Geneva 2008: No diesel hybrids for Toyota says Watanabe

The Geneva Motor Show this week was riddled with diesel hybrid concepts from several manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen. All of those systems seem destined for production in the next couple of years, particularly the VW Golf TDI hybrid. One company that won't be joining that party is Toyota. Speaking to Automotive News at the Geneva Motor Show this week, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said the hybrid pioneer had no plans to introduce any diesel hybrids.

At the Detroit Auto Show, Watanabe announced that Toyota would offer a diesel engine in the Sequoia and Tundra in 2010. Toyota already offers a variety of diesels in the European market. However, according to Watanabe, the combination of diesel and hybrid doesn't yield enough of an incremental improvement in efficiency to justify the combined cost premium of both. At this point, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system is not suitable for use in the big trucks, which is why Toyota is following just the diesel path for now. Toyota USA VP Bob Carter told AutoblogGreen in Chicago that diesel hybrids are technically feasible and they are being developed (along with many other things as part of Toyota's $1million/hour in R&D spending), but Carter also said that the combination is not possible at a marketable cost.

One big difference between what was shown in Geneva and what Toyota currently has available is that the German hybrids were largely less expensive mild hybrids. These systems primarily provide start-stop capability and some electrical power boost. They also reduce parasitic losses by using regenerative braking energy to drive electrical accessories. One other thing should be kept in mind. Toyota Communications VP Irv Miller recently told us, "Flexibility is one of the beauties of Toyota."
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budfrogS4 - 3/6/2008 2:24:10 PM

+5 Boost

Sounds like a task for somebody to crunch some numbers to see who's right. The German 3 or the Japanese 3...

I'm willing to bet that if diesel hybrids became more mainstream that it would make things easier to be cost effective.

zairnaim - 3/6/2008 3:02:39 PM

-1 Boost

so according to toyota they are not going to do so cause the products would be too expensive since they use full hybrids unlike the competition?

Carboy - 3/6/2008 3:05:48 PM

+4 Boost

LOL I thought Watanabe said Wannabe.

EL34 - 3/6/2008 6:25:59 PM

+3 Boost

LMAO :-D

1970toyotamarc - 3/6/2008 4:00:14 PM

-4 Boost

Havent some of us been making this argument repeatedly on this site?

kpaxx - 3/6/2008 9:57:05 PM

0 Boost

Yeah like a miller cycle engine with all its vvt crap is a cheap engine to build.

kpaxx - 3/6/2008 9:59:08 PM

0 Boost

edit: miller to atkinson

w209w114 - 3/7/2008 12:54:51 PM

+2 Boost

Yeahh, no diesel hybrids! Until their hard heads come to the realization that it actually works. Them they'll resort to copying again as always.

They already make diesels (sucky ones at that but diesels nonetheless) in their toyota and Lexus lines. I dont know what the big problem is with putting in a hybrid powertrain.

gregsfc - 3/16/2008 8:24:38 AM

+1 Boost

I like the ironic statement made by Wantanabe at the end of the full article.

"One other thing should be kept in mind. Toyota Communications VP Irv Miller recently told us, "Flexibility is one of the beauties of Toyota."

Ironic because a diesel hybrid is more flexible than a gas-hybrid due to the fact that ALL diesels can run on a choice of three different 100% renewable fuels without sacrificing more than 8% fuel economy versus 30% loss in fuel economy with ethanol-burning gassers; that a gas-powered car can only use an ethanol blend above 10% when specifically designed for that purpose, whereas all diesels can use any blend of three different renewable alternatives; a diesel hybrid will get hybrid-like fuel economy even without the mild hybrid component on the highway (the hybrid component will help the diesel compete with the hybrid in town), resulting in a less technologically-complicated diesel hybrid than that of a full, gas-electric hybrid.

I do agree, however, that Toyota is right in their belief that combining the premium of diesel with the premium of electric hybrid generation is a cost dilemma. I believe, however, that many of the German brands, and even some American brands can bring diesels here more economically than Toyota who trail the competition with respect to clean-diesel technologies.