Japanese automaker Toyota plans to expand its hybrid offerings in the United States as it struggles to meet demand for its popular Prius car, its top US executive said Tuesday. Toyota Motor North America President Jim Press said the automaker was planning to start selling a sixth hybrid model in the United States from early next year.
"Early next year, we'll offer a sixth one, the world's first V-8 (engine) hybrid in our flagship Lexus LS sedan," Press said during a speech at the National Press Club. "And more will follow."
Press' signalled that Toyota, which has also started selling a hybrid sports utility vehicle (SUV) in the US market, is now firmly targetting the luxury end of the market with its dual-powered technology.
He claimed that Toyota has sold more hybrid vehicles in the US so far this year than Cadillac, Buick, or Mercedes Benz has sold cars.
"Toyota is not backing off its strong commitment to hybrids. We know they are absolutely essential to the future success of this industry," Press said.
The US citizen, the first non-Japanese executive to head Toyota in the world's biggest car market, recently traded in his family pickup truck for a Toyota Camry hybrid.
Press said hybrid technology can be offered in multiple ways to boost fuel efficiency, citing gasoline (petrol) engines, clean diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells.
"Toyota is (also) strongly considering introducing a flex-fuel vehicle program in the United States in the near term," Press said.
"We're already developing vehicles that can operate in ethanol-rich Brazil and we're optimistic that we can offer similar vehicles to American consumers," he said.
He said Toyota was also researching the potential of a plug-in hybrid vehicle that could be driven further without using its gas engine.
Press said Toyota's philosophy was not only to build more efficient cars, but to also manufacture cars that are less polluting and safer to drive.
He also related a "dream" of Toyota's global president Katsuaki Watanabe to create a car that could be driven across the United States on a single tank of fuel.
"It's a dream at this point," Press stressed, but added "that's where we're headed."
He said that rising interest rates and spiking raw material costs were presenting a challenge to car makers, but predicted the US industry would yield healthy sales of around 17 million this year.
And while the US remains the world's largest car market, Press noted that China is "rapidly becoming the world's second largest market."
