SEMA eNews, Vol. 9, No. 1 – January 4, 2006 MORE HYBRIDS COMING: OEMS INCREASE PRODUCTION PLANS Thirteen vehicle production plants worldwide are planning to boost their output of hybrid-electric vehicles. Toyota plans to add two more plants in the United States to accommodate their production increase, and Nissan will add an estimated 70,000 units capacity. Toyota says that they will increase hybrid production in their Aichi headquarters plant to 400,000 units in 2006. Adding to the hybrid production increase, Honda is looking at a hybrid output of 60,000 units in 2006, while Ford expects to produce 24,000 Escapes and Mercury Mariner SUVs. By 2007, hybrids are set to appear in BMW, GM and DaimlerChrysler vehicles as well. Finally, the Nissan Altima launch is set for late 2006, and they are projected to yield 20,000 units per year. Source: “Hybrid Production Capacity Surging,†www.WardsAuto.com, www.automotivedigest.com
Carmakers fight to be king of green They woo consumers with fuel-efficient models, from hybrids to quieter and cleaner diesels. Christine Tierney / The Detroit News With all the buzz surrounding hybrids, just about every automaker is trying to carve out a piece of the burgeoning market for environmentally friendly cars and trucks that harness electric power to boost fuel-efficiency -- including some which harbor misgivings about the technology. >> Read More
Frankly, I don't care if people complain that they're doing it for PR. The point is, they're finally making fuel efficient, super low emission vehicles.
Agreed. I don't care if they are doing so for fear of litigation, government action, or slipping numbers. I don't care if they are kicking and screaming the whole way. The fact of the matter is that there are finally efficient, low-emission vehicles commercially available on a wide scale.
