Toyota Prius Minivan

Nikkei newspaper in Japan recently reported that Toyota will indeed be producing a hybrid minivan wearing the Prius badge. This e-vehicle is set to carry the first lithium-ion battery pack that was produced in-house by Toyota. Secondly, the electric vehicle will be a seven-seater which means that it will also be the first family-oriented electronic vehicle in the market. The price tag also reveals a friendly 20 thousand dollar range.

With these factors established, Toyota might just possibly pioneer an entirely new breed of hybrid vehicles out there. After all, people have been looking for ways to transport 5 to 7 people more efficiently for some time now. The new Prius minivan might just be the answer.

The Prius badge on the minivan also confirms reports that family-oriented vehicles are being built around the nameplate. Producing a Prius vehicle that’s not “standard Prius” is a huge leap for Toyota. There are also reports that more Prius variations should be anticipated.

The use of lithium-ion batteries on the minivan also signals a shift in the company’s thinking. Toyota executives recently declared that the lithium ion technology is not ready for hybrid vehicles. The minivan’s mechanical design might just mean that they’ve changed their minds.

While consumers aren’t giddy with excitement with the production of a lithium-ion powered Prius minivan, Toyota’s move is certainly a significant mark in automotive history. The concept isn’t spanking new, but its development certainly suggests that Toyota might be heading to a different direction in the coming years. The Prius hybrid minivan is scheduled for release in 2011.

Choosing a hybrid is something that is very, very difficult.  I mean, there are so many choices out there, it can be extremely hard to choose not just the right hybrid but the one that you absolutely want to have.  You want to make sure that the car not only fits within your lifestyle, but you also want something affordable.

That is what we are going to explore in the next couple blogs, how to find the right hybrid that not only fits with your style but also is affordable for you.  Face it, cars are expensive and if you are one of those people that are constantly trying to find an affordable car, you want to make sure that you are doing your research.

Researching the automakers as well as the cars themselves is a fantastic idea, that way you know what you might be getting yourself into.

Ah the rumors.  The rumor mill has hit me and I can tell you for sure that the brand new 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and the S generation in general is going to go all hybrid … which is something that I love!  Mercedes-Benz is one of those automakers that is certainly trying to ensure that they stay with the green and that is the reason for the switch.

Personally, I think that the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid is certainly a good choice for anyone that is looking for a luxury car that is not trying to cut corners but that are definitely trying to ensure that the car is helping the environment as well.

In the next blog though, we are going to explore how you can make a difference and go about changing on over to a hybrid car!

To be honest, I think that the SEAT IBE Concept is going to be one car – if it goes through that is definitely going to make waves.  If you want a car that is chic, stylish and eco-friendly, the SEAT IBE Concept is going to be it!

Personally, I can not wait to see if this one goes though but … at the Geneva Motor Show, it is going to be shown!

To me, this is something that I love.  It is extremely artistic and certainly different than any other car that I have seen.  The cool thing about this is that there are supposed to be about 50,000 different styles … while that many might not make it through, 50,000 ideas were submitted.

For just an additional cost, you can customize your car and truly make it your own!

When you break it down – even though Toyota has been getting a lot of flack about their recent recall, they are still the leader in the hybrid market and when they came out with the brand new Toyota FT-CH at the Detroit Auto Show – it wowed everyone … including me! 

Not only is the Toyota FT-CH a little cousin to the Pruis, but it looks neat and certainly looks like it will fit into this world of small, compact cars.  This small little car is only about 68.5 inches wide and is not very tall at all but it was definitely making waves at the Detroit Auto Show just a few short weeks ago.

If you are looking for a small hybrid car that is extremely cost-efficient, this is the car for you people!

When it comes to electric cars, I can absolutely tell you for certain that there is no car out there that looks as cool as the Myers Motors NMG2, this is actually a two-seat electric trike that is disguised as a car.  However, it actually has three weeks and to me … it looks kind of like an alien space ship. If you like it though, this little three-wheel thing is available for pre-order right now.

The current base price is around $29k+ but if a thousand people drop $250.00 on a pre-order, the price will drop for everyone of about $5,000 — so that’s a good thing!  Myers is going to wait around until June of 2010 to really see how many preorders are going to come about to see what the actual price of car is going to be.

So … you might want to wait this one out, you could get this little beauty for around $22k+, which is better than $29k+!

When you are looking for a hybrid car … I can tell you that the Smart ForTwo is definitely a car that I want to own.  This is a car that is not only going to look pretty chic and interesting but it is completely and totally electric.  That is one of the best things about it. Right now though — the Smart has a lot of issues that they are trying to resolve and that is what the Smart ForTwo is trying to resolve.

For example, the Smart right now can only get up to about 40 hp and it can only provide short bursts when the accelerator is pushed to the floor.  Most of the time, the horsepower is around 27 and honestly, that is not enough to really get you where you want to go.

However … if you are just running up to the store or even to work, this is certainly the car for you and it is cheap!

The drop in sales is attributed by analysts to how buyers took advantage of the benefits provided by the Cash for Clunkers scheme. The end of the program also meant hybrid vehicles not being the top choice of buyers because of their higher sticker price.

August was witness to about 38,701 hybrid vehicles rolling of the stores while September only tallied about 19,977 hybrid units. The drop in sales was worse than expected. The sales of hybrid vehicles even decreased more than the conventional cars which had a drop of 40.9%.

Even the leader of the hybrid segment, the Toyota Prius fell by as much as 42% in terms of sales volume. All the numbers of carmakers took a dive including the tandem of Lexus and Toyota on the hybrid market which experienced a sales drop of around 39.7%.

Other car makers like Nissan had plunge of 89.1%, Ford by 54.5%, Honda by 61.6%, and GM dropped by as much as 40.8%.

Toyota and Lexus still has the big chunk of the hybrid market with a slice of 74%. Ford has an 11% share of the pie while Honda gets 8%.

There is no contest when one looks at the number of cars sold compared to truck. This applies to both the hybrid segment and the regular vehicles. Among hybrids, 12 of 22 sold were cars. In the conventional vehicle segment, cars make up 53%.

Have you heard about the 2011 Chevy Volt?  Well, this is by far one of the most anticipated cars in the world and I think that it is certainly one car that I am going to invest in.  Not only is the 2011 Chevy Volt a car that looks fantastic but it is a car that is so eco-friendly that it totally rocks too.

If you have been looking forward to the 2011 Chevy Volt, you should definitely make your reservation to get one because I think that they are going to go fast!