Japan's top carmaker Toyota Motor Corp will double its production of hybrid vehicles next year to meet high demand in North America, a newspaper report said yesterday.
Toyota will boost its annual production of hybrid vehicles such as Prius, Harrier and Kluger to 500,000 units by increasing output in southern Japan's Fukuoka prefecture and other places, the Asahi Shimbun said.
Production will also be hiked at its plant in Toyota City in central Japan, where the company is headquartered, it said.
PHOTO: AP
Hybrids offer better mileage and reduce pollution and global warming by switching between a gas engine and electric motor.
More planned
Besides the Prius, Toyota has introduced other hybrids and is planning more.
Toyota has said it will begin its first overseas production of hybrid vehicles next year at its plants in the northeast Chinese city of Changchun and the US state of Kentucky.
But a Toyota spokeswoman said the company had not mapped out any specific plans for next year.
"Toyota is making efforts towards the goal of selling 1 million hybrid vehicles worldwide [annually in the future], but we have not specifically decided to raise production to 500,000 units in 2006," she said.
Separately, Honda Motor Co has developed an improved gas-and-electric engine for the new Civic compact set to go on sale in North America, Japan and Europe this fall, the Japanese automaker said yesterday.
Honda's new system
Honda said that a specific mileage estimate for the new hybrid system would not be provided until later this year, but said it is about 5 percent better than current Civic hybrid cars, which deliver about 51 miles per gallon (21.5km per liter) under US highway conditions.
Company officials, briefing reporters at Honda's Tokyo headquarters, also said the new Civic will offer better fuel efficiency than rival Toyota's Prius.
Honda already has developed hybrid versions of its Civic and Accord sedans and makes a hybrid called Insight.
Ford Motor Co has said hybrid versions of its upcoming Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans will be on the road within three years, while General Motors Corp. is planning to introduce a hybrid Chevrolet Malibu in 2008.
Proton's model
Malaysia's national carmaker Proton is working on a hybrid car using an electric motor and hopes to roll it out in less than five years, Proton adviser and former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.
"Proton is actually working hard to produce hybrid cars, we have been working at least for five years, it has not been easy," he told a news conference.
When asked when Proton was expected to unveil the hybrid for sale, he said: "We hope earlier than five years, God willing."
In Singapore, hybrid vehicles combining petrol and electric motors to reduce fuel consumption and emissions have been introduced by some dealers but are not popular among motorists, partly because of their high prices.
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