Toyota To Launch 6 New Hybrids By 2012

Toyota Motor Corp. will introduce six new hybrid, gasoline-electric vehicles by 2012 on a global basis, the company's chief engineer said Monday in a presentation in Detroit.

The auto maker also will show off its new RAV4 electric sport-utility vehicle developed in conjunction with Tesla Motors Inc., said Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota's global chief of engineering and product development. Toyota expects pure electric cars to be a small portion of its overall fleet - and concentrated on very small, shorter-range vehicles and motor scooters.

Toyota plans two new Lexus models and four Toyota models with hybrids. There will be some that are only hybrid models - like the Prius - and some that have a gasoline-engine variant. All of the hybrids will be new, and not next-generation versions of existing hybrid models, Mr. Uchiyamada said.

"Based on the current battery technology, it is not feasible to have all-electric vehicles" for the entire fleet, Mr. Uchiyamada said. "As battery technology gets better, that transition will lead to more pure electronic vehicles. Liquid fuels are still a superior fuel because of their energy density."

Toyota will begin selling the plug-in Prius, which isn't included in the six new models, in the spring of 2012. The Prius will get 13 miles on a full charge of electricity before the gasoline engine kicks on. Later models may offer the option of paying more for a longer range on the battery charge, he said.

Mr. Uchiyamada is considered the "father" of the hybrid-electric vehicle by Toyota, leading the first Prius program. He also is leading the company's efforts to integrate Tesla Motors technology into the new RAV4 electric vehicle, which will be shown at the Los Angeles auto show in November and is due out in 2012.

The auto maker also is working on a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered electric vehicle that would go on sale in 2015. Mr. Uchiyamada said the company intends to reduce production costs of the hydrogen vehicle dramatically.

In July, Mr. Uchiyamada announced changes at Toyota to lengthen product-development times by at least a month to do extra inspections on vehicles. He also oversaw the move of 1,000 engineers into a product quality division and is trying to limit the use of outside contract engineers. The auto maker has been plagued by safety recalls in the past year for unintended acceleration, engine, steering and brake problems. More than nine million vehicles in total have been affected by the recalls.

Toyota's sales in the U.S. have been hurt as a result. The Toyota brand market share in the U.S., excluding Lexus, has fallen this year to 13.3% through August, compared with 14.7% in the same period a year earlier.