Toyota’s Jim Press: ‘Everything will be hybrid’

Toyota’s North American chief, Jim Press, said vehicles powered by gasoline-electric hybrid engines will take over US roads as a result of increasing fuel prices. “Eventually, everything will be a hybrid,” Press said in an interview today in New York. Press said that hybrids have been a key aspect of Toyota’s growth in the US.

For 2007, Toyota expects to sell at least 175,000 Toyta Prius hybrid cars in North America, an increase from the 109,000 in 2006.

“The Prius is the forerunner,” Press said. Consumers have are turning away from gas guzzling vehicles like crossovers and large SUVs, said Press. “You don’t buy a car for image any longer that’s a big gas guzzler.”

Toyota is currently working on the next-generation Prius, which is expected to have three variants called the Prius A, B and C. The leader in hybrid sales is also working on a dedicated hybrid brand.

 

Source: Chicago Tribune

[tags]Cars, Car, Auto, Automobile, Vehicles, Technology, Auto News, News, Automotive, Toyota[/tags]