Hopes high for Japan's hybrid cars
Source: CNN
Hybrid gasoline-electric cars have been getting off to a slow start, but in Japan hopes are high that the latest clean machines will outpace the gas guzzlers.
At Toyota's fifth environmental forum in Tokyo, the carmaker is driving home a simple message -- the hybrid is still hot.
"We have continued to pursue development of hybrid technology as a versatile power source, as the core technology for eco-car development," says Toyota Motor Corp president, Fujio Cho.
Hybrid cars take in both climate-heating gas and eco-friendly electricity, emitting as much as 40 percent less carbon dioxide than the usual internal-combustion engine.
U.S. automakers Ford and General Motors have plans to roll out hybrid cars in the next two years. The only ones on the market today are built by Japan's Honda and Toyota.
Launched back in 1997, Toyota's Prius was the first hybrid on the block. These days, the company is kicking the tires of a new and improved version.
The Prius 2004, analysts say, is bigger, faster and cleaner than the original.
"The next generation Prius is exciting technology. Its proof that hybrid technology can deliver both better performance as well as better environmental protection," Jason Mark, Director at the Union of Concerned Scientists says.
