It's looking as if Aussie readers hoping to drive greener might soon be able to do so in a locally-produced machine. The first word of Toyota's desire to build the Camry Hybrid in the land Down Under came in October at the Tokyo Motor Show. Without government handouts assistance, however, it wasn't going to happen. Fast forward to the present: all signs point to a deal getting inked by the end of July, with Australian government reps saying that talks with the automaker are progressing "fruitfully." Once the agreement is formalized, look for the Camry Hybrid to go into production at the Altona plant where the Australian-market Camry and Aurion sedans are currently built.

[Source: The Age]

Toyota's Camry Hybrid is selling like crazy these days. Last year, Toyota managed to sell 54,477 Camry Hybrids, an impressive figure no doubt, and sales are showing no signs of slowing down. For example, in the month of March, Toyota set a new record for the hybrid version of the Camry by selling 6,930. For the year, it is on track to sell over 60,000 of its midsize hybrid sedan, a 10 percent increase over the previous year. In fact, the Camry Hybrid, which is EPA rated at 33 miles per gallon city and 34 miles per gallon highway, is easily outselling the 268 horsepower 3.5 liter V6 powered model, which is rated at 19 city and 28 highway. Historically, American buyers have shown a propensity to choose the largest engine available.

When sales of the Prius and the Camry Hybrid are combined, Toyota easily remains the world's leader in hybrid vehicle sales and appears a lock to remain that way, at least for the next few years.

[Source: Auto Observer]

MobileBurn has great images of a tricked-out Camry hybrid in the Nokia booth at CES. Nokia painted the car a cool green with white trees and added a slew of Nokia products. I contacted Nokia and Keith Nowak told me, "At each trade show, we generally do have a car in our booth to use as a platform for some of our automotive products - like handsfree kits and navigation devices. This year, since we are highlighting some of our environmental efforts as well, we decided that we would use a hybrid vehicle to stay in the theme - in this case, a Toyota Camry Hybrid."

Fitting the green theme perfectly is Nokia's 3110 Evolve cell phone and eco sensor concept which are also at the show. While very cool, I am not sure I can approve of the energy drain to the car's battery caused by these un-essential devices. Except for that Nokia internet tablet which is really cool and therefore essential.

Related:

• Frankfurt 2007 videos: Fiat ecoDrive, Peugeot Flux, Chevy Trax
• CarChip E/X: a great gadget to teach green driving
• Beep-beep! TPMS-lite tire cap blinks when tire pressure drops

[Source: MobileBurn, Nokia]

In Subaru's probably several-year-old video above (I'm basing the age on changes in car availability, fuel and mileage), the Subaru Legacy is compared to its "very direct competitors" the Toyota Camry hybrid and Honda Accord hybrid when it comes to the price of the car, fuel use costs and time of payback for the price hybrid price premium. Subaru presents the price and mileage as showing a "pretty big advantage to the Camry and Accord. Right? But wait, lets look at what these numbers really mean." After some number crunching, we find it will take 10.8 years ("that's a long time") and 32.4 years ("that's certainly no bargain") to make up for the "cost penalty" of buying these hybrids and not the Subaru Legacy.

The video also points out hybrids can go "at very low speeds" on electric power alone but "it is no easy task to coordinate the efforts of the electric motor and the gasoline engine." Batteries, the video notes, are "heavy and expensive" and hybrids require "complex systems" to shut off at stop lights. Subaru says they "are not trying to make light of the fuel economy achievements of the these hybrids vehicles. But we are also not convinced that they are worth the price premium as these numbers illustrate."

Has this video convinced you the Subaru Legacy is better than the Toyota Camry hybrid and Honda Accord hybrid? How will today's arguments for and against hybrids look in five years?

Related:

• Diesel Subies to beat hybrids to market
• Geneva Motor Show: Subaru will bring Justy back, is considering all-electric small car
• Subaru announces diesel engine for 2008
• Subaru aims for diesel cars by end of 2007
• Subaru sells 100,000 PZEVs and sends nothing to the dump for three years

[Source: YouTube]

USA Today asked 90 CEOs what they drive and thirteen percent said they drive a hybrid. Here are the some of the reasons the CEOs gave for choosing a hybrid:

• Phil Libin, CEO of the Sunnyvale, California technology company EverNote, says his Lexus GS450 is like "driving a giant Bluetooth headset. ... Hybrid-ness means several extra screens of status indicators."
• Bob Peterson, president of Melton Truck Lines, does not think his Camry hybrid is as "manly" as the GMC Yukon Denali SUV he traded in but he was tired of sending oil money to Venezuela and Iran.
• Bert Hancock, owner of Robert Hancock property management, says "this is Warren Buffett country, where people are suspicious of those with flashy jewelry and big cars." Bert says his employees will think he is a "pompous jerk" if he drove a black Hummer.

Ralph Bianculli, CEO of supply distributor Paradigm Group (and driver of an '07 BMW) says before you object to CEOs "prancing about in a gas-guzzling foreign car" ask yourself: if you needed a surgeon, would you want one that drives a '07 Mercedes or a '95 Chevy Malibu? Pictured above is Patrick Sweeney, CEO of Odin Technologies, with his Prius. That's an airport in the background. He is also a pilot.

Related:

• Video: 12 consumers consider buying a hybrid
• 100 Silicon Valley executives to drive plug-in hybrids

[Source: USA Today]

Toyota is widely known as the leader in hybrid sales. The Prius is obviously the flag-bearer of the line-up, but don't forget about the Camry Hybrid. That car won the award as "Green Car of the Year" last year from the L.A. Auto Show, and also won the award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, and it has been selling very well in Canada as well.

In fact, according to Tony Wearing, Managing Director of Toyota Canada Inc., "We are thrilled that Canadians have embraced the Camry Hybrid. The Camry Hybrid has accounted for almost 20 percent of all Canadian Camry line sales in the first seven months of this year." No actual sales figures were presented, but 20 percent of a car that sells as well as the Camry must be pretty good. Considering the harsh weather that drivers in Canada sometimes face, the fact that the hybrid does well there bodes well for the durability of the hybrid drivetrain. Good for our friends from Canada, eh?

Related:

• Camry Hybrid named 2007 Canadian Car of the Year
• Toyota Camry Hybrid is Green Car of the Year
• Hybrid Lexus RX400 outsells standard version 4-to-1

[Source: Canadian Driver]

Another great Toyota executive interview. No bets this time but some very candid remarks and speculation. All but confirmed is a hybrid Aurion. There is even talk of a hybrid SUV Klugar. Both are seemingly dependent on what the Australian government or the new government after federal elections, does on subsidies. I wonder if the same is true for the American elections?

David Buttner, Toyota Australia's executive director of sales and marketing: "We're now talking about Camry or Aurion and it's the right time with the mood at the moment and the governments are seen to be green." David even talked about moving Prius production away from Japan and hybrids starting to scale. "When it first started with the Prius being built in Japan in an offline-type situation, that's expensive production. But now it's thrown into the mainstream production line and you've got a couple more suppliers who have come on-stream so the cost will come down."

Amazing stuff, right? I guess Toyota got tired of GM taking the spotlight and let the executives go crazy. This is a great sign for the up coming car shows. If they are acting this way now, just imagine what they have in store for the car shows. I can't wait to see what both companies have for us.

[Source: CARSguide]

In the year 2000, as the IT world scrambled to fix computer problems and people bid farewell to the '90s, Ford and GM Holden - with their Falcon and Commodore, respectively - stood supreme as the dominant forces of the dominant large car market in Australia. Just seven years on and that market has shrunk from 35.9 percent to just 13.5 percent in the light of rising fuel prices which has seen a massive movement away from large family cars to medium-sized cars. The Falcon and Commodore are now fighting each other over a diminishing market while simultaneously trying to hold off the other locally produced six cylinder competition in the form of the Mitsubishi 380 and the Toyota Aurion.

Such has been the slide in demand for big cars that Holden just announced that 600 jobs will be axed at their Adelaide plant.

The market movement towards smaller cars has led both Ford and Holden to announce new entrants into the already cut-throat medium sized car market which is currently dominated by Asian vehicles like the class-leading Toyota Camry along with the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Hyundai Sonata. Holden is about to release the Daewoo made Epica and Ford is bringing the Mondeo back later this year.

Analysis: The Mondeo and the Epica both look to be good quality cars at a good price but they're in for a real fight to gain traction in the medium-sized car market because it is already dominated by good quality cars at a good price. Fuel prices have clearly had a massive impact on the car market in Australia as fuel economy becomes a critical factor in the buying decisions of many consumers.

Related:

• 2007 BMW X5 to launch in Australia with 3.0-litre diesel option
• Higher gas prices not hurting big RV sales, but some owners are driving less
• New Canadian budget includes fuel economy carrots and sticks

[Source: CARSguide.com.au]

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has named the Toyota Camry Hybrid, in front of nine other best new category winners, overall winner of the 2007 Canadian Car of the Year. The Camry is the first hybrid to ever win the top award which is based on new vehicles released during the year. Each entrant is thoroughly tested and must perform well in the real-world to have a chance at joining the winners' circle.

The hybrid was not the only low emissions, high efficiency winner on the night; Mercedes-Benz's BlueTec diesel emissions-control technology took the gong for Best New Technology.

Analysis: With fuel economy and environmental impact so prominent in the mind's of today's car buyers, vehicles like the Camry Hybrid are sure to gain favour come awards night. Great to see two top technologies taking home prizes.

Related:

• Toyota will give you a 50th Anniversary Edition Camry Hybrid for $31,680
• Geneva preview: The new Mercedes-Benz clean diesel, the Vision C 220 BlueTec
• Hybrid sales jump 11% in January

[Source: Montreal Gazette]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat.

This is the second part of a review of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat TDI. Yesterday we covered the Passat's pricing, appearance and some of its many features. Click here to read part one.

Today we cover the interior, safety, economy and on-road performance.

Probably the first thing you'll notice if you hop in and go to turn the car on though is the key fob itself. Instead of a traditional key, the entire key fob slots into the dash for push-button electronic on / off operation. VW thought of everything though because hidden inside the key fob is a "conventional", plastic key which can gain you access to the vehicle but will not start it up. This allows you to leave the (expensive - $500!) key fob locked in the car while you go surfing and just take the plastic key into the water.



Like the on / off control, the parking brake is also a push-button job located close to the ignition switch, and must be engaged for the car to be turned off. An associated feature is the Auto Hold function which neatly answers the question, "I'm on the side of a hill and I don't have a hand brake to stop me rolling back down, what do I do?" Again a push-button operated feature, this time flanking the transmission, Auto Hold automatically activates the electronic parking brake for painless hill starts. Eliminating the hand brake has the added benefit of freeing up room around centre console, resulting in a simple, uncluttered layout.

Continue reading part two of the review after the jump.

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Volkswagen Passat.

Late last year I had the pleasure of helping my father choose his new vehicle, and after determining that he wanted a diesel sedan, we quickly narrowed the possible options - BMWs, the 300C, Audis, Peugeots, Mazdas, Fiats, Alfas and VWs - down to the Volkswagen Passat. Offering a great blend of size, comfort, features, diesel economy and price, he picked the Passat up in late November last year. Having helped pick it, I am biased about this car. But that said, let's look at why it worked for my father and me.

The 2007 Volkswagen Passat TDI leads VW's car line-up in Australia as their largest model apart from the Touareg luxury SUV. The 2007 Passat offers three models each in a sedan and wagon format ranging from AUD$42,990 (US$34,056) for the Passat 2.0 TDI Sedan 6 Speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) transmission, through AUD$44,990 (US$35,641) for the Passat 2.0T FSI Sedan 6 Speed Automatic and topping out at AUD$54,990 (US$43,563) for the Passat 3.2 V6 FSI Sedan 6 Speed DSG. The wagon equivalents of each adds $2,000. Frankly I don't understand this pricing scale because the TDI delivers better fuel economy and good performance via VW's outstanding DSG 6-speed gearbox, in which the clutch and gearshift are controlled electronically, for a lower price than the equivalent automatic petrol model.

Despite the array of standard features in the Passat, there are still a good dozen options that you can play with if your wallet allows including sunroofs, sat nav, bi-xenon headlights with dynamic cornering, leather upholstery etc. My father however had a limited range of options due to the fact that multiple Volkswagen dealers in our area quoted delivery times of over six month and as high as nine months due to a global shortage. So, when he was presented with a silver model kitted out with black leather upholstery, he signed up straight away.

Continue reading part one of the review after the jump.

Toyota Australia is looking to expand its hybrid line-up in Australia, which currently just encompasses the Prius and two Lexus hybrids, with a locally manufactured Camry petrol-electric hybrid. Discussions are under way with the Japanese head office to get the go-ahead to start producing hybrid Camrys based on the next-generation update which is scheduled for delivery during 2011. This is the first time an Australian manufacturer has announced a possible date for the local production of a hybrid model.

The current version of the Camry has fuel economy of 9.9L per 100km / 23.8 miles per gallon (auto) which sees it struggling against the efficiency of recently introduced diesel models. The Camry's fuel economy hasn't halted sales in the Australian market but I'm sure Toyota would like to be able to offer fuel-economy-conscious customers their hybrid version.

Analysis: Rolling out hybrid manufacturing operations to facilities like Toyota Australia's Altona factory is indicative of Toyota's intentions to continue to push hybrids from an environmental as well as a marketing point of view. It will be interesting to see if the other local manufacturers - GM Holden, Ford and Mitsubishi - follow suit.

Related:

• Hybrid sales jump 11% in January
• Toyota to unveil second-gen Highlander Hybrid at Chicago Auto Show
• Prius sales leveling off due to lower tax credit, higher production

[Source: Sydney Morning Herald]

Folded neatly in an wide-ranging overview of the Toyota Camry Hybrid from Scripps Howard News Service is a quote from the automaker's North American president, Jim Press, about the hybrid's impact on fuel supplies.

"We estimate that all the hybrids we have sold in America have saved more than 155 million gallons of gas, enough to fill five tanker ships," said Press.

Through August, Toyota (including Lexus) has delivered 126,249 hybrid vehicles this year and more than 500,000 since introducing the Prius in 2000. Toyota continues to be bullish on hybrids and sees models from the competition as a validation of its sales strategy. The Toyota hybrid fleet expands next year with the launch of the Lexus LS600h, the first vehicle powered by a full-hybrid V8.

[Source: Scripps Howard News Service]

By next April Fool's Day, Toyota's savings from cutting the complexity of its vehicles' onboard computer systems will kick in and increase the company's profits. Another major source of profit in the years to come will be hybrid vehicles, said Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe earlier this week and reported by Autoweek.

Toyota is planning on selling a million hybrid cars a year, starting in the 2010's, Watanabe said. This will be accomplished by expanding the hybrid line and making the cars cheaper. In the last fiscal year Toyota sold 263,000 hybrids, which was up from 143,000 the previous year. Moving to a million hybrid units a year will mean that the hybrid segment will have to grow much faster than the overall 6 percent annual increase Watanabe predicts for Toyota's global sales next year.

[Source: Autoweek]

There are a lot of ways to get around in an automobile without a standard gasoline engine. While some people my enjoy the unique look of most hybrids or the distinct smell of biodiesel, anyone who wants to drive smarter without drawing any attention to themselves will get the chance next month when Toyota begins selling their hybrid Camry.
Canada’s The Gazette (via Mixedpower.com) points out the high stakes of this model, saying that analysts could downgrade the entire hybrid market if sales are slow. But, since the Camry is the top-selling sedan in North America and this new version doesn’t look all that different than previous models AND with ever-climbing gas prices, it will not be surprising if all those analysts will have to have some other dire predictions to make. Last year, Toyota sold about 450,000 Camrys in North America, compared to about 550,000 hybrids sold worldwide.