Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce 11 new or redesigned hybrid vehicles by 2012, but the carmaker is hardly neglecting the humble internal combustion engine. Turbos and direct fuel injection will be added throughout Toyota's lineup, even in four-cylinder engines and models such as the Corolla and Camry.
Norwegian electric vehicle maker Think has been in business for years, but it's taken a while to enter the U.S. market. Through fleet sales, the automaker has now started up operations at its Elkhart, IN, plant to build 300 of its two-seat Think City electric cars. Fleet customers will be served first, and a retail network will be in place by 2012.
Advanced safety technology has helped reduce annual traffic fatalities. However, experts say there's room for not only more innovations but spreading the technology across all vehicle lines, not just on higher-priced vehicles.
The Dept. of Energy has joined a small but growing group of natural gas vehicle supporters that include T. Boone Pickens and Honda. The Vehicle Production Group is receiving a $50 million conditional loan from DOE to produce a six-passenger car that has a natural gas fueling option.