Toyota has issued a clarification to reports earlier this week that it would introduce a third dedicated hybrid model in January at the Detroit Auto Show. At this year's show company president Katsuoko Watanabe announced that the company would bring two all new hybrid-only models to the 2009 show one each for Lexus and Toyota. That is all Toyota will unveil in Detroit. There will not be a third new hybrid. One of the new cars will be the new Prius. An additional model remains a possibility for introduction at some other show. This could either be a larger car or it might be the plug-in Prius that will debut in 2010 for fleet testing use.

[Source: Toyota]

With the success that Toyota has had with its Prius hybrid sedan, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Honda actually beat them to market here in the states with the Insight. For whatever reason, though, the Insight never became the green-bearer that Honda had hoped. Still, the name is not associated with any negativity, so Honda might be considering reviving it for its upcoming dedicated hybrid model. We applaud this idea and hope it turns out to be more than just a rumor.

Honda's new hybrid model should more directly compete with the Prius as it will be sport a four-door body style and be easily identifiable as a green vehicle. Expected to use a 1.3 liter engine along with the Integrated Motor Assist which Honda uses for all of its hybrids, early estimates for fuel mileage are in the 50-55 mile per gallon range. Much of the structure is said to be derived from the Civic, which could account for its expected price of under $19,000. Also expected are nickel metal hydride batteries which would help keep pricing low. With rumors such as these, we'll be hard pressed to wait until its expected debut at next year's Detroit Auto Show, which, incidentally, is when Toyota will unveil its next-gen Prius. Game on.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Hybrid-X Concept

So, we already know that Toyota will be showcasing its new third-generation Prius hybrid sedan at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show early in 2009. It's long been assumed that this new third-gen Prius would spawn a Lexus vehicle using the same platform and a similar hybrid system. Differences would include a higher price, obviously, and lithium ion batteries in place of the nickel metal hydrides installed in the Prius. What may be more interesting to some, though, is news that Toyota will also be displaying a third hybrid vehicle at the same show. Without giving away too many details, Masatami Takimoto, a VP in charge of research and development, indicates that this third hybrid will be a totally new car based on a larger platform than the current and next Prius. As has been widely reported, including on this very blog, Toyota's first plug-in hybrid is expected to debut in 2010.

In other green news, Toyota will be adding new gasoline-burning 1.3 liter and 2.5 liter engines along with stop/start technology, which is becoming increasingly popular in these days of high gasoline prices. Also on the docket is a new six speed manual transmission which will be kept compact for use in small cars. We look forward to seeing what else Toyota's got up its corporate sleeves.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Hybrid-X Concept

We've been hearing about the third-generation Toyota Prius for a very long time, and we're really looking forward to seeing it in person at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, where we are expecting its official debut to take place. What we don't know, however, is when the model will actually go on sale. A preliminary hint comes courtesy of Korea, as an un-named Toyota of Korea source is quoted as suggesting that the next-gen Prius will get an official launch in April of 2009 in the United States, Japan and Korea. Apparently, Toyota believes that the hybrid will be a very important model for the Korean market, and is set to price the vehicle very aggressively. Pricing information for the U.S. market is unavailable, of course. Getting back to Korea, the article also mentions that tax breaks are expected in that country for purchasers of hybrid vehicles, which, along with the high price of fuel, could make the fuel-sipping vehicles quite popular.

[Source: Digital Chosun Ilbo via Prius Chat]

While it's no surprise to hear that Lexus will be showing off a more luxurious version of the Prius hybrid sedan, Inside Line is reporting that the upcoming model will be priced over $30,000 and possibly have an older brother in the form of a dedicated hybrid crossover utility vehicle. Based on Toyota's midsize sedan architecture, the crossover vehicle would be similar in size to the hybrid RX that Lexus already sells in pretty good numbers. We have no information on whether Lexus plans to offer both hybrid utility vehicles at the same time.

According to IL's sources, the un-named Lexus Prius model will appear sometime in calender year 2010, which should be about a year after the third-generation Prius arrives. The hybrid CUV would follow a year later in 2011. Again, rumor has it that the Lexus hybrids could be the first application of lithium ion batteries in a Toyota-built hybrid vehicle.

[Source: Inside Line]

Click on the photo for a gallery of high-res images of the Hybrid-X Concept

There's a good deal that we already know about Toyota's next Prius. For instance, we expect it to make its formal debut in 2009 at the Detroit Auto Show, along with a possible Lexus sister. We know that Toyota plans to increase production by 60 percent in 2009. We also expect Prius V.3 to be equipped with nickel metal hydride batteries to start, though lithium ions could go into the Lexus model. A recent article on Auto Observer reinforces all of these points and adds that Toyota is planning to increase the displacement of the new Prius' internal combustion engine to 1.8 liters from today's 1.5 liters. This should offer twenty-five extra horsepower from the engine, pushing total power to a combined 160 horses. Even with the added gumption, the next Prius is expected to post an efficiency increase of around 10 percent, possibly achieving 50-55 miles per gallon in the real world.

The next-gen Prius is expected to grow a bit larger and could get a wagon option as well, though the assorted hybrid bits will actually decrease in size. If the next Prius grows too large for your needs, rumors indicate that a smaller hybrid under the Prius banner is also possible. Auto Observer quotes an anonymous source as suggesting that the next generation Prius is "still Prius-eque, but a bit bigger and more solid looking." The current Prius' styling is an acquired taste, but most consider Gen-2 better looking than Gen-1. We have high hopes for the next Prius redesign, and the possible Prius brand as well.

[Source: Auto Observer]

The Audi Snook concept performs quite the balancing-act. There's just one contact point hitting terra firma. While the Segway only has to balance in one direction, the Snook would go all the way ... kinda like a unicycle rider. We can see no real point to this concept, other than to look cool, but it still managed to pick up the win at the Michelin Design Challenge at the Detroit Auto Show. In all reality, assuming this thing were electric, it would eat up lots of juice just staying upright. If the entire goal were to ease congestion, perhaps an idea like this would have more merit. For now, though, we'd wager that this one's just gonna stay a concept. Click here to see all of the 2008 Michelin Design Challenge entries.

[Source: Michelin Design Challenge via Tuvie.com]

Gasoline-electric powertrain aside, part of what makes the Toyota Prius get such good mileage is the stripped-out interior and itty-bitty wheels. Put in a leather interior, power everything, premium entertainment system with DVD players and LCD televisions and big wheels – features that Lexus customers (even those in hybrid models) have come to expect – and the purpose teeters on the brink of defeat. But that's what looks to be shaping up.

Our report from last month seems to be picking up speed – in typically slow Prius style – that Lexus will get its own version of the next-generation Toyota Prius. The initial reports were spurred by an announcement from Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe that the Japanese motor giant would come to Detroit next year with two dedicated hybrid models – one for Toyota, and one for Lexus. While the Toyota will likely retain its hatchback form, the Lexus is expected to take on a "lifestyle wagon" bodystyle. Whatever that means, it should give poseurs enough space to carry around enough cargo to vanquish that purpose altogether.

[Source: Motor Trend via Autoblog]

Prior to the kick-off of frenzy of press conferences at the Detroit Auto Show, ABG had the opportunity to talk with BMW-North America CEO Tom Purves and another BMW representative. We discussed the company's diesel announcement along with their hybrid and hydrogen plans.

ABG: We're here with Tom Purves this morning and you are the CEO of BMW USA. BMW has got a big announcement today regarding diesel technology coming to the United States. Tom, welcome and would you like to tell us a little bit about what BMW is going to be announcing today.

Tom Purves: Yes, I would be delighted. We, being in the diesel business of course in Europe and other markets for many, many years we have been developing technology which will allow us to sell diesel in all 50 states. Diesel engines that actually would comply with the emission regulations right across the USA rather than just in 48 or 49 states and come the autumn of this year, October this year, we will be actually launching into the market two new vehicles we are showing for the time here.

You can read the rest of our discussion after the jump.

The Detroit Auto Show is open to the public this week. If you're the type of person who really wants to be there, but can't find the time or money to arrive, allow me to present you with a viable alternative. Sure, we already brought you news about the green cars that were revealed or are on display at the show, but sometimes you'd like to just aimlessly wander the aisles and see what you can find, right? If that sounds good to you, here's a way to do just that at your computer. Click on the gallery thumbnails below to begin a journey through 111 images shot by Newspress at the NAIAS. As I was posting these images, I felt like I was back in Cobo Hall. You can feel like you're there, too. Enter any time.

During the hectic press days of the Detroit Auto Show, AutoblogGreen and a small number of other news outlets were invited to a corner of the Riverfront Ballroom at Cobo Hall. The reason for the meeting was the chance to inteview Toyota Motor Corporation Japan's executive vice president, Masatami Takimoto. Takimoto is responsible for ToMoCo's overall research and development, which means he's in charge of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid projects. The hour-long interview touched on these two vital topics, as well as the new 35 mpg CAFE rules, battery recycling, cellulosic ethanol and much, much more. You, too, can sit down (aurally) with Takimoto-san here (1 hour, 43MB). Read on after the jump for details on how Toyota plans to continue making green cars just like Takimoto's pin.

Episode 18 of the Autoblog Green Podcast sees us reminiscing about the North American International Auto Show, recently passed in Detroit. We start with the reconfigured Saturn Vue Hybrid from AFS - the "extreme hybrid" claiming a narrowly defined150 mpg. AFS's claims point up the need for a new way to accurately rate mpg for hybrid and plugin powertrains. We touch on the Chrysler green trio, and Saturn's own Vue Two-Mode - one of three versions of the Vue that will have a flavor of hybrid powertrains (two mode, li-ion/phev, mild).

Everyone in Detroit had a Diesel, too, many displacing 2.2 liters and having four cylinders. We also talk abit about Ford going mainstream with their EcoBoost engine technology rather than trotting out ever larger V8s - big power doesn't always mean big cubes, and EcoBoost is more than small motors with big compressors strapped onto the exhaust manifolds. We wrap up by touching on the news that the ALMS series will see a fleet of Corvettes running cellulosic E85. The rules of the series allow lots of different technologies to run wheel to wheel, so alternative powertrains could be the next area where we see racing improving the breed. 43 minutes, and we're done, thanks for listening!

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If all the AutoblogGreen coverage of the GM-Coskata cellulosic ethanol partnership wasn't enough to satisfy your curiosity about just how these two companies hope to make living green and going yellow that much better for the environment (at least until Coskata gets into the coal-to-ethanol stuff, which a lot of us have questions about), Green Fuels Forecast has a few videos for you. In the clip above, GFF talks with Coskata's Richard Tobey about the technical aspects of the syngas-to-ethanol process.

After the jump, you'll find video interviews with various GM and Coskata representatives (Coskata CEO Bill Roe and GM's Mary Beth Stanek and Candace Wheeler) as well as a DieselForecast interview with the CEO of BMW USA, Tom Purves. Purves talks about how BMW plans to introduce diesel engines to the U.S. market.

[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

The exact wording of the DOE's statement says that the "DOE will participate in a cooperative, pre-competitive research and development alliance – known as the U.S. Automotive Partnership for Advancing Research & Technologies – or USAutoPARTs. ... This $30 million Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) seeks projects that will find solutions to improving battery performance so vehicles can deliver up to 40 miles of electric range without recharging, and address critical barriers to achieving DOE's goal of making PHEVs cost-competitive by 2014 and ready for commercialization by 2016."

Let's see: $60 million in the next three years for cars that will be out in eight. Not bad. More and sooner is certainly going to be heard somewhere on the Internet, but this is certainly good news.

[Source: DOE, AP]

The first video below the fold is Mazda's Director of Design, Franz von Holzhausen talking about the Furai concept at the Detroit Auto Show. The Furai is a racing concept that runs on E100 (100 percent ethanol) and the car's design is inspired by the wind. The video includes a look at a really cool pop-up wing in the middle of the Furai.

The second video below the fold is the Furai on the race track with sounds you really have to hear. You will never believe that's corn ethanol making that noise. Also below the fold is a video that takes a look at the inside of the Furai and its very cool steering wheel.

Related:

• Detroit 2008 Preview: Mazda Furai concept
• Detroit 2008 Preview: Mazda Furai completely exposed

[Source: YouTube]