Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.

"The Japanese government paid for 100% of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota Prius, " according to Jim Press. This quote was taken from an interview conducted by Business Week which also included Chrysler LLC CEO Robert Nardelli and vice chairman Tom Lasorda.

"I can say 100 percent that Toyota received absolutely no support - no money, no grants - from the Japanese government for the development of the Prius," answers Toyota's Tokyo-based spokesman Paul Nolasco. Irv Miller echoes this sentiment on Toyota's blog.

Hmm... so Press, who worked for Toyota for 37 years, claims that Toyota received help from the government in Japan for the development of their hybrid drivetrain. Just what kind of help goes unmentioned. Toyota denies any assistance. Though Miller believes Press misspoke, Press has since added, "The Japanese government strongly supported R & D (research and development) investment in battery development, and the Prius and other Japanese models benefited from that investment." Sounds like he's not backing down from his claims, and Chrysler is doing a bit of damage control (see the company's statement after the jump).

We have no way of knowing which side is telling the truth, but we can surmise that Press would like to get some of the same treatment, if it did indeed take place, from the U.S. now that he's moved to Chrysler. Also, we wonder what the other Japanese manufacturers have to say on the subject, as they are also mentioned by Press in his later comments.

Related:

• Toyota claims Jim Press lied about gov't funding Prius development

We've heard a few interesting metaphors before, but never have we heard the auto industry likened to dinner. Well, until now that is. Jim Press, formerly of Toyota and now of Chrysler, made the odd comparison recently. Press considers high-volume models like pickups to be the "meat and potatoes" of an automakers line-up, with a nice dessert coming courtesy of halo cars like the new Dodge Challenger. No responsible dinner would be without your veggies, which aptly applies to the automakers eco-friendly models too. And hybrids? Hmmm... hybrids make up part of a well-balanced diet too - the best of all worlds, according to Jim. "With a hybrid you get to eat meat but you get the same benefit as eating vegetables," he said.

With that, AutoblogGreen would like to remind you to eat - and drive - your greens.

[Source: Detroit News]

Toyota has dominated the hybrid vehicle market since the introduction of the Prius and there are several plug-in conversions of the pioneering production hybrid on the road. Toyota is now actively working on a production plug-in hybrid. In an interview with Reuters, Toyota NA President Jim Press repeated the same line as other car-makers, that batteries are still the biggest problem to overcome. Toyota is willing to cooperate with other car-makers on battery development, to try and move things forward.

[Source: Reuters]

While most of his speech focused on the business side of running Toyota, Jim Press highlighted a few of the company's green efforts and goals. Press spoke before the Economic Club of Chicago yesterday during the Chicago Auto Show. Following are selected quotes from Press that will be interest to ABG readers:

"Toyota and the auto industry will play a big role in the effort, announced in President Bush's State of the Union address, to reduce gasoline consumption in the year's ahead. We support the administration's goals on CAFE and efforts to reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.

"Preserving the environment is also a high priority for our corporate giving. For example, Toyota is the sole sponsor of National Public Lands Day. Not only do we contribute to the organization financially but each year thousands of Toyota associates volunteer to help restore and clean public parks.

"There are more than 800 million cars and trucks on the world's roads, and our industry is producing another 170,000 a day. It's easy to see that growing auto production can come into conflict with the environment and raise issues of safety.

"A larger auto population leaves a larger footprint on the environment. This presents an important and urgent mission for the automotive industry worldwide. We must get back in front of the curve, reducing the amount by which each new car enlarges that footprint.

"We're already making steady progress in limiting both fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions, aided by a growing stream of high-efficiency engines and hybrid powertrains into the nation's vehicle population.

"Toyota has supplied nearly 70 percent of the quarter million hybrid vehicles on this nation's roads, and worldwide we're approaching a million hybrids sold.

"It's Toyota's belief that whether partnered with gasoline, diesel, hydrogen or something else; hybrids will remain a core technology."

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]