Filed under: MPG, Toyota

It's a page from the school of lowered expectations playbook.

Toyota Motor North America president Jim Press is not saying the company is done expanding, just that the Japanese automaker's growth potential is not unlimited. What's the main factor that will cut into Toyota's outstanding sales? When other companies get fuel-efficient vehicles right.

"The expansion of fuel-efficient products was really unanticipated," Press told Auto News (subs req'd). "Katrina, $3-a-gallon fuel, an awakening of America's understanding of the environment. These issues were all bubbling up at the same time. ... We took advantage of an early investment in technology. ... The investments have been made in new products. A lot of the competitors are just now beginning to make that payoff come to market. As others come forward with more fuel-efficient products, we are going to have more competition. It's not right to figure that our current growth rate is going to continue ad infinitum. It's not."

On second thought, maybe that's not really lowering expectations. It might be kind of a challenge to the Big 2.5, don't you think?

[Source: Mark Rechtin, Automotive News]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, American Electric Vehicle

Click on the photo of AEV President Scott Thornton and the Kurrent for a high-res gallery of photos from AutoblogGreen's visit to the AEV factory

Traverse City, Michigan gets pretty touristy in the summertime, and this year some of those visitors can cruise the sights in a zero-emission Kurrent powered by renewable energy. E Company will begin offering two- and four-seat NEVs for rent from their base in the Traverse City railroad depot where new solar panels will soon be installed, according to the AP. The city government could get behind the plan for the cars if it endorses a proposal to allow the cars to park free at city meters.

Parking might be free, but the car'll cost ya: a half-day rental for the two-seater will be $60. Whew.



[Source: The Examiner]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

International Energy Agency (IAE) chief Claude Mandil warned Friday there was no 'silver bullet' which by itself would cut greenhouse-gas emissions that drive dangerous climate change.

While the United States may not have a clear-cut 'Plan B' to deal with the peak oil problem, Matthew Simmons does believe there are ways to help.

Nearly 50 cities - including Boston, Atlanta and Detroit - are studying or building streetcar projects in the USA.

Plug-in hybrids also could provide their owners with emergency power to run refrigerators, lights or air conditioners during power outages

U.S. Representative Lamar Smith Smith is introducing a bill for research and production of the cars. The measure calls for $250 million in funding for plug-in hybrid cars and $50 million for the pilot program.

Goldstein says GM is aiming for fuel-cell vehicles initially to carry a small price premium over conventional models the way hybrids do today.

Hartford Courant editorial supports increasing fuel efficiency standards.

A goal of the $3 million project is to build a Victorian-manufactured engine that should achieve the world's highest efficiency for a hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine.