Toyota's Stance On The Greenest Pasture By Dave Nolton At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

For several years now, Toyota’s Prius has been the leader of the hybrid car market and has yet to be defeated in popularity and sales by the countless other competitive brands out there. The trend in Europe, the United States and several Asian countries like China and Japan has been shifting towards entirely electric cars and this sector has seen a massive influx of investments from both the private sector and governments. But Toyota seems to be holding back while other car manufacturers are forging ahead with the launch of cars like the Chevrolet’s Volt and Nissan’s Leaf.

Toyota officially became the largest manufacturer in the world in early 2007, beating the American car giant General Motors, who had previously maintained the leading position from the early nineteen thirties. A car that once symbolized the invasion of Japanese cars in the United States has fared extremely well in the recent US Consumer Assistance Recycle and Save Act of 2009 or more commonly known as the Cash for Clunkers. The incentive was provided to car owners who were willing to trade in eligible cars for new, more fuel efficient, environmentally friendly cars. Toyota came out the winner with two of its models in the top three cars sold in this program, proving the consumer’s confidence in Toyota as a green car manufacturer.

The Prius has long been the symbol of Toyota’s commitment to producing fuel-efficient and eco friendly cars. The name is aptly derived from the Latin word meaning ‘ahead’ [in front, leading; previous, earlier, preceding, prior; former; basic] and when it was launched across the world in 2001, the Prius rapidly became an icon of the new generation of cars to come. Regular people to Hollywood stars bought the car as an expression of their devotion to the cause of a safer planet. However, it took over a decade after its development and initial launch to earn profits from this groundbreaking project.

In the current economic crisis, Toyota has had its fair share of troubles. Despite back to back losses in the last two years, it has performed relatively better than other car manufacturers. However, in turbulent times like these, Toyota seems to have decided on a conservative approach to the new electric car technology and focus primarily on its top performing models, trying to squeeze as much out of the proven and widely accepted hybrid technology. Toyota has learned well from its numerous years of experience in the automobile industry and although skeptics seem to fear that Toyota will loose out when the technology ultimately becomes commercially viable, I doubt Toyota has much to fear.

The basic hurdle in the commercial success of electric cars is the huge change in infrastructure required to support these cars. Electric cars can currently drive sixty to seventy kilometers without a recharge greatly restricting the travel distance. Additionally, there is no standard charging system in place, with various options like plug in recharge and battery exchange being worked on. Experts estimate that it will take at least another ten to fifteen years before an adequate infrastructure is available for a large volume of these cars to be effectively used for daily use.

The fable of the tortoise and the hare would be an appropriate analogy in this case. Despite Toyota’s capability to introduce an electric car in a very short period of time, it has decided to take the conservative path and consolidate its leading position with existing technologies. After all slow and steady will win the race, and the race has far from begun.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=420880&ca=Automotive

Important Notice DISCLAIMER: All information, content, and data in this article are sole opinions and/or findings of the individual user or organization that registered and submitted this article at Isnare.com without any fee. The article is strictly for educational or entertainment purposes only and should not be used in any way, implemented or applied without consultation from a professional. We at Isnare.com do not, in anyway, contribute or include our own findings, facts and opinions in any articles presented in this site. Publishing this article does not constitute Isnare.com's support or sponsorship for this article. Isnare.com is an article publishing service. Please read our Terms of Service for more information.