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Hi All:

___I listened to a great presentation by Bill Reinert of Toyota Motor Company on Peak Oil, GHG’s, alternative Fuel’s, alternative Oil sources, alternative automobile propulsion, let alone infrastructure and other problematic areas of advanced technology as far as the Automobile is concerned.

___EVWorld is a great site for this and the open access article linked is a stunner! Just one example: “Speaking about the recent drop in gasoline prices in America, Reinert commented that light truck and SUV sales have already begun to rebound. He remarked, “What can I say, sheep are meant to be shorn.”

___Listen/View it whenever you find the time. It is worth it!

The Challenge of Building Green Cars. (http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=1127)

___Another interesting aspect from this Toyota rep himself. HSD costs just $2,000 OEM in total! Also, expect a 25% improvement in FE with the next gen Prius-III!

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thank You Wayne:

His spin ment next to nothing,,, other than the honda/yota prop. From that I would think there in bed together. Between his cough knirled gasp for enginerring forthought. He all but admited to Hondas leadership in ICE ownage. But a sly dog in yotas owership of hybrid,

Gm better watch out... if yota and honda LTD. ever get together,,,,, The auto industry will change the way the world rotates!

One has to understand distro / fuel ownership in this country as taught by the courts and standard oil at the turn of the century. Those are our laws! and I be damed if I understand them as a pass crud producer.

His place in the world was clearly layed out to see mine and yours dollar. PERIOD!!! They will take a hybrid role.... OK thas good!!!! But for the hybrid owners and belivers! The owners of mpg records have been done in hybrids, But for god's sake... The records where set with a ICE!!!!!!!!!!

Hum????

Thanks for the link Wayne

psy

Hi Psy:

___Did you hear how the Toyota managers have a carbon budget as well as a $ one? They are so far beyond the curve in terms of FE and emissions that GM, Ford, and DCX cannot even see them!

___Add in a minor $2,000 upcharge (OEM) for HSD today ($1 - $1.5K tomorrow) and all the manufacturers including Honda are screwed. It will not be long and you won’t have a choice but to take a Yaris w/ HSD at 70/60, Corolla w/ HSD at 65/55, and a Prius III w/ HSD-II at 75/65 all the while the Honda Fit/Civic is offering you 33/38 - 30/40 for ~ $1,000 less. Maybe you would not take the next gen Corolla w/ HSD at 65/55 for just $1,000 over the cost of an 8th gen Civic at 30/40 today but 95% of the rest of the Civic purchasing public would.

___I understand you are not a fan of Toyota (I have my reasons for disgust in many instances as explained many times here) but when Toyota offers that kind of FE for less then $2,000 today in the TCH and less later on, any manufacturer that does not sit up and take notice is bound to become another in a long list of auto manufacturers that “used to” inhabit the US. The only thing the Big 2.5 have to offer is Trucks and SUV’s and we all know how well those sold when gas was running $3.00 per. What happens at $4.00 or higher? Toyota is quickly knocking the P/U - SUV door down as well. I think Toyota’s trucks suck as well but the reviews and real world truck/SUV sales are proving that the rest of the public does not see it that way.

___All the while Toyota will have all these sedans and hatchbacks (Yaris w/ HSD, Corolla w/ HSD, Prius III w/ HSD-II, and TCH’s) with numbers the domestics will never see for another 10 - 15 + years or more unless they jump on this right now!

___Honda does have those Accord/Civic’s w/ the 2.2 iCDTi’s (LEV-2 rated at best) coming our way but to take out a Prius-III at a possible 75/65 on regular gasoline with a PZEV rating and at the same price or less? That is going to take one hell of an advance and the Euro Civic’s running the 2.2 w/ far less stringent emission controls cannot touch what Toyota will be outputting if what this manager presented is anywhere near what Toyota actually plans to release. Honda knows IMA is done by comparison (OEM is ~ $1,500 today and they have offered it to everyone as recently as 6 months ago) and I have read nothing that can help other then the CI-ICE’s. It will not be enough to compete with Toyota given the above imho. What is Ford/GM/DCX going to do to stop this juggernaut? The following will most certainly not do it and I for one think the Fusion is the best looking and handling mid-size sedan available right now.

Ford Fusion Hybrid - Guesstimate of just 33/34 mpg's? (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2629)

___I guess I wanted to make sure this was spread as wide and far as possible because this is almost scary what Toyota will be able to do if HSD is this inexpensive already.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

"What can I say, sheep are meant to be shorn."

Very well said. That is classic.

Really interesting video. That guy almost sounds as if he's thought a few of these issues through.

One thing you are leaving out wayne is that people don't always purchase cars because of how efficient or inexpensive they are. Toyota also has to market to the emotions of people. Some people are willing to give up FE for a car they enjoy driving. Lots of reviews I hear about Toyotas are they are pretty bland to drive.

A Yugo was a very inexpensive car. You could by a couple or three for the price of a regular car at that time. Lots of money savings there. People didn't buy it because it wasn't a "fun" car to drive. Like it or not most of the time people buy cars for the "fun" factor. So while technically and environmentally Toyota may be far ahead, they still have to work on the fun factor for their cars in my opinion.

Hi Tom:

___I am not leaving anything out. Toyota with a Yaris, Corolla, Camry and Prius is not even a company. The same for Ford with just an FEH, Fusion, and Focus. Honda with just the Fit, Civic, and Accord etc. GM’s total profits are up hugely over the years selling Hummer’s whereas selling the Aveo probably accounts for < then a weeks wages for GM’s executive suite. Ford made more $’s last month off the increase in sales of the new Expedition and Navigator then they have off the hybrid program in its entirety which is still a money losing situation for them.

___The item Toyota sees is gasoline will go back up to $3.00 + and CO2 emissions will have to be controlled. They have a number of technologies that will let them survive these likely scenarios whereas the Big 2.5 have nothing in their coffers for either contingency.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Ford made more $’s last month off the increase in sales of the new Expedition and Navigator then they have off the hybrid program in its entirety which is still a money losing situation for them.
How completely depressing.

Very interesting video though.