Toyota to Use Prius Hybrids to Supply Household Appliances with Electricity!

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. In Japan’s case, the devastating earthquake in March and the subsequent damages to the country’s infrastructure put the spotlight on Toyota’s Estima Hybrid minivan that features a system allowing the supply of auxiliary electricity to power household appliances.

The minivan’s owners were extremely satisfied with the system, which effectively turns the hybrid system into an electric generator that runs on gasoline, claiming that it was invaluable during the extended blackouts in Japan.

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Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

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CNN Says Toyota Prius Plug-in will Top Chevy Volt, 12 Months before the Former Goes On Sale

If you are a GM diehard or a Chevy Volt fanboy, I suggest you cover your ears and start humming loudly to yourselves. CNN Money recently featured an article from Fortune magazine’s Motorworld declaring the upcoming Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid a better buy and a better car than Chevy’s range-extended electric vehicle. Shock, gasp, horror, blasphemy etc.

To quote Motorworld senior editor Alex Taylor III: “[The Prius Plug-in is] more efficient and less expensive than the Volt, and Toyota actually stands the possibility of making a profit on it -- something General Motors concedes it can't do with the Volt.”

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Toyota Says Prius US Sales Will Outperform 2010 despite Earthquake Setback

In spite of the earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Japan last March and which deeply affected the country’s automobile production capabilities, Toyota remains confident that US sales of the Prius will outperform those of 2010.

The lack of inventory, with many dealers reporting as little as one day’s worth of Prius cars on their lots, led to a whopping 61% drop in July sales in the US, which is the lowest since 2004. And that’s significant because the US accounts for almost half of the all Prius models sold worldwide, which makes it Toyota’s most important market for its compact hybrid.

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Toyota Sports Up Prius with new PLUS Package from TRD

At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Toyota displayed a lightly modified version of the Prius Hybrid to inaugurate its new line of accessories under the PLUS moniker.

Now it’s time for the Japanese automaker to release the production version of its modestly sported up Prius with the commercial launch of the PLUS Performance Package that will be available for order in July in limited numbers.

The package features styling and performance upgrades, and is optionally available on all Prius models with pricing set at $3,699 for the Prius Two, Three, and Four trim levels and $2,999 for the Prius Five.

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Robocarpocalypse Begins: Nevada Asks DoT to Draw Up Legislation for Driverless Cars

I can’t remember if there were self-driving cars in the third Terminator movie, though frankly I can’t remember anything other than that red leather and vinyl outfit Kristanna Loken was wearing. What were we talking about? Oh, yes, the robocarpocalypse.

With the passing of Assembly Bill 511 in the Nevada Senate, the U.S. Department of Transport will now have to draw up rules governing autonomous vehicles on the state’s roads.

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The Toyota Prius

You can experience what others are experiencing and that is relaxation. When you know you made a right choice at the right time, it just feels so good. When you are driving down the freeway and your car drives so smooth, it makes you feel like you taking care of your business and don't have to worry about the problems that other vehicles can provide to you. The Toyota Prius has been tested and tested over and over so you will not have any problems as far as accidents are concerned. The air bags are safe and secure and will work properly if anything was to happen.

The Toyota Prius was produced and privately imported to New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom between the years of 1997-2001. The Toyota Prius have very good advantages because it is a Hybrid and not like those other conventional vehicles out there. There has been a rising fuel cost lately and you shouldn't want any part of it. Hybrid cars are environment friendly with lower toxic emissions as the conventional cars are powered by gasoline and that's why hybrid vehicles use less gas. The Toyota Prius is environmentally friendly because it does not cause as much pollution as those conventional vehicles that are available.

Hybrid cars can offer you more savings because you can get tax incentives for your purchase. This has been done in 2005 when President Bush signed an agreement to give all citizens a tax relief incentive. You would always get an outstanding experience when it comes to the Toyota Prius.

Carter told Autoweek that while the company has not made a final decision yet, the concept of a true 7-seater Prius minivan for the North American market is “being seriously studied”. He added that the three-row Prius would have to be based on a dedicated platform and meet certain criteria such as feature an aerodynamic shape, be able to return at least 40mpg and have a strong value-price equation.

Another Toyota executive, corporate manager of product planning Ben Mitchell, confirmed that his team has put several proposals for new hybrid vehicles in different segments on the table, including that of a larger 7-seater Prius as well as hybrid versions of the Sienna minivan and Venza crossover.

The Toyota Prius

You can experience what others are experiencing and that is relaxation. When you know you made a right choice at the right time, it just feels so good. When you are driving down the freeway and your car drives so smooth, it makes you feel like you taking care of your business and don't have to worry about the problems that other vehicles can provide to you. The Toyota Prius has been tested and tested over and over so you will not have any problems as far as accidents are concerned. The air bags are safe and secure and will work properly if anything was to happen.

The Toyota Prius was produced and privately imported to New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom between the years of 1997-2001. The Toyota Prius have very good advantages because it is a Hybrid and not like those other conventional vehicles out there. There has been a rising fuel cost lately and you shouldn't want any part of it. Hybrid cars are environment friendly with lower toxic emissions as the conventional cars are powered by gasoline and that's why hybrid vehicles use less gas. The Toyota Prius is environmentally friendly because it does not cause as much pollution as those conventional vehicles that are available.

Hybrid cars can offer you more savings because you can get tax incentives for your purchase. This has been done in 2005 when President Bush signed an agreement to give all citizens a tax relief incentive. You would always get an outstanding experience when it comes to the Toyota Prius.

Carter told Autoweek that while the company has not made a final decision yet, the concept of a true 7-seater Prius minivan for the North American market is “being seriously studied”. He added that the three-row Prius would have to be based on a dedicated platform and meet certain criteria such as feature an aerodynamic shape, be able to return at least 40mpg and have a strong value-price equation.

Another Toyota executive, corporate manager of product planning Ben Mitchell, confirmed that his team has put several proposals for new hybrid vehicles in different segments on the table, including that of a larger 7-seater Prius as well as hybrid versions of the Sienna minivan and Venza crossover.

Toyota Prius Name

"Prius" is not a verb but a Latin comparative adjective or adverb, the neuter nominative singular form of the adjective whose corresponding masculine and feminine nominative singular forms are prior (see also Latin declension - Irregular adverbs and their comparative and superlative forms) with meanings "ahead, in front, leading; previous, earlier, preceding, prior; former; basic."A Toyota