Ft. Lauderdale, FL – AutoUSA, America’s best source for online customers, is pleased to announce that the brand new 2008 Toyota Prius is an affordable midsize car in the market today.

The brand new 2008 Toyota Prius is a favorite gas electric hybrid vehicle and remains at the top of its class for fuel economy and reliability. It’s a midsize hatchback sedan available in 3 body styles namely Standard, Base and Touring.

The 2008 Toyota Prius delivers exceptional fuel efficiency and has radically less environmental impact, all this without compromising on performance or comfort. Its hybrid synergy drive system is powered by a 76-horsepower, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and two electric motors. The 2008 Toyota Prius produces 110 combined horsepower with its gas engine and electric motor.

All Toyota Prius models are equipped with standard exterior and interior features. For safety, there are seat-mounted side-impact air bags as well as side curtain air bags. Front seatbelts come with pretensioners and force limiters. The Prius also has front air bags and three-point seatbelts for all rear-seating positions. Anti-lock disc brakes with brake assist, traction control, and electronic brake-force distribution all combine to ensure safety to all passengers within the vehicle. Vehicle stability control is optional.

Toyotausablog.com

Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) members pick Camry LE, Camry Hybrid and RAV4 as category winners for the 2007 Canadian Car of the Year. Toyota Trio were given the top honors. Toyota Camry LE won in the Best New Family Car, Toyota Camry Hybrid, in the Best New Family Car, and Toyota RAV4 V6 Sport in the Best New SUV/CUV category.

“Toyota is very happy to accept these awards and on behalf of everyone at Toyota in Canada, I’d like to thank AJAC’s members for these honors,” said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director at Toyota Canada Inc. “The Toyota Camry is North America’s most popular passenger car. The Toyota Camry Hybrid represents an important evolution of gasoline-electric hybrid technology in the second most popular market segment in Canada. And the redesigned Toyota RAV4 will be manufactured in Woodstock, Ontario when our new assembly plant, currently under construction, begins production in 2008.”

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Toyota, the second largest automaker around the globe, is proud to be the presenting sponsor of the recently held Environmental Media Awards. The latter is a prestigious event aimed at promoting awareness of environment issues. The gala event displayed a powerhouse of stars and celebrities from film, music and television.

Previous honorees of Environmental Awards include Daryl Hannah, Cameron Diaz, Edward Norton, and programs like The Simpsons, Grey’s Anatomy, and Lilo & Stitch. “Entertainment is a potent vehicle for raising awareness of environmental issues,” said Dian Ogilvie, senior vice president and chief environmental officer of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “The creative teams who are honored with an Environmental Media Award are inspiring people to think and act in ways that benefit our planet.”

Toyota is the world’s leader in hybrid technology. It has unleashed several hybrid cars to help reduce air pollution. Toyota and its other division called Lexus, offered five hybrids in the United States. These hybrids are for the SUV, midsized sedan, and sports car segments. To sum it up, Toyota hybrid vehicles contribute in saving more than 150 gallons of gas in the United States. Moreover, it has avoided over 3 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Toyota hybrid sales are led by Prius, which has a total of 500,000 worldwide sales in April. For 2006, Toyota is expected to sell more than 100,000 Prius in the U.S. Toyota Prius accessories amp performance parts are now enhanced to boost its new feature dubbed as Hybrid Synergy Drive.

Hybrid Synergy Drive is also integrated in the hybrid version for Toyota Highlander OEM parts. The crossover SUV hybrid with said feature was first introduced at the North American International Show in 2004.

The third hybrid in Toyota’s lineup is Camry Hybrid. The hybrid version for the automaker’s sedan was introduced for the model year 2007 in May 2006. Auto parts for Toyota Camry hybrid uses 4-cylinder gasoline engine woth electric motors to generate a peak of 187 horsepower. Camry Hybrid is also equipped with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The Highlander and Camry hybrids are 70 percent cleaner for smog-forming emissions compared to other average new vehicles of today. “Worldwide, Toyota plans to offer hybrid engines in many of our products and we’ve set a goal of one million hybrids by 2010,” said Dian Ogilvie. “We’ve made a very big commitment to this technology because it gives people a way to drive what they want, but produce fewer emissions and get higher fuel mileage at the same time.”



Toyotausablog.com

A diesel car has beaten the world’s hot-selling hybrid – Toyota Prius – to the top spot in a new government guide to greener motoring, reported Alastair Dalton, a transport correspondent at Scotsman.

The new Volkswagen Polo, which will be rolled out in Britain this October, emits just 99 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, five grams fewer than the petrol-electric hybrid, Prius. The Prius has become synonymous with environmentally minded celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston and Leonardo DiCaprio. But the new Polo Blue Motion could prove even greener.

The Prius, the first hybrid to be mass-produced, has won a number of awards including the Year Japan from 1997 to 1998, the North American Car of the Year in 2004, and the European Car of the Year in 2005. EPA has rated the hybrid at 48 mpg in city driving and 45 mpg on the highway. By far, it is the most economical car sold in the United States.