Toyota Motor Corp. has unveiled a more expensive and bigger hybrid-only model than its hit Prius, underlining the Japanese automaker’s ambitions to make green technology more widespread.

The “Sai” sedan is Toyota’s second hybrid-only model after the Prius. Toyota offers hybrid versions of other car models.

Sai, which means “talent” and “color,” will be sold only in Japan, starting Dec.7, targeting monthly sales of 3,000 vehicles. No global sales plans have been decided, the world’s biggest automaker said. Nice! Bring some of those over here.

Here’s an unofficial, unverified, and incomplete list of actors, singers, and pundits who were early adopters of hybrids.

Alexandra Paul
Alicia Silverstone
Dr. Andrew Weil
Arianna Huffington
Bill Maher
Billy Crystal
Billy Joel
Brad Pitt
Cameron Diaz
David Duchovny
David Hyde Pierce
Donna Mills
Donny Osmond
Ed Begley
Ellen DeGeneres
Ewan McGregor
Hart Bochner
Harrison Ford
Jack Black
Jack Nicholson
Larry David
Kevin Bacon
Kirk Douglas
Kurt Russell
Leonardo DiCaprio
Dr. Oliver Sacks
Patricia Arquette
Prince Charles
Rob Reiner
Robin Williams
Salma Hayek
Susan Sarandon
Tim Robbins
Ted Danson
Tom Hanks
Woody Harrelson
Will Ferrell

President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced a national program to cut new vehicle carbon emissions and raise mileage by 30%, while also reducing oil needs and changing the kinds of cars Americans buy.

“For the first time in history, we have set in motion a national policy aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new trucks and cars.” Obama said the program would save 1.8 billion barrels of oil “over the lifetime of the vehicles sold in the next five years.” 
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Honda’s Insight, billed as the cheapest gas-electric hybrid on the market, ranked as the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April — the first time a hybrid has clinched that spot. That marked the first time a hybrid model was Japan’s monthly best-seller, excluding minicars limited to an engine size of up to 660 cubic centimeters.

Honda sold 10,481 Insight cars in April in Japan. Toyota is expected to be aggressive with its pricing, although the Prius is a bigger car than the Insight and would be expected to carry a higher price tag.

China’s BYD Auto said it is in talks to sell its battery products to overseas automakers as part of a bid to take a lead in the alternative energy vehicle sector. The firm is also in discussions with foreign governments regarding electric car projects.

BYD Auto is part of the BYD group, a Hong Kong-listed firm partially owned by US investment guru Warren Buffett. BYD stands for “build your dream”.

BYD Auto beat other products, such as General Motors’ Volt, when it launched F3DM, a plug-in hybrid, in China late last year. The company has said earlier the hybrid car is scheduled to go on sale in the United States and Europe in 2011. Looking forward to seeing these BYDs.

Less than a year ago, there were waiting lists to buy new Toyota and Honda hybrid cars, sometimes at thousands of dollars over the sticker price. That’s not the case anymore.

Ford has hybrids, the Escape SUV and new Fusion hybrid sedan, both of which have similar Mercury versions. Chevrolet has its Silverado and Tahoe hybrids, and GMC its cloned version, the Yukon hybrid. Chevrolet says it will begin selling its Volt electric serial hybrid next year.
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On March 24th, the all-new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid hatchback goes on sale with a base price of $19,800 (plus $670 freight), making it the lowest-priced hybrid in the U.S. market. Unlike the original two-seat Insight introduced in 2000, this new one has a back seat and is roomy enough for five people.

The uplevel EX model lists for $21,300.
The EX with a satellite navigation system for $23,100.

Looks like all the other ones, same overall body shape and similar rear hatch. Would you buy this car?

Last month, only 15,144 hybrids were sold in the US. That’s down almost two thirds from last April. The economic crisis has caused many Americans to cut back on spending and that has amounted to a decreased demand for new vehicles, especially hybrids.

Car companies are finding it hard to sell hybrid models in the midst of the recession. That goes for all new cars.

Repair costs for hybrid models, which initially were higher than average, have now fallen in line with those of non-hybrids. In other words: These days, your new Toyota Prius or any other hybrid shouldn’t cost more to repair, on average, than your Corolla or Camry.

The data comes from a new study from a company that automates processing for insurance claims. Its survey looked at the costs of auto repairs for cars from model years 2001 through 2008. The repair-cost difference was by far most pronounced for cars from 2006 and before. Now, it seems to have vanished almost completely for the two latest model years (2007 and 2008).
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Honda has not yet announced U.S. pricing, but it went on sale today in Japan at a starting price that is the equivalent of $21,041. Honda has said that the hybrid will be priced below the Honda Civic Hybrid. The Insight will arrive in U.S. showrooms in April. Can’t wait to see these on the streets.

As for the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, they start at $24,320, including a $670 destination charge. Honda said its Insight will get a U.S. fuel economy rating of 40 miles per gallon in city driving and 43 mpg on the highway.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, unveiled the third-generation Prius hybrid vehicle at the 2009 North American International Auto show. The new version of the world’s top-selling hybrid vehicle offers better mileage ratings and enhanced performance, as well as new design features. The standard 2010 Toyota 3rd Generation Prius also will not be a plug-in hybrid.

The 3rd Generation Prius also features what Toyota is calling a “Solar Moonroof”. A small array of photovoltaic cells automatically powers a ventilation system on hot days. The system allows fresh air to circulate into the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, cooling down the cabin so that the air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard, thereby conserving power. Impressive!

Hawaii has unveiled plans to be first in the nation to roll out electric car stations statewide — a move the governor hailed as a major step toward weaning the islands off oil. Hawaii imports foreign oil for almost 90% of its energy needs. One-third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets. Gov. Linda Lingle said the program would help Hawaii meet its goal of slashing fossil fuel use 70% by 2030.
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Green Car Journal named Volkswagen’s 2009 Jetta TDI as the “Green Car of the Year” at the Los Angeles Auto Show, making it the first clean-diesel vehicle to win the prize.

The Jetta TDI gets 41 miles per gallon on the highway, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. The sedan has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $21,990 and a SportWagen version is available starting at $23,590.

The Jetta bested four other finalists for the Green Car of the Year award: the Smart Fortwo, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the BMW 335d and the Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid.

American Honda Motor Co. has overhauled the look of its fuel cell concept cars, unveiling a futuristic, lightweight three-seater. 

The design study concept is inspired by supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain. What’s with the rear side? The extended rear houses cooling radiators for the fuel cell stack. You likey?

Endorsed by all three of the Bay Area’s big city mayors, a $1 billion plan to help make the Bay Area the nation’s electric-car capital plan would provide the re-charging infrastructure that must be in place before most consumers would consider buying or leasing an electric car.

Better Place, Palo Alto start-up, plans to install about 250,000 charging ports, 200 battery-exchange stations and a control center to service Bay Area electric car drivers. The goal is to have most of the system in place by 2012. Nice! Go Green!

Honda Motors Co Ltd released their new hybrid electric vehicle, which will compete with the mainstream hybrid Toyota Prius. Named as Honda Insight, it is a revival of the first ever Honda hybrid. 

At $20,000, it is the first Honda vehicle with an ambitious hybrid strategy. The 2009 Toyota Prius is rated at $22,660. Honda is planning to roll out four new gas-electric hybrid models between 2008-2012 as part of a global strategy.

Can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next! More photos.

Delicious! The Peugeot RC Hymotion4 is the second mid-engined four-door concept developed by Peugeot since the curious-looking 908RC. Insiders reveal that the 408, as it’s likely to be called, is almost certain to come to market with a diesel-hybrid option.

Now this is what Peugeot needs in its stable!  A great looking, muscular and well-proportioned sports sedan. I want one, even though it’s French.

Honda provides this first official look at the five-door hatch that will be formally unveiled in October at the 2008 Paris auto show. It will technically be a concept, but appears more than production-ready.

The Insight will be smaller than a Civic and CEO Takeo Fukui says it will be priced significantly below current hybrids.

At an expected price tag of $18,500, the new Honda Insight is expected to compete at a much lower price point than any other hybrid on the market.

Thoughts? Click here for more photos.

Honda Civic hybrid, India’s first hybrid car has outshined the company’s sales expectation. The company reportedly sold about 50 hybrid cars since its launch in June, 2008. The company expects to sell more than 200 units of the green car.

Civic hybrid is available in India as completely built unit from Japan, attracting 104% customs duty. It is the hybrid technology that increases the excise duty. The hybrid technology is not only environment friendly, but also 47% more efficient compared to other cars.

Not All Hybrids Created Equally

Of the seven hybrids that ConsumerReports recently tested, they found that three, the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and Honda Civic Hybrid, save owners money compared with their all-gas alternatives, while others depend on tax breaks to break even.

Overall, hybrid costs range from $4,250 in savings to a $1,750 deficit over five years, compared with their most similar gas counterparts. The Toyota Prius costs thousands more to buy than either the Toyota Corolla or the Toyota Matrix, but it costs less to own than either: $250 less than the Corolla, and $4,250 less than the Matrix 2.4.