Toyota Plans To Double European Hybrid Sales By Early 2010s

Toyota Motor Corp, tied with General Motors Corp as the world's largest carmaker, plans to double European sales of so-called hybrid vehicles by early next decade to help deliver 1 million of the autos annually worldwide.

``We should be at more than 100,000 units a year in Europe by the early 2010s,'' Tadashi Arashima, president of the Japanese company's European operations, said today in an interview at a conference in Bochum, Germany. ``In the next 10 to 15 years, this technology is the most efficient way to use energy.''

The Toyota City-based company sold 50,000 hybrids in Europe last year, Arashima said. Its Prius model is already the world's best-selling hybrid, or car with a gasoline-electric engine, while the Lexus luxury brand offers three hybrid models.

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EL34 - 1/23/2008 3:43:07 PM

0 Boost

It's diesels, stupid!

Anthony - 1/23/2008 3:51:03 PM

+4 Boost

If Toyota offered more diesels in the European marketplace, they would surge past GM tenfold. But Toyota says hybrids are the future, and when Toyota talks, people listen.

theoptimisticpessimist - 1/23/2008 4:03:50 PM

+1 Boost

Good luck.

autopro - 1/23/2008 5:46:16 PM

+1 Boost

If the had a good dealer base they could get there.

Htay7500 - 1/24/2008 4:36:34 PM

+2 Boost

um really?

Spectator - 1/25/2008 11:26:55 AM

+1 Boost

Yeah...that does deserve an 'um really'.

The new BlueTec and BluePerformance engines are far "inferior" to a Toyota diesels...and if you believe that I have a bridge in the desert I want to sell you.

MB/BMW and VW have all produced brand new diesels that are currently unmatched for cars. And GM has been the lead manufacturer working the diesel angle for trucks (and soon working on cars).

Whereas toyota might rule the world of Hybrid cars, they certainly don't come close to matching the rest of the world in diesel tech.

Now as for the article orignial post. I'm not bashing Toyota. I like the brand, they produce a very reliable product (they are as bulletproof as honda in my experience), and found it good that they took number one...it puts pressure on the domestics for once. And pressure is good in competition, because we as the consumer win). However trying to sell more than 100,000 Toyota hybrids in a market dominated by diesels in 2 or 3 years, will be an extremly lofty goal. Made especially difficult by the fact that many of those countries subsidize their diesel fuel, thereby keeping it cheaper than petrol.

Resale will also be a big factor. Diesels hold their resale, hybrids unfortunatly do not.

So good luck to Toyota in its venture, however this may end up being a study in futility...and in reality may hurt the hybrid concept if the leading hybird car manufacturer fails in europe.