GM CEO Calls the Prius a Geek-Mobile, Wouldn’t be Caught Dead in One

In the grand scheme of things, General Motors is a little late in the purpose-built hybrid range extended electric vehicle game. Toyota has recently launched its third generation Prius and Honda its second generation Insight. At worst, the soon-to-be-released Chevy Volt is a logical move from a marketing perspective; if the consumer wants frumpily styled eco-cars then who are we, the automakers, to say otherwise?

So it’s a little hard to swallow when GM’s current CEO, Dan Akerson, describes the Volt’s major competitor – some may even say raison d’être – as a geek-mobile. Here are his exact words:

“We commonly refer to the geek-mobile as the Prius. And I wouldn't be caught dead in a Prius."

If the Prius is a geek-mobile, what does that make the Volt? Is it a me-too-mobile? And the word “geek” is so muddied in our 21^st century world. In the United States, 74% of the population use the internet, 27% own an Apple iPhone and almost half are on Facebook or MySpace. And Avatar, film widely considered to be the most successful film ever made, is a member of that classic geek genre: science fiction.

Is it any wonder that more than two million Priora have been sold since the nameplate came into existence? In a way, there’s a little geek in all of us. We buy organic, we tune into Lost and we use our Smartphones to text our friends what we’re eating for lunch.

It seems to me that GM wants to distance the Volt as much as possible from its Japanese stablemate. Have you noticed how no one at GM, Chevrolet or in the press calls it a hybrid? It’s a range extended electric vehicle. If that isn’t a geeky euphemism I don’t know what is.

The Volt, which according to Akerson "actually looks good,” compared to the Prius, goes on sale before the end of this year. With a starting price of US$41,000 (€31,016), the Volt will be more expensive than its main rival, though some buyers will be entitled to a US$7,500 (€5,674) federal tax credit.

Toyota Revs up Production of new Prius to Meet Increased Demand in Japan

Higher-than-expected demand in Japan has 'forced' Toyota to ramp up production of its third-generation Prius Hybrid. Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma, told Bloomberg news that the company has increased production to 50,000 Prius hybrids a month at its Tsutsumi factory and Toyota Auto Body Co.'s Fujimatsu plant. The spokesman did not reveal how many units of the Prius were built before revving up production.

The 2010 Prius was the No. 1 selling vehicle in Japan for May, taking the top spot in the domestic market for the first time ever. According to Homma, as of June 5, Toyota has received more than 140,000 Prius orders in Japan alone.

New Toyota Prius Hybrid Tops May Sales in Japan

Toyota's latest generation Prius hybrid made it to the No. 1 spot in the Japanese sales chart in May with 10,915 units registered. According to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the Prius hybrid's 2009 May sales increased more than five-fold from the same month a year ago. The new hybrid model from Toyota overtook Honda's lower-priced Insight hybrid that fell to third place in May with 8,183 units after taking the first spot in April. Honda's Fit (Jazz) subcompact hatch came in second in May with 8,859 units sold. This is the second time in Japan's history that a hybrid model tops the sales chart.

Toyota UK Keeps 2010 Prius III Prices at the Same Levels as the Prius II, Starts from £18,370

Prompted by the declining car market and the fact that Honda Insight is already significantly cheaper than the Prius II in the UK (the Insight starts from £15,490), Toyota's British arm decided to play it safe and keep prices for the third generation Prius at the same levels as the outgoing second-gen model. Pricing for the new Prius has been carried over unchanged from the current model for the entry-level T3 and the range topping T Spirit versions that cost £18,370 and £21,210 respectively, while the price of the in-between T4 model has risen by £835, to £19,990. Furthermore, equipment specifications on all three model have been improved.

For example, the entry-level T3 gains head-up display, projecting key vehicle data on to the windscreen in the driver's eyeline, 'touch tracer' multi-function control on the steering wheel, smart entry & start, driver's knee airbag, heated door mirrors and fog lamps.

The T4 benefits from the addition of 17-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, eight-speaker audio system and rain-sensing wipers while the T Spirits now features a HDD (hard disk drive) navigation system and music library and an improved intelligent park assist with rear parking camera.

The new Prius III will begin to arrive in UK dealerships towards the end of July - beginning of August.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Toyota to Voluntarily Fix 378,000 Prius Hybrids for Overheating Problems

Toyota's US division has issued what it describes as a "limited service campaign" (and not a recall…) on approximately 378,000 U.S-spec Prius hybrids from the 2004 and 2007 model years to resolve a potential problem with the water-pump that can cause the cars to overheat.

“The water pump is part of a system designed to cool the hybrid powertrain components and is separate from the engine cooling system” said John Hanson, Toyota Motor Sales National Manager of Environmental, Quality and Safety Communications. “A fault in the water pump can cause air bubbles to build up and disrupt the flow of coolant, which can lead to overheating”.

The company said an “on” check engine light can signal the problem. If the car is driven further the temperature of the hybrid components can reach a critical level and the vehicle will enter “fail-safe mode” to prevent damage.

Oddly enough, the Japanese automaker pointed out in a press statement that the issue is being treated as a "customer support campaign" and not a "recall" as the company "determined it is not a safety issue” and it “has not received any reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition."

Owners will be notified by mail in early December and Toyota dealers will replace the water-pump for free, as long as customers arrange for service before November 30, 2013. Clients who have had their water-pumps replaced because of this condition are going to be reimbursed.

For detailed information customers can call the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-888-270-9371.

Toyota Outfits the New 2010 Prius Hybrid with Modellista Aero Kits

Only a day after the official Japanese market launch of the third-generation Prius and Toyota has already revealed a full lineup of bodykits and tuning accessories for its hybrid model that will be sold by the firm's in-house tuner, Modellista. Though somewhat less aggressively styled than Mugen's respective offerings for the Honda Insight, Modellista's lineup includes three different aero kits. The first is called Aero Tourer S and it consists of a new front fascia with a unique grille that brings to mind the Insight Concept, side skirts and a rear apron.

For those that want something less flashy, Modellista offers the Version 1 and Version 2 bodykits that include front and rear aprons, and side skirts. All kits can be complemented by new alloy wheels in two different designs, a sport suspension that lowers the ride height, chromed exterior mirror caps and various accessories for the Prius III's interior.

As with most Modellista products, the Prius III kits are reserved only for Japanese customers - that is unless you find a way to import them.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

Toyota Launches Cut-Price Version of Second-Gen Prius in Japan

Honda's aggressively priced Insight Hybrid has forced Toyota to keep selling the second generation Prius Hybrid, at least in Japan. Along with the domestic launch of the new, 2010 Prius, Toyota today announced the release of a low-price version of the previous generation model, aimed mainly at fleet customers. Called Prius EX, the new model is priced in Japan from 1,890,000 yen (approx US$19,700 or €14,500) which is 160,000 yen (around US$1,670 or €1,250) less than the entry-level 2010 Prius that starts from 2,050,000 yen.

The EX is available in Japan in three colors (Super White II, Silver Metallic and Black) with a gray interior, and features the same basic safety and comfort elements of the "G" and "S" grades that it replaces, such as dual-stage airbags up front and an electric inverter-controlled automatic air-conditioning system with humidity sensor. However, other items like hubcaps and front fog lights have been removed from the hybrid's standard equipment list. Toyota said that total monthly sales target for the Prius EX is 2,000 units compared to 10,000 units of the new 2010 Prius.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

British Army Recruits 50 Toyota Prius Hybrids

Even though it would have been rather cool to see an army of Priuses in military camouflage, the fleet of 50 Toyota hybrids obtained by the British Army are to used for administrative purposes. They belong to the army's so-called "White Fleet", branch of Headquarters Land Forces that manages the army's 6,600 non-deployable administrative vehicles. The fleet of the fifty second-generation Prius Hybrid replaces 50 Vauxhall Vectras. The army's goal is to drive down CO2 emissions of its non-operational cars.

source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com

2012 Toyota Prius Alpha Hybrid Minivan Scooped?

Carscoop reader Nick K. had an opportunity to snag what may very well be the first spy photos of the long-anticipated minivan version of the Prius, rumored to be called the Prius Alpha.

Spotted out in California following a new Lexus CT200h with its logos covered, the camouflaged minivan seen here - said by Nick to be "about the size of a Mazda 5" - appears to be wearing a Prius-esque front fascia and doesn't look to fit anywhere else in the lineup.

As you can see in our photo gallery after the jump, the minivan and the Prius also seem to share a similar design for the windshield, front window line and tail lamps.

If earlier reports from Reuters and Japan's Nikkei daily are correct, the Prius MPV will end up housing three rows of seats with space for up to seven passengers and be powered by in-house developed lithium-ion batteries (which may later be manufactured with help from Panasonic).

As we recently told you, Toyota Executive VP Takeshi Uchiyamada hopes to launch six new hybrids worldwide by 2012 (two Lexi and four Toyotas) on top of its current hybrid offerings. That means the Lexus hybrid family - LS, GS, HS, and RX - will likely gain another crossover of some sort and probably an IS hybrid.

Toyota - currently at three hybrids in the U.S. with the Prius, Camry, and Highlander - will likely get at least one more variant of the Prius, as well as three other models. Speculation on those is up to you all.

By Phil Alex

Many thanks to Nick K. for the spy pictures!

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