***Disclosure: I solely received an all expense paid trip to attend this media event and I am sharing this for the benefit of my readers. All opinions are my own.***
Hello All!
I was recently given the honor to be invited for a once in a lifetime event for Toyota Motor Corporation in YPSILANTI, Michigan. Yes I went all the way to a place called YPSILANTI for Toyota and I have to say it was the best media trip I’ve ever been on. The event was for their Toyota Hybrid World Tour 2013. It was the first the entire Toyota and Lexus global hybrid line up gathered in one place. It was truly to a sight to see all these hybrids I could only dream of owning. A little fun fact that you may not know about me is I LOVE Toyota cars. I’m not just saying that. I learned to drive on a 2004 Toyota Corolla. I immediately bought that car as soon as I got my drivers license. It’s a car I still drive today and I’ve ONLY OWNED Toyota cars. Honestly, I don’t know what it is but I love their cars and have a strong belief their cars can last you forever. But that’s just my opinion. Ok enough about me…
Promising continued gains in fuel economy, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) Managing Officer Satoshi Ogiso outlined the launch of a new era in hybrid technology with the arrival of the next-generation Prius, while Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) Senior Vice President of Sales Bob Carter issued a challenge for the industry to significantly step up its commitment to hybrids as a core technology.
The company has sold more than 5 million Toyota and Lexus hybrids worldwide. The environmental effect has been an estimated 34 million ton reduction in C02āthe equivalent of taking 4.8 million vehicles off the road for an entire year.
I got to drive all 26 Hybrid Toyota and Lexus cars that are driven around the world. Yes folks I drove on the right side for the first time on this trip and I drove these cars on a race track! I will get into those details later.
I loved driving all the Prius vehicles. Just so you know the entire line is the 1997 Prius, 2013 Prius, 2013 Toyota Prius C (Seen Below in the orange), 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In, and the 2013 Toyota Prius V! Yes there is a Prius V which we of course named the Prius Vanessa as I have to have this car!
āI would like to see us–as an industry–accomplish the same thing in the U.S.,ā said Carter. āThat isā¦5 million hybrids, cumulatively, in the U.S. by close of business 2016. That results in 3 billion gallons of gasoline saved, which is more than enough gas for the entire population of the United States to drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a Prius. Itās do-able. And I think we will do it.ā
Stressing Toyotaās further commitment to industry hybrid leadership, Ogiso announced that āwhen the next generation Prius arrives, it will begin a new era for a broad range of Toyota and Lexus vehiclesā and will be āthe first to introduce a substantially improved family of hybrid powertrains.ā
TheĀ 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In was extremely fun and smooth to drive. It was really surprising as I didn’t expect that from a plug in vehicle. It had some power on it and it has some amazing features. One of my most favorite and coolest features has to be the speed you’re going being projected onto the windshield. You can see it in the picture below. It was like riding in in a space ship. The technology that goes into these cars is fantastic. If I didn’t have to drive a lot here in Los Angeles and I knew where many plug-in stations were this would probably be the next car I actually buy. It’s amazing.
These new hybrid powertrains will deliver significantly improved fuel economy in a more compact package that is lighter in weight and lower in cost. Ogiso said the performance of this new generation of powertrains will reflect significant advances in battery, electric motor and gas engine technologies that are part of Toyotaās larger strategy towards the electrification of the automobile through hybrid, battery electric and fuel cell technologies.
Another car that I drove and loved was the 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid.
I loved that the seats not only cooled you as you sat on them, but they also were warmers as well. And I tell you they worked extremely well!
āThe current Prius has held Americaās fuel economy crown for many years,ā said Ogiso. āIn its three generations, Prius MPG has improved on average by about 10 percent, each generation. The challenge to continue to improve at this rate—to beat your own record—becomes very difficult, but makes it all the more motivating. We are very motivated to beat our record.ā
The next Prius will feature improved batteries with higher energy density ā the relationship between the batteryās output and dimensions. Toyota, already a leader in advanced drive battery technology, has stepped up its research, development and production capacity of both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion and will use these technologies where appropriate in its expanding focus on electrification of the automobile. Toyota has also ramped up development on new battery technologies like solid state and lithium air, as well as devoting resources focused on chemistries beyond lithium, such as magnesium and other low-valence materials.
The Prius V seen below, which again we named the Prius Vanessa was another favorite to dive. It’s pretty much the sleekest family car that you can get. This will probably be our next car as we’re thinking of expanding our family after me and my fiance’ get married and this car would fit our family perfectly.
It’s not only a fuel efficient hybrid, but it’s extremely spacious. It has not only a push button start but a push button park button.
The car that became my new dream car is the Toyota Crown Royal Saloon. Yes Toyota makes a car with The Queen of Swag’s crown on it. I am beyond in love with this car. I literally kept driving it all day. I kid you not. All the other poor journalists were waiting on a bus to go to the airport and I was still driving this car. If I could have put this car in my suitcase I would have taken it home.
Everything in the car was in Japanese, because you can only get this car in Japan. I am seriously devastated about this because if they sold this car in the USA I would honestly save every penny I have and buy this car. When you turn the car on it greets you in Japanese and automatically adjusts the steering wheels and seat to you.
It not only is a hybrid, but it is the smoothest drive I’ve ever had in a car. This car is apparently only given to extremely wealthy Japanese business men and politicians. Not just anyone can get this car. If I ever become very rich I will buy this car and have this car imported. I don’t care that I will drive on the right side of the road. As you can see in the picture below I was over the moon in this car and could care less which side of the car I was driving on. I loved that the crown logo was every where on the car. This was literally The Queen of Swag Mobile come to life. I will dream about this car forever!
I had an amazing time driving these cars on the race track we were taken to. I had never driven on a race track before and as you can see from the video below I found an 80’s radio station and was jamming to my tunes as I drove each car on the race track.
Seeing and driving all the fabulous hybrid vehicles just showcased how far Toyota has come in bringing us the best hybrid cars on the market. Yes they are even making hybrid race cars!
It was a once in a life time opportunity that introduced me to so many of their amazing hybrid cars I never knew existed.
I can’t wait to see what Toyota comes out with next in their Hybrid vehicle line. I can only pray that one day they will bring the Crown line to America.
Regardless after this trip, I will be surely getting a Toyota Hybrid in the near future.
For more detailed information on all Toyota’s amazing Hybrid vehicles visit www.toyota.com.
Welcome!
Comments
These look like great cars!
O.o so many pretty cars!
What a fun experience! I love the cooling seats! I need those!