Toyota lays down hybrid gauntlet
Pivotal battle with GM on horizon; Toyota says it will beat CAFE deadlines
Mark Rechtin Automotive News January 13, 2008 - 9:56 pm ET Toyota President President Katsuaki Watanabe says the automaker will not wait for the latest CAFE standards deadline.
DETROIT - In an escalating war of green-fuel rhetoric, Toyota Motor CEO Katsuaki Watanabe laid forth several bold moves for the automaker in the next several years. In a speech delivered here Sunday evening, Watanabe proclaimed that Toyota will: -- Deliver lithium-ion hybrid vehicles to demonstration fleets in 2010. These vehicles include plug-in hybrids that already have been under development. Toyota, in fact, already has two plug-in prototype vehicles in demonstration tests with the University of California, but they have lower-tech nickel-metal-hydride battery packs. -- Unveil new hybrid models for the Toyota and Lexus brands at the 2009 Detroit auto show. These will be production vehicles in addition to the Prius, and will be offered only with hybrid powertrains. -- Increase investment in cellulosic ethanol derived from wood waste, through a Toyota affiliated company. -- Launch clean-diesel V-8 versions of the Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV within the next 24 months. -- Expand the Panasonic joint-venture battery factory, adding an assembly line dedicated to automotive battery applications. -- Sell 1 million hybrid-powered vehicles by 2011 or 2012. -- Meet the CAFE standard of a 35 mpg vehicle fleet " well in advance" of the 2020 regulation's start.
Watanabe outlined these advances in rough form, but well-placed Toyota sources advanced his general remarks with specifics. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, so as not to upstage Watanabe's announcement.
Although General Motors has announced similar targets for lithium-ion and cellulosic ethanol technologies, it is doing the research through small or start-up companies that are not connected to GM. Watanabe said Toyota will do the r&d in-house, which he said would be " faster and more efficient."
Regarding CAFE, Watanabe said " we will not wait until the deadline to comply" with the regulations.