After taking a look at the rather tepid market acceptance so far for pure battery electric vehicles, +TOYOTA has reconsidered its plans for the battery powered iQ minicar. Instead of trying to sell several thousand units a year, they will only sell about 100 examples. Even the plug-in hybrid Prius is falling short of sales targets in Japan, so Toyota will be re-emphasizing its conventional hybrid technology. Several years ago, Toyota pronounced that virtually its entire lineup would be available with hybrid power by the end of this decade and 14 new hybrids are coming in the next couple of years. Toyota also reiterated its plans to launch a hydrogen fuel cell car by 2015.
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This is no surprise. You can't bypass the basics of economics to satisfy some pipe dream. The battery technology and price still are cost prohibitive to most consumers except for a select few. The availability of lithium and the political relationship with the countries that have the largest supplies can be an obstacle to larger production runs which should lower the cost. The marketability of such vehicles is still suspect and Toyota and the other manufacturers know it. This is not "Field of Dreams" Just because you build it does not mean they will come and spend money on it!
This is no surprise. You can't bypass the basics of economics to satisfy some pipe dream. The battery technology and price still are cost prohibitive to most consumers except for a select few. The availability of lithium and the political relationship with the countries that have the largest supplies can be an obstacle to larger production runs which should lower the cost. The marketability of such vehicles is still suspect and Toyota and the other manufacturers know it. This is not "Field of Dreams" Just because you build it does not mean they will come and spend money on it!