TOYOTA

Latest Green Car News

Toyota targets 5 million hybrid vehicle sales

Toyota is seeking to achieve cumulative sales of five million hybrid vehicles in the early part of this decade, according to Reuters. The Japanese carmaker told the news agency that it has so far sold more than 2.68 million hybrids since it globally launched its first model. That first model, the Prius, remains a global [...]

Toyota releases new hybrid noise-maker

Toyota is to begin retailing a new electronic humming device this month, for its Prius cars to help make the models noisier and easier for pedestrians to hear it approaching. The carmaker will begin selling the new speaker system in its home country of Japan from August 30. Costing 12,600 yen (£96), the speaker system [...]

Toyota reveals hybrid vehicle plans

Hybrid vehicles continue to be at the forefront of Toyota’s green car plans after it announced a manufacturing system for midsize hybrids. According to a report in the Nikkei, start-to-finish manufacturing will now take place at a Kyushu subsidiary. Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc is an integrated producer of many Lexus models and other large vehicles [...]

Toyota cuts workers ahead of green car incentive drop

With incentives for green cars expected to run out at the end of next month, Toyota is already preparing for a fall in sales by slashing its workforce in Japan. The company has cut 600 workers at its Japanese factories. It had hired contract workers under different terms from other employees to make it easier [...]

Toyota hybrids top one million mark

How successful has Toyota been in marketing its hybrid models? Well now sales have topped the one million mark – and that’s just on its home turf of Japan. Cumulative sales of Toyota hybrids worldwide have actually reached 2.68million units although sales have declined from their peak in 2007 of 347,500 units outside Japan. However, [...]

Green car subsidies boost vehicle sales

Japanese car buyers are reaping the rewards of government subsidies for environmentally friendly cars. The subsidies, which are due to expire at the end of September, helped sales of new vehicles in the country climb by 12.9 per cent during July to 486,606 units. The Toyota Motor Corporation saw its sales shoot up by 19.1 [...]

Toyota promises ‘cleaner cars from greener showrooms’

Toyota is launching a new plan to ensure that its cars aren’t the only things which are as green as possible. The Japanese carmaker has issued a new 8-step environmental strategy to help save energy and reduce emissions across its retail network too, so that you can buy a green car from a green centre. [...]

Verdict: Japan must match China and US for electric vehicles

An editorial in Japanese business daily the Nikkei, has urged home-grown car manufacturers to keep pace with China and the US in the changing global market for electric vehicles. The article outlines that both Toyota and Honda had pinned their hopes on hybrid vehicles even though electric vehicles were gaining in popularity and now they [...]

The Prius celebrates ten years and 200,000 models

After ten years on the market in Europe, the ‘original’ hybrid car, the Prius celebrates reaching another milestone, with its sales in the continent now exceeding 200,000. While other carmakers looked at developing prototype hybrids, Toyota was ahead of the pack as it launched the first generation Prius model in Japan in 1997, subsequently releasing [...]

Toyota and Tesla plan electric RAV4

After furthering their partnership earlier this week (see article), Toyota and Tesla Motors are now planning an electric version of the RAV4. The aim is to bring the electric vehicle to market in the US in 2012 with prototypes to combine the traditional Toyota RAV4 model with a Tesla electric powertrain. Tesla is hoping to [...]