Hybrid War Heats Up in Japan

Honda's new Insight went on sale in hits homeland about a week ago, and already it's under attack. Before it hit the market, there were rumors that it would be much cheaper than the Toyota Prius. Toyota, however, has other ideas. The Insight is 1.89 million yen ($18,853 USD) in Japan, which is the same price as the current Prius. Toyota then priced the coming third generation Prius at 2.05 million yen ($20,437 USD) to keep it close to the Insight. Then Toyota said it would keep the second-generation Prius on sale in Japan, and there have been rumors that Toyota is also working on a cheaper Prius costing around 30% less than the current one. That would pit three Prius models against one Insight, all similarly priced.

In response, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said Honda will not lower the price of the Insight. Said Fukui, "I think that is something we can't do right now. We have to carefully examine the new Prius to know whether it is necessary for us to take certain measures. We have to think about the balance between cost and effectiveness." If Toyota does come out with three Japan-market Priuses, Honda will be thinking long and hard about those issues.

Unlike Toyota, though, Honda does have the CR-Z hybrid coming, which could give Honda some sporting hybrid credentials that Toyota doesn't yet have. Honda also said it is expanding its research and hybrid push into large sedans instead of counting on clean diesels for its bigger cars. Fukui feels that clean diesels are too expensive to develop be practical.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/honda-ceo-says-insight-price-wont-be-reduced-further/

Honda: Would Mull Counter Measures Vs Cheaper Toyota Prius

SUZUKA, Japan (Dow Jones)--Honda Motor Co. (7267.TO) would have to consider counter measures if Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) sets competitive prices for its Prius hybrid as recently reported, a company executive said Wednesday.

Honda launched its new Insight hybrid in February in Japan and is rolling out the model in the U.S. and other overseas countries.

The company has received orders that were more than triple the hybrid's monthly sales target a month after its Feb. 6 launch in Japan as the prices, which are lower than those of the current Prius, attracted customers looking for cheaper gas-sipping car amid the economic slump.

Yasuhiro Wada, a Honda general manager, said the company continues to receive solid orders for the Insight. As of Monday, orders for the new hybrid totaled more than 21,000 in Japan, more than four times the model's monthly sales target of 5,000.

Honda set the lower limit on Insight's prices at Y1.89 million, about 20% cheaper than the bottom price of the current Prius.

The Nikkei recently reported that Toyota will set the prices of the new Prius at Y2.05 million-Y2.50 million, lower than the current Y2.33 million-Y3.34 million and when it launches the new model it will also continue to sell the current one by lowering the bottom price to Y1.89 million to compete with the Insight.

"If they could do that, it would be a threat," Norio Ano, the head of the Insight product project, said at a press conference.

"We would have to consider something" to stay competitive, he said.
He added that Honda executives would order Ano and his team members to further cut costs if the report is true.

Toyota has said nothing has been decided on the prices of the new Prius and whether to continue to sell the current Prius.

-By Yoshio Takahashi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2929; yoshio.takahashi@dowjones.com

Source;
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090325-704087.html

MotorTrend: Comparison: 2010 Honda Insight vs 2010 Toyota Prius

Here's a little snipet of the article, btw, it's a really good read even if you're not thinking of buying one.

"But which is the more important hybrid? That leads us back to the issue of price. Although the Prius will eventually entail such far-reaching technologies as lithium batteries and possibly plug-in capability, that's in the future. Not now. And when these two go on sale, the price spread is likely to be at least $3000.

Starting at just over $20,000, the 41-mpg Insight is the first hybrid that's simultaneously within the reach of just about every pocketbook and also a solid business proposition for its builder. Amazingly, it delivers nearly identical mileage as the current Prius at about 85 percent of the price. The incremental value of 50 mpg versus 41 mpg -- whether you judge it by gasoline cost, greater national security, or CO2 reduction -- seems dwarfed by the benefit of its potential sales volume. It's a milestone that can't go unnoticed.

1ST PLACE HONDA INSIGHT

An imperfect car, loud and coarse-riding, and also perhaps the most important hybrid ever built.

2ND PLACE TOYOTA PRIUS

The world's best hybrid has become more solid and refined, yet has somehow upped its fuel economy as well. It's an engineering triumph for the textbooks.

Source;

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/112_0905_2010_honda_insight_vs_2010_toyota_prius_comparison_test/index.html

Toyota Stages MR2 Comeback As The Prius Coupe But Can It Rekindle The Spirit?

Still having problems loading images right now. New MR2? That would be nice!

Toyota is developing an exciting performance hybrid which would revive the much loved sports car and rival Honda’s upcoming CR-Z. It’s set to swap its predecessor’s roadster shape for that of a compact coupé. Under the skin will be a rear-wheel-drive chassis, a paddleshift gearbox and a specially developed version of the Prius’s hybrid powertrain.

The new model will boast an amazing blend of performance, economy and low emissions, all wrapped up in a stunning body. It would be a fitting successor to the MR2, which ceased production in 2007.

Follow the link for a picture;
http://www.autospies.com/news/Toyota-Stages-MR2-Comeback-As-The-Prius-Coupe-But-Can-It-Rekindle-The-Spirit-42058/

Honda says to raise Insight output as orders climb

TOKYO, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co plans to produce more of its new Insight hybrid cars from April, having received orders for almost three times its monthly sales target for the gasoline-electric model it launched on Feb. 6 in Japan, a top official said on Tuesday.

Honda plans to launch the Insight, its first attempt at a low-cost, high-volume hybrid, in Europe and the United States over the next two months.

Japan's No.2 automaker is targeting global sales of 200,000 Insights a year, with half of that in North America and 60,000 in Japan, hoping to rival Toyota Motor Corp as a leader in the hybrid segment.

"The response has been overwhelming," Hiroshi Kobayashi, deputy chief operating officer for Honda's domestic operations, told a small group of reporters at a test-drive event in Tokyo.

"We will have to increase production plans," he said. But he stopped short of saying how much it could expand output given possible supply limits for hybrid components.

Customers in Japan will have to wait at least one month for an Insight if they ordered one today, he said.
Honda is positioning the Insight as its fifth "global car" alongside the Civic, Accord, Fit and CR-V cars, which collectively make up about two-thirds of its car sales.

Kobayashi said half of the Insight sales so far were to customers switching from other brands, including premium import brands and Toyota's hybrid leader, the Prius. The Insight starts at 1.89 million yen ($19,980) in Japan.

"What's unique about the Insight is that we're attracting a broad range of drivers, from (660cc) minivehicles to sedans to minivans," Kobayashi said.

While cautioning that the Japanese car market remained tough -- total vehicle sales in January fell 20 percent from the year before -- Kobayashi said Honda aimed to sell as many cars in the business year from April as the 570,000 to 580,000 units he expected it to sell in the 12 months to March 31.

Toyota is due to launch its third-generation Prius in May, pricing it slightly higher than the current version, which starts at 2.3 million yen in Japan. Local media have reported widely that Toyota would take the unusual step of selling the current model at a discount alongside the new version to compete with Honda's Insight.

A Toyota spokeswoman said the company had made no such decision yet. ($1=94.59 Yen) (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

Source;
http://uk.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUKT37087520090224?sp=true

Honda Insight VS Toyota Prius; Jalopnik's Survey

Here's a snapshot of the results as of Oct. 02, 2008 AM.

"OK folks, now that the new Prius-fighter from Honda has officially seen the sheet dropped at the Paris Motor Show early this morning, it's time to ask the important question — which one will win? In one corner, you've got the long-time champion of the hybrid arena. In the other, the pugnacious new Honda Insight, determined to beat the Prius in at least one chart — price. With that, here's the question:" (See the above picture)

Now, before all of us Honda fans get too excited, this is only a survey, there have been many a war won on paper and lost on the battle field - both cars are good/going to be good.

Here's a link to the survey, if you'd like to partake;

http://jalopnik.com/5058334/jalopnik-paris-pissing-match-honda-insight-vs-toyota-prius

10 vehicles that will redefine the auto industry in the next year

2010 Honda Insight
Toyota Prius facing off with the Honda Insight
2010 Chevrolet Camaro
2010 Toyota Venza

BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

From hybrids to big pickups, from luxury cars to thrifty compacts, a handful of new vehicles that debut over the next 12 months may shape the future of automakers around the world.

They come in all shapes and sizes. Some break new ground for their manufacturers. Others aim to reassert companies' dominance in market segments they created.

From icons like the Ford F-150 and Toyota Prius to newcomers like the Lincoln MKT and Chevrolet Traverse, they are the most interesting and important new cars to watch as the 2009 model year kicks into high gear and model year 2010 begins.

2010 Honda Insight

The five-passenger gasoline-electric Insight is Honda's attempt to remind buyers that it's a leader in hybrid cars. Honda was the first automaker to sell a hybrid in the United States when the previous two-seat Insight went on sale in 1999, but the flashy Toyota Prius quickly eclipsed Honda's mundane Civic and Accord hybrids.

Honda aims to change that with the 2010 Insight, which has the same hatchback profile as the Prius. Honda promises a base price "significantly below" other hybrids when it goes on sale in the spring of next year.

Other vehicles in the article;

2009 Audi A4

2009 Chevrolet Traverse

2010 Chevrolet Camaro

2009 Dodge Ram

2009 Ford F-150

2010 Lincoln MKT

2009 Toyota Venza

2010 Toyota Prius

2009 Mazda 6

Source and for the rest of the article;

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080911/COL14/809110397/1014/BUSINESS01

Honda Insight Sales to Begin April 2009, Only 7 Months Away

It seems like there's nothing new but Hybrid news, so here goes;

Honda surprised us all last week by giving us our first look at its upcoming Honda Insight Hybrid in concept form - which will debut to the public at the Paris Auto Show next month. But when will you see the final production version and when will it be available to purchase at a dealer near you?

Honda says that the Insight Hybrid Concept seen last week is a ‘near-production ready’ model. The five-door, five-passenger hatchback will U.S. hit showrooms in April 2009.

Honda plans on selling 200,000 units of the Insight Hybrid annually - 100,000 of which it hopes to come from the stateside. So far it is rumored that the production Insight hybrid will get near 60 mpg and will cost right below $19,000 ($22,000 here in Canada?).

They May Look the Same ....

It's hard not to think the Honda Insight hybrid and the Toyota Prius look like kissing cousins. But, while both are five-door hatches sharing similar profiles, cut lines and green-tinged halos... they've got vastly different designs. Below the jump, we've detailed seven of the literally tens of differences between the two happy hybrids. And yes, we're even including the big "H" on the front of the 2010 Honda Insight .
Difference #1: Instead of going with the stylized T, as on the Prius, the new Insight has a very defined H above the grille. This is a difference of 11 letter positions in the alphabet and a sign that Honda is the true Maverick in this race.

Difference #2: The Toyota Prius is very noticeable from the rear because of its squarer clear taillights housing red LED lights. The engineers from Honda have focused on a more angular look for their clear taillights with red LED lights.

Difference #3: Honda stepped out with some fairly trick split five-spoke wheels that look much hotter than the boring seven-spoke Prius design. We're not sure if these will make it from concept to reality.

Difference #4: The Prius has been faulted for its bland nose and utilitarian look, which Honda has countered with a more Honda CRZ-inspired front; it's more dramatic, modern and captivating in its vanilla quasi-Dave look. The design makes the new Insight look like a more expensive car than the Prius.

Difference #5: Toyota engineers love boxes and Honda deviated wildly from this path by introducing a round fuel access cover. That's change you can not only believe in, but it's change that signals the outside-the-box thinking you've come to expect from Honda.

Difference #6: As opposed to headlights that wrap upwards from a sharply curving grille, the Insight's lights curve outward from a sharply curving grille. It's so different — like apples and pears.

Difference #7: One of the features that differentiates the Prius from other cars on the road, visually, is that little window behind the A-pillar and ahead of the mirrors. The low belt-line of both of these cars necessitates such a move but Honda hides it, using a cheater panel aft of the mirror and a supporting strip behind the mirror. It's a smart design change that'll really help separate it from the crowd.

So there you have it — two totally different vehicles. No matter what your eyes tell you.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5045947/honda-insight-vs-toyota-prius-separated-at-birth

Honda's New Global Hybrid gets a Release Date of April 2009

It's said that the 'Prius Fighter' above will be unveilled at this October's Paris Auto Show. It is rumored to show up in dealer lots by April of 2009 and leave it to Toyota to make it interesting by having their next gen Prius displayed at the next Detroit Auto Show in January. Honda plans to undercut its rival in the pricing wars with its hybrid coming in at a base price of less than $19,000, a few thousand less than the larger Prius. Both models will use nickel metal hydride batteries (for now) as opposed to the latest lithium ion units in an effort to keep their costs down. Both should also score fuel mileage numbers somewhere in the 50-60 mpg range. For its part, Honda is planning to build 200,000 units of its new hybrid annually, with 100,000 earmarked for the U.S. Let the (fuel-saving) games begin!

Source; http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/13/hondas-prius-killing-hybrid-gets-a-date-april-2009/

Honda Hybrid May Be Called Insight; Set to Out Prius the Prius

Above it the next Honda Hybrid concept called the 'CRZ'.Above is the lovable Honda Insight (1999 - 2006)

Nice article at Edmunds AutoObserver, here it is....

By Peter Nunn

TOKYO - Surging gas prices, global warming and the need to go green make this absolutely the most perfect time for Honda to roll out an all-new, cutting edge gas-electric hybrid. Honda's eagerly awaited, long overdue rival for the Toyota Prius is set to set to land in American driveways in the first half of 2009.

Smaller than a Civic and with a unique five-door hatchback style, Honda's "New Dedicated Hybrid Vehicle" may well revive the Insight name when it goes on sale. Strong rumours in Tokyo also suggest that this 'new Insight' will adapt and repackage the Civic Hybrid's IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) front-drive powertrain and first appear in public in concept form at this October's Paris Auto Salon, ahead of its full official launch at the Detroit auto show in January.

If there's a no-show at Paris, then Honda's new concept hybrid will certainly be shown at the Los Angeles Show in November.

New Math for Honda Hybrids

Honda first spoke publicly about this new fuel-sipping global hybrid in Tokyo back in summer 200. At that time, Honda President Takeo Fukui floated the idea of a yearly sales plan of 200,000 units, with North America projected to take half.

Things have moved on quite a bit since then. This May, Fukui outlined a more ambitious plan involving not one, but four new compact hybrids, coupled with a new hybrid target of 500,000 units a year by around 2015.

Honda will produce not only a new Civic Hybrid, but also a version of its small, slinky CR-Z sports coupe concept seen at the 2007 Tokyo Show.

Add this dedicated 'new Insight' hatchback to the mix as well, plus a hybrid version of the next Fit, which may appear around 2013, and you have Honda's new hybrid quartet and that fresh half a million-unit target.

Some actually believe Honda is already being too conservative with these estimates based on the fact that the coming global hybrid may well turn out to be the coolest, most talked about, most gotta-have small green Honda in more than three decades.

A car that conceivably could do the unthinkable and out Prius the Prius.

In which case, in $4 gallon America, sales of this small, super-efficient Japanese-built Honda hybrid could just skyrocket, and soon.

A Historic, High-Mileage Honda

Not since the days of the first, pivotal CVCC-engined Civic of 1973 will Honda have had such a mainstream, marketable eco champion on the blocks. The car's design and space are good, according to a source familiar with the project, borrowing a lot from the fresh, flowing design of the FCX Clarity, Honda's groundbreaking new fuel cell sedan that officially went into production Monday in Japan with much ceremony.

The hybrid's economy is also "insane" says this well-placed insider with a good natured laugh, which suggests a rating well above today's Civic Hybrid which has an EPA-estimated city/highway rating of 40/45 mpg, the best of any 2008 Honda.

So how insane, exactly? Well, Japanese sources predict a domestic fuel rating of 30 km/l, equal to 71 mpg in the US. Now, that's in Japan's 10.15-mode fuel cycle, which is now a bit old and quite often shows hybrids in an especially flattering light.

Some are talking about even more, as in 35 km/l (equal to 82 mpg), which is pretty much what the old Insight registered in Japan (although it was much less in the U.S.). A more realistic expectation for the U.S., then, would seem to be in the 50-55 mpg-plus range.

Affordably Priced

Another enticement would surely be sticker price. Honda's also let it be known that the price differential over a typical Fit-type model in same class will be just ¥200,000 or so (some $1,850, at the time of going to press). That's in Tokyo, at least.

Honda, it's believed, wants to start this 'new Insight' off for under $19,000 in Japan, so well undercutting the Prius.

So, here's a 'smart' new little Honda that'll be compact and affordable, combining stellar mileage with low emissions and a fresh hatchback design, and will come with a Honda badge on the hood. It's hard at this point to see exactly what could go wrong.

Well, maybe in-house competition from the Fit and Civic Hybrid coupled with the arrogance of certain Honda dealers who know how to charge top dollar for any hot new Honda. Those are two areas that could dent its chances. But surely, not for long.

Regaining Honda Hybrid Leadership

Honda has certainly learned its lesson with hybrids. Even though it was the first into the hybrid race in the U.S. with the tiny, two-seat Insight coupe, which bowed in December 1999, Honda has since had to sit back and watch, as have others, as Toyota's eaten up the market and the Prius has gone on to become the rock star of today's eco generation.

Worthy as they have been, the Civic and Accord hybrids just haven't caught on in the same way. Honda has at last woken up to one of the Prius' biggest strengths: that its unique styling tells the world at glance you're driving a high tech, ultra eco car. If you want to make an environmental statement, the Prius is still the hottest game in town.

With that revelation on board, Honda's thus crafted the design for an all new, five-passenger hatchback body which, we hear, also bears more than a passing resemblance to the Prius, from certain angles, certainly around the A-pillars.

This 'new Insight' is reputed to stand some 3 inches longer than the latest Fit and about an inch wider, while being based off the same 98.4 inches wheelbase.

Platform and architecture will be Fit-derived and power served by an updated version of the Civic Hybrid's 1.3-liter IMA powertrain, sources say.

Sticking with NiMH Batteries

What's certain is that Honda will site the car's compact nickel-hydride (NiMH) battery pack beneath the trunk floor, as opposed in the rear seat back as per today's Civic Hybrid sedan.

Honda still has major reservations about the viability of the more advanced style of high power, lightweight lithium-ion batteries for mass production.

Honda will use Li-lo in the FCX Clarity fuel cell car for the time being and nothing else. This means, Honda's near future hybrids won't get it. As Honda sees it, lithium-ion batteries still need to improve their safety/reliability until the company's fully convinced of their worth for mass production.

Adding Value through Simplicity

Honda also talks about 'a major cost reduction' with the engineering of the new car, which sounds attractive. But what Honda's really talking about here is the ongoing process of making the key IMA hybrid components - four-cylinder gas engine, electric motor, CVT transmission and battery pack - all smaller and lighter, more tightly packaged while also using fewer parts.

Adding to the value equation is the fact that Honda's IMA system is simpler than Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system in the Prius. Honda's IMA is fundamentally set up for maximum economy and when driving, the gas engine is pretty much running all the while. Honda is apparently less bothered about having its hybrids run on pure, silent, zero emission, electric/battery power, something Toyota's trying actively now to extend.

Japanese sources suggest the new global hybrid will run with a modified version of the Civic Hybrid's 1.3-liter 3-Stage i-VTEC four-cylinder +IMA powertrain. With 94 horsepower, performance in the smaller body should still be promising, especially when the 15 kW-class electric motor engaged. Suspension will again be Civic-derived.

At a time when Toyota is planning to move the Prius up market, from 1.5 to 1.8 liters with the coming third generation, Honda's ploy of producing a smaller, lighter, cheaper 1.3-liter competitor for major world markets looks pretty astute.

Battle of the Hybrids

Toyota, of course, will respond by producing not one, but three versions of the next Prius, according to sources, including a smaller edition than now, which will hit directly on this new global Honda hybrid as the coming global wars heat up.

Honda's new global hybrid will be built in the same Suzuka plant in Japan that made the courageous, wacky but ultimately unsuccessful Insight coupe, which Honda pulled from the market in 2006.

Honda, it's fair to say, hasn't really clicked yet on hybrids. But starting early in 2009, at coincidentally the same Detroit auto show at which the keenly awaited new Toyota Prius will go live, Honda will at last be fully in the game with this small, super competitive and ultra fuel efficient 'new Insight.'

Still, even at 500,000 hybrid units a year, Honda will still be totally outpaced by Toyota which is forging ahead with an aggressive plan for selling 1 million hybrid units a year by the early 2010s.

Twenty years after the 1989 Detroit Show when Lexus and Infiniti came out and announced their intentions towards America's luxury market in no uncertain fashion, a completely different but no less intense, high stakes power game will unfold as Honda's 'new Insight' and the next Prius go head-to-head under the lights at Detroit's Cobo Hall.

The green revolution will finally then have arrived.

Source; http://www.autoobserver.com/2008/06/honda-hybrid-may-be-called-insight-set-to-out-prius-the-prius.html

Why Automakers Don't Sell a Car that is 50(US)mpg

So gas just hit another miserable milestone. Unleaded regular is averaging a record $3.30 a gallon and seems likely to blast past $4 by Memorial Day. Wouldn't it be great if you could drive a car that gets 50 miles per gallon? Well, you can. Just hop on a plane and fly to Europe, where all new cars average 43mpg, or Japan, where the average hits 50mpg. Here in the United States, we're stuck at 25mpg in our considerably larger and more powerful cars, trucks and SUVs. So why can't we do better? Here's the dirty little secret: we can. "If you want better fuel economy, it's just a question of when auto companies want to do it and when consumers decide they want to buy it," says Don Hillebrand, a former Chrysler engineer who is now director of transportation research for Argonne National Labs. "Auto companies can deliver it within a year."

A 50mpg car would certainly put a tiger in the tank of the moribund U.S. auto industry. But don't get your checkbook out quite yet. The reality is that you won't see a car on a showroom floor in America with 50mpg on the window sticker for at least three years and maybe longer. Sure, all auto companies are focusing on jacking up fuel economy, especially since Congress just mandated that all new autos sold by 2020 must average 35mpg. The new mileage mantra also is motivated by the fact that car sales are weak, partially because of panic at the pump. But putting out a 50mpg car any time soon is daunting even to the maker of America's mileage champ, the 48mpg Toyota Prius. "We're close enough to spit at that now," says Bill Reinert, Toyota's national manager of advanced technologies. "It's not an incredible stretch, but it's an incredible stretch to do it on a mass-market basis."

It might seem ludicrous to you that there isn't a mass market right here and now for a 50mpg car. For crying out loud, we've entered the age of the $128 fill-up. (The cost of topping off a Chevy Suburban). But here's the problem: to get to 50mpg in the near future, consumers would have to trade off at least one of three very important things—cost, drive quality or safety. That's because the quickest way to make a car more fuel-efficient is to make it smaller, lighter and equip it with some high-tech (a.k.a. costly) propulsion system like a plug-in gas-electric system. Consider the exercise Ford just went through. It ran a computer simulation on what would happen to the mileage of a Ford Focus small car if you built it entirely out of lightweight aluminum. Losing the steel allowed the Focus to drop 1,000 pounds—30 percent of its body weight. That enabled Ford to outfit it with a tiny one-liter engine, half the size of its old engine, but far more fuel efficient because of new technology. Best of all, the small motor goes just as fast as the big one because the car is so much lighter. The result: fuel economy on this fabulous Focus went from 35mpg to 50mpg. What's stopping Ford from moving this car from pixels to pavement? The cost of an all-aluminum car could top $50,000—not a sum the typical economy-car buyer is willing to pay. "What's going to be the cost acceptance for this much improvement in fuel economy?" asks Dan Kapp, director of Ford's advanced engines and transmissions. "We don't know yet."

Still, all the major automakers are putting their cars on a crash diet. Ford wants to drop 250 to 750 pounds in all its models by 2012. Toyota and Nissan want to cut the fat by 10 to 15 percent. But this slim-fast campaign is running into the drive for more safety features in automobiles. Back in the 1980s, the Honda CRX-HF and the Geo Metro each got more than 50mpg, but they didn't have airbags or steel beams in their doors to protect occupants in a crash. These days, cars are equipped with six air bags, steel safety cages and electronic stability control to prevent spinouts. That makes cars much safer—but a lot fatter. "We are working in two directions," says Toyota's Reinert. "One is to make cars as safe as possible, and that generally makes them heavier. And the other is to make cars as fuel efficient as possible."

Downsizing also has its drawbacks. For starters, U.S. highway statistics show the smallest cars have death rates 2.5 times higher than the biggest. What's more, wimpy engines often (under) power small cars and that's a drawback many Americans won't abide. I recently drove the diminutive Smart car for a week. While it's certainly cute, its puny 70-horsepower engine and slow-shifting transmissions made me feel like Fred Flintstone could outrun me. That might be enough power for twisty Old World roads, but here in America, we have a need for speed. "Going zero to 60 in 15 seconds doesn't fit the average American consumers idea of mobility today," says Reinert. "That's too doggy."

Another quick way to improve fuel economy—and chase away customers—is to strip out stuff that makes the ride comfortable. For example, engineers could remove the soundproofing material that keeps road and engine noise out of the cockpit. Back in the '90s, when Detroit was fond of noting that gasoline was cheaper than bottled water, Hillebrand worked on the popular Chrysler minivan. They were having problems making the cabin quiet, so they sacrificed mileage to add sound insulation. "We just sprayed penny a pound asphalt into it to quiet it down because that was what the customer wanted," recalls Hillebrand. "Another mile per gallon would not make Car and Driver headlines. But having no wind noise did."

These days, though, more mpg makes news. And GM has certainly been getting plenty of mileage out of the Chevy Volt plug-in electric car it hopes to have on the market by 2010. On Thursday, they took reporters inside their Volt lab for another in a series of updates--unusual for a work in progress. And next week, GM will conduct a global online discussion with journalists to address the question: "Why don't automakers produce a 100mpg car?"

So when I called to ask why there are no 50mpg cars, Volt chief engineer Frank Weber practically scoffed at me. "Fifty miles per gallon is not the target," he said in his German accent. "We are working in the three-digit range." All hype aside, analysts say GM just might be the first to achieve 50mpg with the Volt, which Weber assured me will get well over 100mpg. Crackling with confidence, he "guaranteed" the car's advanced lithium-ion battery is ready for the road. Many automakers are racing to develop lithium-ion batteries (like those used in laptops), which juice up faster and go farther on a charge. But only GM is claiming to have cracked the code. Weber also said there is "no doubt" the Volt will deliver on GM's promise of driving for the first 40 miles on pure electric power. After that, a tiny engine kicks in, but only to recharge the battery, not to turn the wheels like conventional hybrids. "Our goal," says Weber, "is to avoid the usage of gasoline completely."

Wouldn't that be nice? But at what price? Analysts predict the Volt will top $30,000, and consumers might have to pay an additional $100 to $200 a month to lease that advanced, but unproven, battery pack. Weber dismissed battery leasing as "an old idea," but declined to divulge pricing on the Volt so far from its launch. Any new technology like this, though, comes with a hefty premium, which takes years to pay off in savings at the gas pump. So taking the high-tech road to high mileage comes down to a question of pay now or pay later. (In the case of some high-priced hybrids, like the late and not-so-great Honda Accord hybrid, the payoff never came.)

In the end, what I found most fascinating about raising this 50mpg question is just how nervous its made Honda and Toyota. Honda wouldn't even speak to me about it. Perhaps that's because Honda has a Prius competitor in the works that it has promised will have better mileage when it hits the road next year. Let's see, what's better than 48mpg? And Toyota is in the midst of creating an entire lineup of Prius models, which will include a wagon, a family car and a tiny urban runabout beginning in 2010. So if you take the Prius power plant and put it into a Smart-size car, what do you get? Toyota isn't saying, but there could be a hint in Reinert's assessment of Mercedes's mighty mite. "The Smart is incredibly attractively packaged," he says. "It could be the iPhone version 1 of cars." Version 2.0 could roll into a Toyota showroom in a few years—with a window sticker well above 50mpg.

And not a moment too soon.

Source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/130439/output/print

New Honda Hybrid in the Works to Properly Compete with the Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius has pretty much dominated the Hybrid battle, at least as far as numbers are concerned. This is partly due to the fact that the Prius has alot of usable space, especially considering that it is a hatchback. In my neck of the woods, the Prius is the Taxi cab of choice (and who can blame them, great on gas with flexible storage space). The Honda Civic has its battery located between the trunk and rear seat, limiting the trunk space and getting rid of the rear folding seats (the only knock that I can think of on the car)!
Honda has now decided that it is time to give the Prius a little more competition. Honda has big plans for their next Hybrid. The new model will only be available with a hybrid system and is rumored to take its styling cues from the FCX fuel-cell vehicle set for production next year.
See my post on the FCX here;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2007/10/2010-honda-fcx.html
My guess is the one up manship begins not only with style but a Clean-Diesel Hybrid Engine!