Archive for the ‘Toyota Prius’ Category

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Toyota Prius May Add Noisemaker for Pedestrians

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

2011 Toyota Prius noisemaker for pedestrians
One of the benefits of owning a hybrid or electric vehicle has always been its advertised whisper-quiet performance. Apparently, the eerie silence has ruffled the feathers of safety advocates, so now that bit of electric-vehicle distinctiveness may be scuttled. 

The third-generation Toyota Prius will get an optional pedestrian warning system in Japan and possibly in the U.S. down the line, according to The Associated Press. The onboard device will automatically produce an artificial sound, supposedly an amplified and synthesized reproduction of the noise an electric motor makes – go figure. The noise is activated at speeds below 15 mph, and it fluctuates in pitch relative to the vehicle’s speed, which is supposed to help pedestrians gauge proximity in relation to the hybrid. You can watch the distinctively Japanese video below to get a better understanding. 

The system is a dealer-installed option in Japan that costs about $148, and Toyota may offer the system in the U.S. and other markets, Toyota spokeswoman Monika Saito told the AP. Japan gets the system now because of a recent regulation that requires some sort of pedestrian noisemaker option in near-quiet vehicles. Similar legislation has been brought up in the U.S. 

The Chevrolet Volt will come with a pedestrian warning system that’s activated from one of the steering-wheel stalks. GM goes with a chirping alert that’s activated only at low speeds. Nissan recently showed off a system in the Leaf that’s similar to Toyota’s; their alerts seem like sound effects from alien spacecraft in sci-fi movies. The future is now I guess.

Prius Gets Sound Option to Protect Pedestrians (The Associated Press)

2010|Toyota|Prius

Posted in Chevrolet Volt, Hybrids/Alternative Fuels, In The News, Nissan Leaf, Safety, Toyota, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

Credit Threshold Eases for Car Lessees and Borrowers

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Car loan application

Last month’s car sales were the second best of any month since September 2008, according to Autodata. That startling fact is partly due to the recovery of the automotive financing industry. 

Nearly 89% of car shoppers borrow money or lease their vehicles instead of paying with cash, according to CNW Marketing Research. When the money dried up during the recession, many people were left without a way to buy a car. During this time, big lenders started to restrict borrowing. GMAC limited its lending to consumers whose credit scores were higher than 700, which is considered a good score. But now, many lenders seem to be turning the corner, which is great if your credit is less than stellar. 

Ally Bank — the preferred lender for General Motors, Chrysler, Saab and Suzuki dealerships — has nearly doubled the amount of loans it has issued this year. The bank financed nearly 82% of all the vehicles sold at 5,000 GM and Chrysler dealerships in the U.S. this year, and Ally says it is ready to ease credit for leasing. 

Ally has lowered the FICO score requirement for Chrysler lessees from 660 to a 620, according to Automotive News. A score of 620 is considered the upper limit of the subprime market, which is another way of saying less than perfect credit. That’s a stark change from last year, when the Automotive Lease Guide reported that a fair to poor credit score meant it was probably “difficult if not impossible” to find a lease. 

Leasing ratings and approvals fell dramatically in 2008 and 2009 because of the collapse of used-car prices for SUVs and other fuel-inefficient luxury cars and because of the ensuing credit crisis. Auto lessors have lost $10.5 billion since 2005 due to overestimating the residual value of their leased vehicles, according to CNW Research. 

Dealerships are also noticing the change in lending attitudes. Penske Automotive, one of America’s largest dealership groups, says it’s seeing an increase in the approval rates for automotive financing. Lending units for Honda, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are starting to issue more loans and lease agreements, Penske says. 

Improved access to leasing is also a good thing if you are a luxury car shopper or luxury automaker. BMW, Lexus and Audi are heavily leased, with Mercedes-Benz seeing nearly 60%-65% lease rates for its vehicles, according to Automotive News. 

GM, which sold off its captive lending company GMAC (now Ally), is getting back into subprime lending. The automaker’s recent purchase of AmeriCredit will allow the automaker to re-enter the leasing business. This should give a leasing boost to GM, which is still America’s largest carmaker. Only 7% of GM sales are from leasing, compared with the industry average of 21%, according to CNW Marketing Research. 

The overall effect is that we are starting to see more attractive lease offers and 0% APR lending from automakers, and many consumers are getting approved. Toyota is offering $179 leases for its new Camry, Prius and RAV4 to boost sales, and just recently, Chevy introduced a $350 lease offer for its Chevrolet Volt. 

Related

Your Credit Rating

Incentives: Rebates & Financing Offers

Posted in Audi, BMW, Chevrolet Volt, Chrysler, Finance, Ford, General Motors, In The News, Incentives, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Suzuki, Toyota, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4 | Comments Off

Does Alternative Power Require an Alternative Shifter?

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Chevy Volt

Gearshifts have had pretty much the same design since automatic transmission became commonplace, and shift patterns on these cars have been fairly straightforward: Shift down to Drive and up to Park.

Recently we’ve seen some changes, such as gated or notched selectors. But nothing compares to what’s going on with shifter designs in hybrid and electric vehicles. 

Since the selectors in many alternative fuel vehicles are drive-by-wire — where there is no physical connection between the shifter and the transmission — automakers have been able to get a bit more creative with their placement, shift patterns and design. We compared the designs of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. 

Continuing reading to find out how each one works. 

Toyota Prius Shifter

Toyota Prius: Probably the most ubiquitous at this point, the Prius uses a design akin to a joystick. You move the selector to the left to place the car in Neutral and up from there to put the car in Reverse or down for Drive. Once you select a mode, the shifter will return to its original position, which is in its own gate away from the drive selections. You can shift the Prius down in this gate to select “B,” which is engine braking, which acts like downshifting the continuously variable automatic transmission. 

There are three additional driving mode buttons on the center console near the shifter: EV, Eco and Power. The P button near the selector is how you put the Prius into Park. An emergency brake pedal is on the left side of the driver’s well. 

Volt_shifter

Chevrolet Volt: The Volt has a very large shifter, mounted flush with the center console. The “flush” position places the Volt in Park; as you shift the lever down you will go through "R," "N," "D" and "L." "L" acts like a version of the "B" mode found on the Toyota Prius, Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. There are no indicating symbols for the selected drive on the shifter, the information is only available on the driver's LCD screen gauge cluster. There are selectable drive mode buttons on the center console: Normal, Sport and Mountain. An emergency parking brake toggle switch is on the right side of the center console, near the drive selector. The fat shifter design may have changed recently as the production model gets ready for sale, but GM has not confirmed any alterations.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Shifter

Mitsubishi i-MiEV: The Mitsubishi i-MiEV has the most conventional gearshift pattern out of the bunch, probably because there is a gasoline version of the car. The transmission has a normal PRND setup with an Eco and B mode toward the bottom. Eco mode provides more engine braking, while B mode provides even more engine braking like the other hybrids and electric cars in the category. The emergency brake is a normal lift lever. 

Nissan Leaf Shifter

Nissan Leaf: The Leaf’s shifter acts like a giant pivot ball. You move the shifter over and then up for Reverse and down for Drive. If you let go, the shifter will go back to its neutral position but maintain the last selected “gear.” If the car is in Drive, pushing back to D will actually enable the B engine-braking function. Pushing the center P button will engage the electronic Park. The far-back handle will engage the emergency parking brake. The shifter is supposed to be controlled with your palm and not with your fingers, which might take some getting used to.

Posted in Chevrolet Volt, Hybrids/Alternative Fuels, Mitsubishi i Miev, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

Hybrids Lose California Carpool Privileges

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Hov_sticker

If you’ve ever driven in California, you’d know that one of the state’s defining qualities is its carpool lanes. Carpool or high-occupancy vehicle lanes are lanes of traffic designated for vehicles with more than one commuter. According to California’s Department of Transportation, nearly half of all the traffic on state highways travels through HOV lanes. HOV lanes can be used by solo drivers of motorcycles and people with white or yellow clean-air stickers on their cars (shown above). That means stickered vehicles like the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius can drive down the carpool lane without remorse. 

Well, with hybrids being as popular as they are in California — 85,000 people have an exemption sticker on their hybrids already — the state has decided to let the stickers lapse or expire at the end of this year. Hybrid cars with only one occupant in them would have to merge back into the mixed-flow lanes. 

We’re in favor of this move as the idea behind carpool lanes is to move more people, not more cars. We understand the concept behind the yellow clean-air stickers was to promote hybrids, which get double the mileage of many other vehicles on the road, but there are a number of 30-plus mpg cars on the road today that aren’t hybrids. 

Of course, buyers of the Tesla Roadster, Honda’s fuel cell FXC Clarity or Honda’s compressed gas Civic GX would still be permitted to drive in the HOV lane with one driver as those drivers are a part of a much more elite class of white clean-air-sticker holders. 

HOV lanes are typically only enforced during peak traffic periods, with the exception of most in Los Angeles, where it is enforced 24/7. The minimum fine for being caught in a HOV lane with only one passenger is $381. As with most hard-and-fast laws in California, there are dozens of exemptions, exceptions and addendums. 

California drivers shouldn’t give up their hopes yet, as pending legislation could extend the yellow stickers until July 1, 2011. For a complete list of cars that qualify for yellow or white clean-air stickers go here.

Posted in Honda Civic, Tesla Roadster, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

Toyota Extends Incentives Into August

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

2011camry

If you thought the past few months of incentives on Toyota models were somewhat unique, they’re not over yet. The company is still recoiling from a massive public relations hit over a spate of significant recalls, and the incentives are now extended through Aug. 2.



In certain areas — including Chicago — Toyota is offering zero-percent APR financing for up to 60 months on the 2011 Camry. Some areas are also offering free maintenance on all new Toyotas for two years or 25,000 miles.



Most 2010 models are also offering low financing offers; we list some good deals found in Chicago below. All are good through Aug. 2. You can check out current incentives in your area here.

  • 0% for 60 months on 2010 Toyota Corolla
  • 0% for 36 months, 1.9% for 60 months on 2010 Toyota Matrix
  • 0.9% for 60 months on 2010 Toyota Prius
  • 0% for 36 months, 1.9% for 60 months on 2010 Toyota RAV4
  • 0% for 60 months and $500 bonus cash on 2010 Toyota Tundra
  • 0% for 60 months on 2010 Toyota Yaris

Posted in Incentives, Toyota, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Prius, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, Toyota Yaris | Comments Off

Ford Fusion Hybrid Earns Cost Back Fastest

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Fusionhybrid

With only 5.6 years to earn back the premium a driver pays for its hybrid drivetrain, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is the hybrid vehicle that pays off the quickest, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The price discrepancy between the hybrid and non-hybrid models is a relatively slim $3,200, so at current gas prices, drivers are likely to break even in just under six years.

The Chronicle looked at several hybrids and found it will take awhile to earn your money back compared with non-hybrid versions. The Mercury Milan Hybrid takes 13 years to break even, the Toyota Camry Hybrid will take 15 years, and the Honda Civic Hybrid 17 years.

We have a minor dispute with the break-even numbers for the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, which the Chronicle put at 16.5 years and 20 years, respectively. Because they were matched against non-hybrid models — in this case, the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris — the numbers look much worse because those are entry-level cars. Anyone who’s been inside both a Prius and a Yaris knows the cost difference reflects far more than just the hybrid engine.

Of course, all these numbers get tossed out the window with any fluctuations in gas prices. As someone who’s been covering gas prices for the past three years can attest “at current prices” is a phrase that is nearly meaningless.

7 Hybrid Cars: Will They Save You Money on Gas? (San Francisco Chronicle)

Posted in Ford, Ford Fusion, Hybrids/Alternative Fuels, Toyota, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

Investigation Points to Driver Error in New York Prius Crash

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

One of the two controversial Toyota Prius crashes earlier this month is now being attributed to driver error, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration. However, the information released by the agency was brief:



“Information retrieved from the vehicle's onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open."



USA Today reports that there was no further explanation or any mention of when more details might become available. But at first glance, the fact that no brakes were used and the gas was at full throttle does suggest driver error or depressing the wrong pedal.



Toyota is not commenting on this case, despite heavy criticism of a separate incident in California. Instead, Toyota says it will wait for the police report to be made public before making a statement.

Feds say no brakes, full throttle in N.Y. runaway Toyota Prius crash (USA Today)

Posted in Recalls, Toyota, Toyota Prius, Toyota Recall | Comments Off

Investigation Points to Driver Error in New York Prius Crash

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

One of the two controversial Toyota Prius crashes earlier this month is now being attributed to driver error, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration. However, the information released by the agency was brief:



“Information retrieved from the vehicle's onboard computer systems indicated there was no application of the brakes and the throttle was fully open."



USA Today reports that there was no further explanation or any mention of when more details might become available. But at first glance, the fact that no brakes were used and the gas was at full throttle does suggest driver error or depressing the wrong pedal.



Toyota is not commenting on this case, despite heavy criticism of a separate incident in California. Instead, Toyota says it will wait for the police report to be made public before making a statement.

Feds say no brakes, full throttle in N.Y. runaway Toyota Prius crash (USA Today)

Posted in Recalls, Toyota, Toyota Prius, Toyota Recall | Comments Off

NHTSA, Toyota Question Runaway Prius

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Runawayprius

The well-publicized runaway 2008 Toyota Prius and its driver that hit the news last week have come under intense scrutiny. Later today, both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Toyota will announce they could not re-create the incident.



To many, that might not prove anything, since past incidents have also been hard or impossible to re-create. However, a Toyota representative who was at the California dealership where the car was tested by the government and the company says there is little possibility the driver’s story is accurate.



The congressional observer who was there concurred. "In this case, knowing that we are able to push the car around the shop, it does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically, that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time.”

 

However, the spokesman also said he was not accusing the driver of lying.



Automotive blog Jalopnik has been digging into the past of the driver, Jim Sikes, and uncovered a past of financial problems and accusations of fraud from a former business partner.



The California Highway Patrol says there is no evidence of a hoax and would not pursue an investigation unless “they can completely disprove Mr. Sikes.”  The CHP says that because there were no injuries or property damage, it does not need to keep the investigation open. 

Prius report questioned, defended (Detroit Free Press)

Posted in Toyota, Toyota Prius | Comments Off

More Toyota Prius Acceleration Issues Reveal Lack of Fix

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Crashedprius

Recent incidents with 2004-2009 model year Toyota Prius hybrids have shed new light into the recall process of nearly 6 million Toyota and Lexus cars in the U.S.

 

Police investigators, Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are looking into Monday’s incident involving a 2008 Prius traveling over 90 mph with a stuck pedal in California. No cause has been determined, but the owner said his Toyota dealer told him his car wasn’t involved in the recall.



Meanwhile, a 2005 Prius in New York accelerated out of a driveway into a stone wall, causing extensive damage to the car, shown above. Police there said they’ve almost ruled out the floormat as the cause of the accident because it was tied to the seat base with plastic ties. That was an early fix that Toyota dealers installed while they waited for a more permanent solution to the problem.



That permanent solution still seems to be in the works for the Prius models. Other models such as the Camry have already received extensive retrofits, including shortening the accelerator pedal and adding a brake override system. Toyota says its solutions for the floormat recall — initiated last fall — are rolling in nature, meaning that some models, like the Prius, still don’t have fixes in place.



Toyota has said the repairs would be rolling from day one — which was over five months ago — so we shouldn’t be surprised. But with all the scrutiny involving congressional hearings, it’s a bit of a shock that so much work remains to be done. 

Posted in Toyota, Toyota Prius, Toyota Recall | Comments Off

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