It looks like a copyrighting infringement issue regarding the way to apply force to a car’s wheel from an electric motor or internal combustion engine may stall, if not threaten, the release of Toyota’s hybrid cars. Such is the claim of a small company in Florida, Paice. According to reports, Paice thinks that Toyota is making use of their technology which became more serious when the U.S. International Trade Commission came into the picture.

If Toyota is found to have violated copyrights, Toyota could face a ban on the release of its hybrid cars that include the hybrid Camry, Prius, LexusHS250H and Lexus RX450H SUV. And considering that Toyota is already in a heap of trouble, this is not going to help their cause one bit!

(Source) Secuobs

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It seems that the Japanese success of the Prius fueled by government incentives, among other things, was a bit higher than Toyota had expected. The automaker reportedly sold 31,758 of the highly sought after vehicle in the month of September which, according to Autoblog, marks the 5th consecutive month that the Prius has been the top selling car in Japan.

That’s not the problem, however, as the real problem is that the success has been so great that if you were to order a 2010 Prius in Japan, the chances of you getting one before May 2010 are slim to none.

Let’s see how the 2010 Toyota Prius holds up in North America.

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It’s the king of the hill as far as gas sippers go, kids–the Toyota Prius is still, for at least two years running now, the best vehicle as fuel efficiency goes outside of a horse-drawn hay wagon.

But there have been plenty of changes to the 2010 model–changes in horsepower, in fuel use style, in gear shifting, and plenty more.  You may not be aware of this, but the user manual for a Prius weighs in at over six hundred pages.

So if it’s a hugely fuel efficient vehicle you’re wanting, then the Toyota Prius is absolutely the car for you.  But be prepared– you’ll have a lot to learn about this buggy before you can even drive it any length.  After all–if you don’t relish the possibility of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere because you were driving in EV mode when you really wanted Eco mode, then you’ll definitely need to hit the books first.

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Toyota has today announced that they will be increasing the price of their newly redesigned 2010 Prius by $400. There wasn’t much of an explanation for the price increase but it can be generally assumed that it is due to the fact that the Prius has been nothing short of a huge success in pretty much every market it was released in.

Just to make it clear, this $400 will be added onto the entire line of Prius’ from the base model all the way to the premium model.

via autoblog

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Okay, we’re all looking for some really big news to bust out of the Frankfurt Auto Show, so let’s sail right into the news we’re expecting to hear:

Mercedes-Benz plans to show a hydrogen-powered fuel cell version of the B-class.  It’s the first such production car to offer this, and the first two hundred will be available for purchase in early 2010.

Toyota is presenting an electric plug-in version of the Prius, as we’ve already mentioned here.

Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi are all out of the show, citing cost containment measures.

General Motors / Opel  is showing the new Astra compact..

Renault, a name you don’t hear often, will be showing the Megane and some new electric concept vehicles.

And of course, there’s lots more news afoot, but from the sounds of things, the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show is going to be a doozy of a show, with plenty to see and do and talk about.

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We’ve been hearing of Toyota manufactured plug-in hybrids for some time now but have yet to have any official word of them being ready for production. Luckily, Toyota is gearing up to debut a modernized version of the Prius at the Frankfurt Motor Show that does in fact let you charge the car by plugging it in.

Other details were also released today that state the car is getting updated to allow the car to go from a dead stop up to 62mph on electricity alone for a maximum range of 12.5 miles. This will make for an even more environmentally friendly car as the most gas is used when you are first accelerating.

That’s all we have for now but we’ll keep you posted as more details arrive.

via autoblog

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Sure, the Chevy Camaro has outsold the Ford Mustang for the 3rd consecutive month but the same could not be said of the Toyota Prius. In fact, Kicking Tires reports that the Prius sold more than the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger combined.

Those numbers being 18,886, 8,680, 6,289 and 1,132 for the Prius, Camaro, Mustang and Challenger, respectively.

Now this shouldn’t come as a surprise to, well, anyone and will most likely prove itself to be a reoccurring trend considering rising gas prices and the fact that the Prius sips gas while the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger guzzle it.

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Last summer when gas price were threw the roof it was reported that a handful of Toyota dealerships were gouging the prices of the Prius since it was such a hot item. Autoblog even reports that used cars were going for more than brand new because dealerships were selling out so fast.

Well now, reports have come out that since the 2010 Prius is selling just as fast as the 2009 model, some dealerships have been adding up to $5,000 onto the MSRP in hopes to keep up with the demand. Before you yell foul play make note that this is a standard business practice when the demand starts to outdo the supply.

And, if it really bothers you chances are you will still be able to find the 2010 Toyota Prius for the normal price after doing a bit of searching.

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When it comes to being safe and secure, Toyota is making sure that such a need will not go unheard. In fact, they have already announced initial subscription fees and pricing for their all-new, proprietary telematics system, Safety Connect. This same system will become an option for their all-new M10 Prius once it comes out on August 1, 2009.

The Toyota Safety Connect be a complimentary subscription for the M10 Prius for future buyers. One-year renewal subscriptions to Safety Connect will be available for $139.95, with multi-year subscriptions also available.

Road assistance and safety is one important need that most car owners want and through its embedded cellular and GPS technology, Toyota drivers can expect to be safer in the road once they avail of this service.

(Source) Press

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Earlier this month we showed you Honda’s CR-Z hybrid sports car that is supposed to be shipping sometime next year. Well, you didn’t think Toyota would just let Honda off scott free, did you? OK, good as what you see above is apparantly a concept sketch of their Prius coupe.

All of this is currently just a rumor (including the car itself) but reports say that the Prius coupe will feature a 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine capable of 134 horsepower along with Toytoa’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system. You can expect this car to be slightly worse in terms of fuel economy given the extra power.

Autoblog reports that we may see this vehicle hit the streets sometime in 2012. However, just like everything else that is cool, there is no word of a North American release. Bummer.

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Toyota has announced that in a stint to continue their 2010 Prius promotion they will place several giant sun flowers, pictured above. The first being in Boston then expanding to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco later on.

These giant sun flowers will feature solar panels that will provide users with power outlets to charge things such as their laptops and cellphones. Along with that, the giant flowers will provide free WiFi access to the surrounding area.

via Autoblog

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In case you happen to be in Boston, around the Prudential Plaza you might have noticed something bizarre. Toyota has planted five 18-foot tall solar flowers. This is part of a commercial campaign for the 2010 Prius.

The stations offer you free WiFi connectivity and they also act as charging stations for your electric gadgets. The electricity comes partially from solar panels attached to the petals and stem.

The flowers will be moving to New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. What do you say folks? Has this campaign impressed you already? Ready to get a Prius?

via physorg

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It seems that the inevitable has happened – energy efficient vehicles are taking over the world. Japan in particular, due to high gas prices (around $4.50 a gallon) and tax breaks on hybrid vehicles, has proven itself to be the most prominent hybrid vehicle market in the world.

According to AutoBlogGreen, in June alone, Toyota sold 22,292 Prius’ while Honda sold 8,782 Insights, both hybrid vehicles. This apparantly ousts America’s number of 26,205 hybrids sold in the same amount of time.

And, just as a fun fact, there is apparantly a 7-month waiting list for Toyota’s upcoming 2010 Prius.

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Toyota has revealed a plan that will slowly disseminate the number of hybrids in the market, starting with the lease of 500 plug-in cars for the government and corporations while likewise stating that they will employ a mass production of the said vehicles by 2012. We are all aware that plug-ins are the better option when it comes to addressing transport and environmental problems and more importantly, this is the demand forecasted in the coming years.

To date, Toyota will aim to produce 20,000 to 30,000 unit by 2012, expecting the demand for these vehicles to balloon in the coming years. Toyota wants to price its plug-in hybrids at a comparable price to Mitsubishi Motors Corp’s all-electric car, which debuts this month to fleet customers in Japan at 4.59 million yen ($47,800) before government subsidies.

Toyota’s new Prius gasoline-electric hybrid costs less than half that, starting at 2.05 million yen in Japan. Toyota’s plug-ins will be able to run 20-30 km (12.4-18.6 miles) on battery power alone at full charge, the paper said.

(Source) Asia One

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The drop in incentives along with the overall reduced market demand have caused the Toyota Motor Corporation’s United States sales to be lower than expected in June. The car manufacturer saw a staggering 32 percent drop in June. Both Nissan and Honda also experienced significant drops (30 and 23 percent.)

On the bright side for Toyota was that the Prius hybrid had better numbers. The company saw a huge 10 percent increase in the Prius sales. This may be due to the gas conscious consumer looking for ways to save money. The Prius is rated as getting 50 miles per gallon by the U.S. and uses a gasoline and electric engine combination.

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