Toyota plans all gas-electric vehicles by 2012

[e980238]

http://www.et3.org/
a little off topic but if you want to talk about efficient transportation...

[Theophylact]

There was a wonderful article about this in Scientific American about thirty years ago. Still makes sense to me.

[FalcomPSX]

Originally posted by Theophylact
I have a Honda Civic, too, and it is American-made.

yup, and just where are ford's and GM's made? mexico?(seriously, i know it's not in the US anymore...)

[fosin]

Originally posted by FalcomPSX
yup, and just where are ford's and GM's made? mexico

Still mostly made in North America. Their other plants are usually to build cars for that region (Ford Europe, Australia, etc). And yes many "imports" are assembled here (even my state has plants for Toyota, Mercedes, Honda, etc). Since then, unions use the term North America content for their cars now to tell you how "American" their cars are. Usually double of the imports from what I've seen, but I know Toyota is building more and more of their engines here so things may be changing. They designed their plants to be (somewhat) easy to switch to other engine designs, maybe due to their hybrid plans.

[necromancer]

Nissan has factories in the US too.

Here is a list of Union Made Vehicles.

[Emc2]

Well, you gas-loving freaks can go to hades...

It's not about the price, it's about how long we have left using the fuel we have. Also, if they're taking the fuel oil out of the ground, what's left in the ground where the fuel was? If we use up all of the oil underneath the Earth, then basically, there will be pockets of air underground...eventually something's going to fill it!

Yes, the design of the Insight really sucked. I mean, who would want to drive around town, trying to get his mack on?

Honda didn't design it with everyone in mind b/c they knew not everyone would accept it. However, the Civic, which is already one of the top-selling, MOST DEPENDABLE cars in America, has gone Hybrid. I think many people will change their minds within the next few years.

And I would really push for GM to come up with the same designs as well...

Don't even get me started on SUV's, owned by people who don't have enough responsibility or common sense, to own one. (I saw a Lincoln Navigator smash into a Toyota Tercel this morning...the driver was ::bling blingin:: at some girl walking on the other side of the street...both the tercel driver and the navigator driver are college kids... Why on earth would the navigator driver need something that inefficient, and then turn around and be idiotically dangerous with it?)

[Emc2]

note that the SUV comment is not made to all SUV owners...only towards bad drivers who have no need for one...

[ollie5050]

I hate to say it but SUV driver most of the time need to just go to he!!. My close friend works at a towing company. During the winter months (when there is snow on the ground mainly) he pulls out more SUV's in a month than cars all year. But hey if they can make electric pos's go faster than my fuelie fastback well then Dam.

[ocit]

"If we use up all of the oil underneath the Earth, then basically, there will be pockets of air underground...eventually something's going to fill it!"

I thought that they filled oil wells with water when they were dry?

[MDdan]

Can someone tell me why new diesel engines are a no go in the US?

Simple Comparison

Base Invoice Prices

2003 Volkswagen Golf GL TDI 4 Dr Hatchback
$15,771
Horsepower 90 @3750
Torque (lbs/ft) 155 @1900
42 mpg city and 49 mpg highway

2003 Honda Civic Hybrid 4 Dr Sedan
$17,864
Horsepower 93 @5700
Torque (lbs/ft) 116 @1500
46 miles per gallons City and 51 miles per gallon Highway

2003 Toyota Prius 4 Dr Sedan
$18,793
Horsepower 70 @4500
Torque (lbs/ft) 82 @4200
52 city and 45 highway



The Volkswagon TDI, drives awesome, doesn't stink, is very reliable...it's a great engine. In fact, if you look at the standard features, and the overall car, I think the Golf smokes the other two. Take a Golf and a Prius to a race track and compare them. LOL...one of the two doesn't belong. Plus the Golf costs less! VW started selling the TDI in the 90's here in the states...it's a proven engine. Besides, it HAS to be more reliable than the gas/ electric/battery goofiness of the hybrids.


Audi built a 3 cyl TDI engine that gets even better mileage and still has good power for smaller cars.

http://www.audiworld.com/news/01/081401/content.shtml
http://www.autoworld.com/news/audi/a2-1.2.htm
http://www.schwab-kolb.com/audipr35.htm

Maybe one of you metric usin' Europeans can set me straight, but my estimate is that 3 litres to 100km is around 80mpg. That sure smokes the stupid hybrids.

Folks, the technology is there, we're just not buying it. Why? I don't know the numbers, but diesel passenger cars are much more poplular in Europe.

If Audi sold one of those little things in the states, I'd sell my Hyundai Elantra and go pick one up. And if I were replacing my Elantra today, I'd go buy a Golf or Jetta TDI.

Heck, I'd buy a full electric car well before this hybrid junk. At least the full electric car isn't hauling around two engines.