Toyota Plans New, Bigger Hybrid Cars
Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s leader in hybrid cars, plans to introduce a new hybrid-only model in 2009.
The model will be a midsize sedan with a 2.5- to 3-liter-engine, larger than that of the 1.5-liter Prius hatchback, Toyota’s first hybrid, Japan’s Asahi Shumbun reported Wednesday.
The new model is intended to serve U.S. car buyers, who like hybrids and prefer bigger engines.
Toyota is considering other hybrid-only models, such as a station wagon and a minivan, to spur sales of hybrid vehicles, the newspaper said.
The automaker is developing a new hybrid system that will be smaller and lower-priced than the current system. It will be installed on the Prius and the new hybrid midsize sedan as early as 2008.
The Prius, introduced in 1997 as the world’s first hybrid-only model, is to be fully redesigned when it incorporates the new hybrid system, the newspaper said.
