Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 12, 2008 11:05:14 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Stories related to: Toyota Prius

Stories

20 Stories

  • October 2008

    • Toyota Weighs Spinning Off Prius Brand

      New York Times  |  Oct 9, 08 5:00 PM CDT

      Toyota Weighs Spinning Off Prius Brand

      (Newser) - Toyota may create a separate brand for the Prius, filling it out with new larger and smaller versions of the popular hybrid, the New York Times reports. Advocating for the creation of the brand is James Lentz, president of Toyota’s US sales, who argues that Prius is already a brand in the minds of consumers. The car dominates the hybrid market, accounting for 75% of US sales. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • Toyota  • hybrid car  • fuel efficiency  • Toyota Prius  • Prius

    • Face Facts: People Prefer Mean-Looking Cars

      LiveScience  |  Oct 6, 08 4:10 PM CDT

      Face Facts: People Prefer Mean-Looking Cars

      (Newser) - Friendly is out and angry is in—for cars, at least. When people look at cars, they tend to see human faces and characteristics, LiveScience reports. A new study found that "power" traits such as dominant, masculine, and angry—think BMW's 5 Series—top the list. And the results have the attention of automakers desperate to know more about how people pick cars. More »

      Tags

      psychology  • cars  • Toyota Prius  • BMW

  • September 2008

    • Mercedes Revs Up Hybrid

      BusinessWeek  |  Sep 12, 08 10:24 AM CDT

      Mercedes Revs Up Hybrid

      (Newser) - Mercedes is adding a hybrid model to its line of S-Class luxury autos in June 2009, BusinessWeek reports, promising nearly 30 miles to the gallon and adding $14,000 to its $88,000 base sticker price. The model—which, unlike some other hybrids, can’t run exclusively on battery power—should hit showroom floors in the US by next September. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • hybrid car  • fuel efficiency  • Toyota Prius  • Mercedes Benz

    • Honda Insight May Be Cheapest Hybrid on Market

      latimesblogs.latimes.com  |  Sep 5, 08 1:34 PM CDT

      Honda Insight May Be Cheapest Hybrid on Market

      (Newser) - Honda is promising that its new hybrid, the much-anticipated Insight, will cost no more than a normal car when it hits dealerships next spring, meaning it will almost certainly undercut the Toyota Prius. The Insight is rumored to carry a roughly $18,500 price tag, the LA Times reports, making it the cheapest hybrid on the market and well below the $22,000 Prius. More »

      Tags

      hybrid car  • Toyota Prius  • Honda FCX Clarity

  • July 2008

    • Toyota Will Make Prius in US

      Wired  |  Jul 10, 08 5:00 PM CDT

      Toyota Will Make Prius in US

      (Newser) - Toyota plans to start producing its super-popular Prius hybrid in the US, Wired reports. With inventories overwhelmed by demand, the firm will move production lines to a Mississippi plant intended to produce SUVs. The factory won’t make its first Prius until 2010, but with no sign of abating gas prices, Toyota is betting hybrid demand will be even higher then. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • fuel efficiency  • cars  • SUV  • Toyota Prius  • Prius  • Japanese auto industry  • factory

    • Toyota to Add Solar Panels to Prius

      Reuters  |  Jul 7, 08 9:46 AM CDT

      Toyota to Add Solar Panels to Prius

      (Newser) - Toyota plans to go even more “green” with its hybrid Prius, offering solar panels as a high-end option beginning with the 2009 model year, reports Reuters. And, although the panels will do little more than help power the air conditioning system, Toyota’s move shows just how far automakers are willing to go to engineer greener vehicles. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • Toyota  • Toyota Prius  • green energy  • solar panels

    • Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota

      Reuters  |  Jul 2, 08 4:53 PM CDT

      Prius Shortage Hurts Toyota

      (Newser) - Popularity is proving quite the pickle for Toyota: Dwindling supplies of hot sellers like its hybrid Prius fueled the 11.5% drop in US sales last month, Reuters reports. With a waiting list 6 months long, Prius sales fell 26%—even as rival Honda bumped its sales 13.8% thanks to record demand for its fuel-efficient Fit and Civic vehicles. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • Toyota  • hybrid car  • auto sales  • Honda  • Toyota Prius

  • June 2008
  • May 2008

    • Used Hybrid Market Soars

      Newsweek  |  May 28, 08 10:22 AM CDT

      Used Hybrid Market Soars

      (Newser) - The rising price of gasoline has heated up the used hybrid market, leading Newsweek writer Keith Naughton to wonder about the staying-power of the pricey battery the part-electric cars run on. Initial fears that Prius batteries would die well before the expected life of the car have proven unfounded, and the cost has come down dramatically, but when they do go, replacements are still in the $3,000 to $4,000 range. More »

      Tags

      auto industry  • hybrid car  • Toyota Prius  • battery  • Honda Civic

    • Hybrid Owners Put the Pedal to Fuel Efficiency

      Washington Post  |  May 26, 08 8:29 AM CDT

      Hybrid Owners Put the Pedal to Fuel Efficiency

      (Newser) - Leaving the bad old days of drag-racing in the dust, greenies are now engaging in their own race for fuel efficiency, reports the Washington Post. With hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius giving up-to-the-second feedback on just how much gas passing that little old lady in the right lane is guzzling, many drivers are adjusting their habits to max out their MPGs. More »

      Tags

      energy  • gas  • hybrid car  • Toyota Prius  • energy consumption  • gas mileage  • mpg

    • Honda Looks to Muscle in on Prius Market

      Forbes  |  May 21, 08 4:40 PM CDT

      Honda Looks to Muscle in on Prius Market

      (Newser) - Honda is rolling out three new hybrids, looking to muscle in on rival Toyota in a world ever more receptive of fuel-efficient vehicles. The current Civic hybrid will be joined by a five-door compact, another compact already sold in Europe as the Jazz, and a new hybrid sports car, Forbes reports. The five-door models are to be sold beginning early 2009. More »

      Tags

      Toyota  • hybrid car  • Honda  • Toyota Prius

    • Prius: 1M and Counting

      Associated Press  |  May 15, 08 3:51 PM CDT

      Prius: 1M and Counting

      (Newser) - The Toyota Prius is a now 1 million units strong, and the landmark gas-electric hybrid, introduced in 1997, is poised to keep growing, the AP reports. Toyota said today it expects to be selling a million a year by sometime after 2010; what’s more, the company claims 4.5 million tons of harmful gases have been taken out of the air since its debut. More »

      Tags

      gas prices  • Toyota  • gas  • hybrid car  • fuel efficiency  • auto sales  • carbon footprint  • Toyota Prius

  • April 2008

    • Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007

      Associated Press  |  Apr 22, 08 5:17 AM CDT

      Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007

      (Newser) - Sales of hybrid cars rose 38% in the US last year, with Toyota's Prius grabbing more than half the market. As fuel prices climb, hybrid sales are expected to continue to rise this year. Five states lead the rest in buying hybrids, calculated by percentage of sales: California (26.1%) Florida (5.5%) New York (5.0%) Texas (4.9%) Washington (3.7%) More »

      Tags

      Toyota  • hybrid car  • auto sales  • Toyota Prius  • auto

  • March 2008

    • Gas Still Rules Green Auto Show

      Der Spiegel  |  Mar 5, 08 12:00 PM CST

      Gas Still Rules Green Auto Show

      (Newser) - Green was the color of opening day yesterday at the International Auto Salon in Geneva, another show full of hybrids and other low-emission vehicles, with green lighting and nature-friendly slogans to prove car companies care, Der Spiegel reports. Still, cautions General Motors' CEO to those set to pronounce the gasoline era dead, "We're just at the beginning of this changeover." More »

      Tags

      ethanol  • Toyota Prius  • carbon dioxide  • diesel  • hydrogen fuel cells  • Geneva Auto Show

  • January 2008

    • Ten Priciest Vehicles to Insure

      Insure.com  |  Jan 19, 08 4:59 AM CST

      Ten Priciest Vehicles to Insure

      (Newser) - Wary consumers already smarting from soaring gas prices won't want to miss Insure.com's new lists of the 10 priciest—and the 10 cheapest—cars to insure. The five w