2010 Detroit Auto Show

#NAIAS - Hoping to overshadow a recent spate of bad publicity about vehicle quality and safety recalls by focusing on things to come, Toyota announced a U.S. test of its fuel-cell electric vehicle, showed a new dedicated compact hybrid and called for a national effort to develop an alternative fueling infrastructure - all before lunch as the 2010 North American International Auto Show's press preview days got underway this morning.

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Toyota's FT-EV concept will become a production electric car in 2012.
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The company said its call to provide public chargers for battery-electric vehicles and hydrogen stations for fuel-cell cars is based on its belief that consumers will demand more than home-based refueling systems for advanced technology vehicles and want electrically driven cars to offer the same coast-to-coast mobility their gasoline and diesel cars and trucks now provide.
Toyota Motor Sales USA President Jim Lentz also restated the company's intent to to begin a number of other advanced technology vehicle programs including:

• plans to introduce eight new, dedicated hybrids - either all-new models or hybrid versions of existing gasoline-only models;
  
• introduction of its first lithium-ion battery in a plug-in Prius hybrid (right), to be launched this year for fleet testing in the U.S.;
  
• retail sales of plug-in hybrids by 2012;
  
• launch of a battery-electric city car as a 2012 model, also using lithium-ion batteries;
  
• a 100-vehicle test in the U.S. of its hydrogen fuel cell technology;
  
• global retail sales of fuel-cell vehicles in 2015.

Posted by John O'Dell January 11, 2010, 7:50 AM