve been a Toyota fan all my life and plan to get a Toyota as my next car. But after all of this, I’m considering other brands.

Toyota announced a worldwide recall of its hybrids that would involve 400,000 vehicles including the Prius, the Sai sedan and the Lexus HS250h.

The recall is due to brake problem. The brakes are said to go out when driving over a bump. This was identified as caused by the delay when switching from regenerative braking to conventional braking.

The other massive ongoing recall that involves 8 million vehicles is due to an accelerator pedal problem that causes the pedal to stick and cause unintended acceleration.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda has publicly apologized for the string of issues that plagued his company just these couple of months.

When you got a bad year, you got a bad year. That seems pretty applicable to what Toyota is experiencing now. The company has already recalled a massive 8.1 million vehicles due to the sticking throttle pedal problem.

Now, it is now mulling another recall for its prized Toyota hybrid due to a brake problem. The problem is said to cause brake failure when vehicles encounter bumps on the road. Co-founder Steve Wozniak experienced the same thing in his Prius and suggested that it was a software glitch.

Toyota now claims that it is indeed a software glitch that’s causing the problem. 270,000 Priuses in both US and Japan markets are affected by this problem.

The Japanese giant, known in the industry for building tough and reliable cars, has suffered greatly from this round of recalls. Officials claim that the company is working hard to fix the problems and hopes to restore trust in the brand.

Source: The Detroit News

Aggression and Prius don’t really come together quite nicely. Being the supposed champion of hybrids, the Prius has earned a reputation as a pootling pansy of a hybrid. But what if you slap on a wicked body kit to it?

This here’s the Toyota Prius G Sports Concept. The G Sports badge is Toyota’s new lineup of tuning accessories. And would you look at that. It’s looks sporty enough to go toe-to-toe with that new Honda CR-Z. Not the Mugen one though.

No changes are made to the powertrain but the car gets a bit of a treatment in other regards. The car now sits on lowered suspensions (30mm lower) and sports new sports brakes.

As for the external styling, the car boasts of a rear wing, rear wheel covers, side skirts, carbon fiber mirrors, a new rear bumper, twin exhausts, and a new exhaust system. What all of that does to the car, we have no real idea. It’s not like you can go past 150 mph with that powertrain.

Inside you get aRecaro seats, leather steering wheels, a new dash and a G Sports badge on the shifter.

Still, all of that doesn’t really cover up the fact that it’s a Prius underneath.

Source: Autocar

Detroit is still shaping up to have interesting features despite the known bleak outlook of the US car market this year. Toyota, for example, unveils their plans for the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid which they now claim to have better looks, mileage and performance.

The 3rd-gen Prius will now also be roomier and will get a few more optional luxuries such as a sliding moonroof with solar panels, four driving modes, an Intelligent Park Assist and steering wheel touch controls.

The car will still be mainly powered by a 1.8L gas-powered engine that produces 98 hp. That combined with the electric motor brings the power output to a total of 134 hp making it the most powerful Prius generation ever.

The most interesting bit will be the moonroof with solar panels. The power harnessed from the panels are then used to drive the air circulation fans which normally gets its juice from the engine. This supposedly helps keep the engine cool within the car even when it’s parked. Now that part, I like.

For some reason, I still highly doubt the car will do 50 mpg all because of the Prius’ history of not really matching their claimed MPG ratings. I wonder how much weight all those new add-ons and options would bring to the car. Surely that would affect mileage. Can’t trump the popularity of the Prius though.

While Toyota and GM are duking it out for the plug-in hybrid market, Japanese automaker Honda smartly(?) avoids turning the fisticuffs to an all out brawl by deciding not to take the plug-in route. Honda cites that today’s battery technology is still unsuited for a plug-in application.

Right now, hybrid technology is still tossing coins over lithium-ion batteries (as what’s found in the Volt) and nickel metal hydride (as what’s found in the Prius). While lithium-ion batteries are more efficient than nickel metal hydride ones, lithium-ion only holds half the energy of gasoline by weight. Honda thinks that a lot of work needs to be done to make hybrids be as efficient as internal combustion powered vehicles.

Hmm… Given all that I know about science and engineering, Honda seems to be making a convincing argument. Still, you can’t discount the fact that they’ve placed a lot of effort in launching their lease-only hydrogen fuel cell vehicle- the FCX Clarity. If they could perhaps sway market interest to FCHVs, then the Prius-Volt rivalry will be moot.

Source: Bloomberg

Now to add some more on the GM/Toyota-Volt/Prius wars. Never mind if GM just celebrated their first 100 years but Toyota was a real party pooper. With their Prius being threatened by the launch of the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota lobbies to lawmakers that the Volt shouldn’t receive any special tax breaks. The plug-in Prius and the Volt (also a plug-in hybrid) are set to duke it out in 2010.

This lobbying is based on the tax package currently under consideration in the Senate where a $7,500 rebate is in store for plug-in hybrids with batteries rated a 6kW or more. It just so happens that only one plug-in hybrid fits that criteria – the Volt.

Toyota has only started testing their plug-in Prius and its specifications doesn’t meet this tax break. Whether we’re seeing a darker side to Toyota (who’s just intent on leaving floundering GM to dust), or they’re just trying to level off the playing field for everyone else, only Toyota knows.

Source: Automotive News (subscription reuquired)

Oh yes. And who wouldn’t want a toe-to-toe battle between GM and Toyota. GM has been hellbent on creating so much buzz on the Chevrolet Volt – the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid vehicle and probably hopes that the Volt will be the saving grace that would pull them out of the pits. But, as expected. the Toyota wouldn’t have any of that. Not while the Prius is still the king of hybrids.

Toyota announced that they are now testing a plug-in version of the best-selling hybrid car. And guess when they’ll be made available. 2010. Yes, that’s right, just about the same time as the Volt is expected to be in the market.

I do like it when big companies try to slug it out. In terms of technology, both caters to the concept of charging the hybrid’s batteries via plugging it to any electrical socket at home. However, what differentiates the Prius from the Volt is that the former will be equipped with nickel-metal hydride (Ni-Mh) while the latter will be powered by Lithium Ion batteries.

Pretty much like Sony and the format wars all over again. Betamax and the VHS. Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Prius vs. Volt.

Source: BBC

The Truth About Cars is asking whether this car is the most ridiculous car ever created by hand of man. As I’ve said before, I’d rather drive a sleeper than a riced-out car.

Sure this Toyota Prius looks like it can travel beyond Mach 3 but come on, the Prius. But come on! It’s a Prius! Not to mention the paint job which, when combined with the contours of the Prius makes it look f*ck uglier. Nice interior though, if only the colors have been toned down a bit.

Is this the most ridiculous car ever made? No, a lot of other cars can pretty much fit that title.

Extreme Toyota Prius

Next year’s Detroit auto show will see a whole lot of new designs and concepts and Toyota is targeting the January show to be their venue to debut two all-new hybrids for next year. However, this just wouldn’t be a simple expansion of the Prius line as one of the hybrids will be a Lexus, the other, the third-generation Prius.

No word yet on when exactly Toyota will be placing these new hybrids even if clamor for purchasing these green cars are at an all-time high. No revolutionary changes in the technology (don’t expect plug-ins yet) as both are to run with nickel-metal hydride batteries though the new Prius will be a larger vehicle.

This hybrid race is also shaping up to be one tough fight as other auto makers are scrambling their development and production teams to claim a piece of this ripe market. Honda has announced that it will create four hybrid models and see them through production. Nissan is also developing its own hybrid offerings.

Source: Autoweek

It’s somehow great to know how quickly auto makers are addressing issues especially if it’s their sales that are taking a beating. Yesterday, it was reported that Toyota and Ford are having real problems coping with the demand for their hybrids due to lack of battery supplies.

Now, it seems that Toyota and Ford have found a solution for the issue and it’s by shipping production overseas. Toyota will be sending production of their Camry hybrid to Thailand and Australia. Production in Australia is also partly to address the growing demand for hybrids down under. Ford is apparently also looking into tapping Australia to address their hybrid supply shortage.

As an incentive, Australia even awarded Toyota A$35 million to build hybrid cars for the local market.

Source: Reuters

Talk about WTF! Prey on people’s growing environmental awareness and lack foresight on makers and dealers alike. With gasoline prices reaching $4 a gallon, many are ditching their hulking gas-guzzling SUVs in exchange for gas-sipping hybrids. And yes, there is huge demand for hybrids.

While Toyota was just oh-so-happy about getting a million Priuses on the road, they might have to rethink things on how they’d got about selling a million more. Sales of hybrids took a hit recently and not due to market demand but because of production shortage as battery supplies are scarce. Toyota isn’t the only one hit by this as supplies for the Ford Escape Hybrid became limited as well.

Prius sales dropped a whopping 37.5% in May compare to 24,009 units sold last year. Toyota’s Camry hybrid is doing as well. The whole choke from production to sales is the fact that Toyota couldn’t make enough batteries to power the Priuses rolling out of factories. And, as an enterprising move, they held production down, to encourage buyers to purchase other models.

Tsk. Saving the world vs. making money.

Source: AutoWeek

Britain’s Autocar magazine featured a print-only article claiming that the third-generation Toyota Prius will get more oomph. With a reputation of being a super silent slowpoke, Toyota might just give the Prius some upgrades to change this perception. While it will gain a few inches in length and width, it will also get some added displacement.

From the current 1.5L engine, the gas engine will get a bump of 0.3L, the new Prius will sport a 1.8L engine that would generate 100 hp. Decent enough to match non-hybrid Toyota models like the Matrix and Corolla. If you think that displacement will take its toll on efficiency, Toyota is gunning for a 12% improvement on efficiency.

It will be an interesting development to watch out for, especially with announcements of other car companies like Honda who will also be putting in more effort on developing hybrids in their fleets. Probably this next Prius may help secure Toyota’s spot as the king of the green hill.

Source: Autocar via Winding Road

Should Toyota be happy with 1 million Toyota Priuses on the road? They should be. Milestones are milestones, aren’t they? But knowing how Toyota moves, I’m pretty sure that they fall into that segment of the population who can’t just have enough.

Toyota reports that, as of the end of April, sales of the first mass-produced hybrid has hit 1,028,000 across 40 countries. In North America, Toyota might just have to thank Cameron Diaz and Leo DiCaprio (throw in Al Gore too, for scaring us all with ManBearPig) for inspiring a cult following among smug celebrities and environmentally concerned people with money.

Whether Prius will be a separate badge (much like Lexus is to Toyota) or not is something that we still have to confirm but with the mad rush for fuel efficiency and the feds breathing down everyone’s necks to be “responsible,” the 2 million mark isn’t all too optimistic.

Now this is surely news. There’s a silent killer on the loose – and it’s a Toyota Prius! We’ve all heard the controversy surrounding hybrids and how they pose a threat to visually impaired people. Since they get to use their other senses like hearing, silent hybrids pose the dangers of them not sensing oncoming cars.

Seems like blind people aren’t the only ones to fear the Prius. Eight-year-old Owen Erickson was whanged by a Toyita Prius. He was biking with a friend when the Prius, which Erickson claimed he didn’t hear pasisng by, clipped him. Good thing the kid wasn’t hurt though ending up on the hybrid’s hood.

Kid and mom claims that they can’t hear the hybrid.

Legislation is being pushed to have hybrids emit some kind of noise especially when running on the electric motor.

Source: CNN

So Toyota hasn’t really revealed any plans of making a Prius convertible at all and chances are they never will, unless of course, this catches up. Drivers interested in being all smug and haughty about saving the planet by driving a Prius can now do so while appreciating how bluer they are making the sky.

Aftermarket tuning group Newport Convertible Engineering has created this Prius convertible. They just basically lop off roofs of cars manufacturers won’t even dare of making a convertible out of. And looking at their gallery, with good results at that.

It’s interesting what this whole new twist on the Prius would do to the brand.

Source: NCE

I am a big Toyota fan (though I don’t really understand why my next car’s an old Mitsubishi Lancer). The latest big news about Toyota (well, with exception to the massive recalls), is that Prius is set to be Toyota’s next brand. It would be synonymous to the hybrid line.

It is beyond any shadow of a doubt that in America, when it comes to hybrids, the Prius is king. But what good will this rebranding do to the car and company? Whoever is the marketing genius behind this is playing a big gamble on the company’s stock and image.

The company will no longer be selling the Prius hybrids under the Toyota badge after the 2011 model. The next models to roll out under the Prius name will also have varied sizes internally dubbed as Prius A, B and C which would range from the dimensions of the Yaris to the Camry.

It’s interesting how to see this plays out.

Source: Leftlane News

Uh oh. I’m a big Toyota fan and I was glad when Prius was named the top dog of hybrids but what’s this. Owners are complaining about incidences of unintended acceleration.

Toyota mechanics are quick to dismiss this as an issue citing driver error or the accelerator getting stuck to the carpeting. Consumers, however, are quick to press the issue. And there have been numerous complaints. Some are pointing at a probable error in the cruise control system installed in the Prius. Toyota has yet to give a definite official statement on this.

Source: Consumer Affairs

The 2007 Alternative Powertrain Study SM, a recent study by JD Power and Associates released last month, reveals that consumer clamor for hybrids is declining as buyers are now being more realistic with regard to actual fuel efficiency. Only half of new-car buyers surveyed are now considering hybrid as opposed to 57% from last year.

While a general decline can be observed across all age groups, in particular younger vehicle shoppers, those 16 to 25 years old, appear less interested in the powertrain technology, with 60 percent considering a hybrid in 2007, down from 73 percent in 2006. The average additional price hybrid considerers are willing to pay for this powertrain is $2,396, with the expectation of receiving an improvement of 18.5 miles per gallon (MPG) over a traditional vehicle of similar size.

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