ˆ VIDEO: 2010 Toyota Prius teaser... now with Blue Man Group

tags : 2010 prius , 2010 prius teaser , 2010 toyota prius , 2010prius , 2010priusteaser , 2010toyotaprius , blue man , blue man group , blueman , bluemangroup , hybrid , hybrid synergy drive , hybridsynergydrive , prius , toyota , toyota prius , toyotaprius , video

Now it begins to make sense: The previous performance art video teasers for the 2010 Prius were made up largely of edited shots from this teaser, with the Blue Man Group restored to its place. This one doesn't make any more or less sense than the previous videos, and there isn't much more to see, but it does offer a couple of chuckles. We would love to see how far you get with that eyedropper, though. Follow the jump to check out the video and see what we mean.
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posted : 12/30/2008 @7:28:29 PM

ˆ Rumormill: Could Lexus become a hybrid-only brand?

tags : alternative , green , hybrid synergy drive , hybrids , hybridsynergydrive , japan , lexus , lexus hybrid , lexushybrid , rumormill , toyota

This could be Japanese-only news, or just a case of bad translation, but Toyota Managing Officer Toshio Furutani has apparently told Japan's Nikkei Business News that Toyota wants every vehicle in the Lexus product line to offer a hybrid option, and that "in the medium to long term, Toyota was considering making the Lexus lineup hybrid-only." That sounds like he could mean Lexus, period, all over the world. But our questions come from the fact that the same report said that the Nikkei listed only the LS and GS models as currently available with a hybrid option, neglecting to mention the RX. And the fact that for Lexus to offer only hybrids in the U.S. would be an eyebrow-arching brand decision. Not that there isn't anyone out there in the market for a hybrid IS-F, but would you really risk it? We'll wait for a follow-up from someone at Toyota, or we'll just assume Furutani's comments were meant for other ears than ours.

posted : 10/15/2008 @8:03:49 PM

ˆ Toyota loses patent appeal for technology in Prius

tags : highlander hybrid , highlanderhybrid , hybrid , hybrid synergy drive , hybridsynergydrive , lexus , lexus rx400h , lexusrx400h , paice llc , paicellc , prius , toyota , toyota highlander hybrid , toyota prius , toyotahighlanderhybrid , toyotaprius

Toyota lawyers arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court today and were denied an appeal to overturn a ruling originally upheld by a federal appeals court in Washington last year. The case involved a technology patent held by a company named Paice LLC, which contended that Toyota used the same microprocessor developed by the McLean, Virginia-based company on its hybrid vehicles that inputs torque information for both the gasoline-powered engine and the electric motor. The $4.3 million dollar award against Toyota will stand, and Toyota is required to pay royalties to the firm to the tune of $25 for every Prius, Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h sold. Ouch. Sometimes the price of success is steep.

posted : 5/12/2008 @11:00:10 PM

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