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Toyota Motor Corp. said Sunday that it would launch its third hybrid-powered vehicle in the U.S. by early next year and hinted strongly that a hybrid version of its full-size Tundra pickup is in the works.

The company’s newest hybrid will be a Highlander sport utility vehicle, Toyota said at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The announcement was accompanied by an unusual bit of boasting. The third hybrid from Toyota and its Lexus luxury division comes “before most manufacturers have launched their first,” said Jim Press, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA.

Hybrids combine two types of propulsion systems, typically an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, and offer improved fuel economy. Toyota’s first hybrid, the Prius, is a compact sedan rated at 60 miles per gallon in city driving.

So far, the only competition in hybrids is from another Japanese automaker, Honda Motor Co., which sells a pair of hybrids: the two-seat Insight and the five-passenger Civic Hybrid. Ford Motor Co. is scheduled to introduce a hybrid version of its Escape SUV this summer, and other automakers are expected to have hybrid models ready in 2005 and beyond.

Continue reading Toyota Stays On Hybrid Track

You’re probably hearing a lot about hybrid cars these days. They are definitely being discussed everywhere. Hardly a day goes by that a major newspaper or television network isn’t doing a feature story on hybrids. And everyday it seems like one car manufacturer or another is introducing a new hybrid vehicle.

So what’s all the buzz about?

Well, hybrids are a new type of vehicle that runs on electricity (from a battery) and gasoline. Now, that’s a novel idea isn’t it?

Hybrids are picking up steam (sounds like a pun doesn’t it?) everywhere, including the world’s most a car lovin’ city - Los Angeles - where many of the top stars are hybrid owners.

In the “City of the Angels” you’ll see environmentally forward thinking celebrities, like Bill Maher, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and “Seinfeld” co-creator and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator and star, Larry David behind the wheel of their hybrids.

You might also see the lovely Cameron Diaz cruisin’ the Hollywood Hills in her hybrid. And when Leonardo Di Caprio really wants to feel like “the king of the world,” guess what he’ll be driving? You did guess a hybrid, didn’t you?

What do the stars know that you don’t?

Well they know that driving a hybrid makes a lot of sense (and may save some cents too! )

Continue reading 7 Reasons To Consider A Hybrid Vehicle

Hybrid vehicles are becoming more and more popular as the cost of gas continues to rise. The problem is, they really are not the best decision financially. Hybrids do provide a benefit to the environment in that they do not use as much gas as a conventional vehicle, but they do not save you money in most cases.

Continue reading Hybrids Don’t Make Sense Financially