Toyota Auris Hybrid
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In an effort to better compete with the “cheaper-than-Prius” new Insight from Honda, Toyota will launch a Hybrid version of the Auris hatchback in Europe next year.
It will be using a 1.8 Liter engine.
No word on what they will do for the US market, where they will also need another model to compete with the $19 900 Honda.
let´s hope Toyota will bring the Corolla Sedan (same platform as the Auris) with a Hybrid as well.
Aren’t hybrids not too popular in europe?
How this gonna compete with DIESELs in europe whose get same of better MPGs?
I guess it’s all about marketing
Seems a good idea to put a hybrid option into their top selling model.
There maybe a possibility that this hybrid set up may appear in the Toyota Matrix as it uses the same running gear and underpinnings as the auris.
It makes sense as there are a few people out there who arn’t partial to the prius whereas this is bit more discreet.
I can’t find the answer to this question. maybe loyal toyota people out there can answer. Why, if toyotas are so reliable, has toyota changed the name of their small car so often. From Tercel, to Echo to Yaris? Why is their entry car not still called tercel? Same goes for Van Hi lux to Previa to Sienna? Oh and where did the Corona go?
the toyota game is over. people are just too intelligent to be sucked in by the 1980’s strategy of repeating the word quality over and over in their ads. Truth is, there are many good cars out there. And many better than toyota. They do not dominate anymore and they certainly are not the only choice. Great ( better) cars, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, VW are all better choices. Wake up people, get out of the B.S, fog. Toyota has slid very very far.
YOU SAID:"What Toyota has always been best at — is marketing." I believe all these changes were an effort to run away from problems & mistakes before they tarnished the reputation. Toyota's marketing department has always been much quicker to react to mitigating the failures than the marketing guys at GM or Chrysler. The Previa, for example, was possibly the most dangerous and lethal (unsafe) minivan ever built by anyone. After the Insurance Institute for Hyway Safety did crash tests on it; Toyota couldn't change the design (& name) fast enough. One of the men testing the Previa happened to own one at the time (since Toyota has such an excellent reputation for safety and reliability)– he traded it in (possibly on a Chrysler) the day after testing the Previa. As for the Tercel; it probably never sold up to expectations–for a number of reasons– not the least of which was poor ergonomics and ugly styling. And so the story goes.
Toyoslack seems to be barking up the wrong tree.
I work for an automotive repair workshop which works on all makes and models.
Out of all the brands we work on we have found that toyota is the most reliable brand when it comes to repairs. Sure some of them may have minor problems but they are cheap and easy to repair.
Nissan, mazda, honda and most other jap brands are pretty good too but toyotas don’t seem to have as many costly problems as they do.
VW, well they arn’t short of problems either. Repairs on these will drain your back account worse than the current recession.
this is the new tercel?
“Out of all the brands we work on we have found that toyota is the most reliable brand when it comes to repairs. Sure some of them may have minor problems but they are cheap and easy to repair.”
Thank you. Your check is in the mail.
Signed,
Toyota PR Viral Recruitment Division
Reliable name plates dropped? said: “Why, if toyotas are so reliable, has toyota changed the name of their small car so often. From Tercel, to Echo to Yaris? Why is their entry car not still called tercel? Same goes for Van Hi lux to Previa to Sienna? Oh and where did the Corona go?”
Toyota has dozens of models in their portfolio and tend to introduce them into certain regions when they think they can sell them there. As such, even if in the same size category, they are not always using the new generation of an existing model, but switching to a different model. Maybe because they think a slightly larger car is a better fit for that segment. That is what happened when they introduced the Sienna after the first gen. Previa. The Previa (aka JDM model Estima) is still alive in its third generation, but only in certain markets (e.g. Japan; Australia as Tarago; the second gen. was available in Europe until 2005). The Hilux, btw, is a pickup. Do you maybe mean the Hiace? This is not the same category since it is more a commercial vehicle and btw. still a current model in e.g. Europe.
As for the Tercel, this was more between the Starlet and Corolla. The Tercel disappeared in Europe when the Starlet was still current, and the Starlet was later replaced by the Yaris.
Toyota replaced the name Corolla with Auris probably because it was getting old. That has been happening with many car models from various brands. I am sure it was not Toyota thinking that anyone was associating Corolla with unreliable what made them change the name.
Reason for increasing Hybrid popularity in Europe are gov incentives (just like in Japan).
In some markets it can be as much as 25% discount.
Diesels usually don't quite make the cut for the max incentive as they look at mixed cycle. They might be as fuel efficient on highway but not in city.
However diesel sales are still much higher than Hybrid sales. There's not a huge Hybrid selection anyway.