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]

Jim Press, the president of Chrysler, says every Chrysler will have a hybrid option. This is the broadest pro-hybrid sentiment yet uttered among the big domestic automakers. Press cited new government regulations as the reason behind the hybrid love but he gave no time table laying out when all of this might happen. Jim worked for Toyota, which has said almost the same thing in the past. Chrysler also joins GM in the show of hybrid love; GM plans to aggressively release hybrids in the near term. All the large automakers are not totally in love with hybrids however. VW has said if every car were a hybrid, automakers would go bankrupt but that isn't stopping the Germans from releasing a Golf diesel-hybrid concept in Geneva this week.

[Source: Popular Mechanics via AutoSpies, Motor Authority]

Carlists's Lou Ann Hammond was recently part of what seems like a roundtable interview with Jim Press, the chairman and vice president of Chrysler. A four-minute video clip of that interview is now available over on Carlist and shows Press answering questions about the fate of the Two-Mode hybrid system that was once developed General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and BMW. Since the Daimler-Chrysler split, Chrysler has stepped in as partner while Daimler has gone on to focus on diesels. Hammon asks Press about which of the green technologies - diesel, flex-fuel, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell or pure eletric - Chrysler is focusing on. Press' answer: that's where we're putting our attention. "If you just bet on one, you may be disappointed," he said.

My favorite minor slip-up: Press says Chrysler has "bluetooth" bin 5 diesels (he meant Bluetec).

Watch the video here.

[Source: Carlist]

The big automakers showed a little teeth at this year's Washington Auto Show. The video above begins with Mark LaNeve of GM telling a story about a U.S. senator. The senator suggested to Mark that GM build at least one car that got over 30 MPG. Mark said GM builds 15 cars that gets over 30 MPG and he was shocked a U.S. Senator did not know this. I'm not shocked.

The video above also includes Jim Press of Chrysler talking about state regulation. Jim says it's not just California but 13 other states that want different standards. Why should Chrysler have to make 14 different vehicles, Jim wondered. I think they all want the same standard, so you could just build one car that complied with that standard and sell it in the entire United States.

I recorded the Ford and government press conference as well. As you can see in the video below the fold, something went wrong. Sorry readers, I'm not that familiar with Mini DV video cameras. Ford's Sue Cischke did argue with a reporter on whether or not their were actually CAFE "fines" anymore. Sue said the system has changed and their really are not fines. The reporter did not believe her.

Anyway, your questions could have responses as great as these. The show has two days left. So, post your questions in comments and I will ask them when I head back to the show.

At the Washington Auto Show, Jim Press (the guy who famously left Toyota for Chrysler) said the Japanese government worked closely with corporations, like Toyota, for the betterment of society. Jim said he is excited to work with Cerberus, the private owners of Chrysler, to contribute to society as well. In the U.S., Press said, things like the Alliance of Auto Manufactures and the new CAFE standard lead to great results, e.g., the Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid. Do you have questions about Chrysler's HEMI hybrid? The Washington Auto Show has two days left and I will ask your questions when I head back there. Post your questions in comments now.

In a stunning statement of the obvious, Chrysler Co-president Jim Press told Automotive News (subs req'd) that "The Hemi is not the power-train of the future." Given rising fuel prices and new fuel economy requirements, the days of the legendary HEMI are surely numbered, at least in cars and lighter trucks. Over the past decade Chrysler has resurrected the HEMI in many trucks, SUVs and rear wheel drive trucks. But going forward it will undoubtedly be supplanted by smaller, more efficient and more modern power-plants. Those new power-trains will include the likes of the new Phoenix V-6 engine family that's coming next year and, further out, electrified power-trains. Just as GM has canceled a new V-8 program and Ford is launching their EcoBoost engines Chrysler's engines will get smaller. Nonetheless in the short-term Chrysler is still refining the HEMI with an updated version coming this year in the just-introduced 2009 Ram pickups that has ten percent more power and four percent better fuel economy. It will also be paired up with the Two-Mode hybrid system in the Durango/Aspen later this year and the Ram in 2010.

[Source: Automotive News]

In an interview with the Detroit News, new Chrysler Vice-Chairman Jim Press talked about the company's alternative fuel vehicle plans. Press stated that the company expects to offer some kind of alternative drive-train option in every single one of the model lines. The Grand Cherokee already offers a diesel option this year and the Two-Mode Hybrid system is coming to the Durango and Aspen twins next year. Earlier this year, product development boss Frank Klegon also said that the Two-Mode and mild hybrid systems will be applied to other vehicles as well.

Although Press gave no timing for any of the new applications, he did say that now that the ownership situation has been settled, new product plans are being accelerated. Chrysler in particular has lagged behind both their domestic and foreign competition in the alternative drive area. He did say that the future mix will include plug-in hybrid, diesel hybrid, fuel-cell hybrid in addition to gas hybrids. The recently announced ENVI division will be taking the lead on pulling these programs forward to production.

[Source: Detroit News]