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Toyota Prius is the Model T Ford of hybrids

You come across plenty of rumour and rubbish when you trawl through the internet and the following is a prime example of the rubbish that is out there.

An article in Bloomberg online sees the president of Toyota North America, Jim Press pushing the Toyot


You come across plenty of rumour and rubbish when you trawl through the internet and the following is a prime example of the rubbish that is out there.

An article in Bloomberg online sees the president of Toyota North America, Jim Press pushing the Toyota hybrid corporate line like never before. According to Jim, the Prius will be remembered in the future as the Model T Ford of hybrids.

The Model T was the first car to be mass produced in such a way as to make it affordable to the masses. In Australia at least, the Prius is insanely over-priced and really only an option if your online organic vegetable business has blossomed into a serious profit spinner.

You would be far better off buying a Corolla and just switching it off when you coast down hills. It would leave you around $15,000 better off.

"Eventually, everything will be a hybrid” , said Jim Press

We have previously featured the views of Dr Bernd Bohr chairman of Bosch’s automotive wing who sees hybrids as a stepping stone and not the silver bullet that Toyota would have you believe. In fact Dr Bohr is of the opinion that petrol-electric hybrids will not penetrate the market to any great extent.

Advanced diesels and efficient petrol engines will continue to remain the motors of choice and will prove no less efficient than the heavier and more complex hybrids.

We think Jim is just a salesman at heart and is hopeful that a bit more hybrid hype will keep the overweight and underpowered Prius rolling quietly off the showroom floors of Toyota dealers across the globe…sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.

Source : Bloomberg

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