Toyota Plans to Sell a €100,000 Fuel Cell Car in Europe by 2015

[2007 Toyota Hybrid X Concept pictured above]

There’s no doubt that Toyota, with its Prius, is the carmaker that made hybrid cars an everyday word in our vocabulary. Granted, other companies like Honda with its first, odd-looking Insight, offered their own models, but it was the best-selling Prius that made hybrid cars popular to the masses. As emission regulations become tougher though, even Toyota is looking for ways to offer even “greener” cars. All-electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf are one option. But Toyota wants to go the extra mile and launch a new fuel cell model in Europe by 2015.
Toyota is not the first carmaker to manufacture a hydrogen-powered car as most major car companies have created fuel cell prototypes. For example, Honda launched the FCX Clarity in 2008, but it is only available for lease for a limited number of customers.
Toyota’s zero-emissions hydrogen car will actually be sold in the European market in four years’ time – albeit again, at limited numbers, since it will have a very high price tag due to its extremely advanced, and thus costly, technology.
"We could expect a fuel cell vehicle to retail at about €100,000 [US$138,000] in Europe," Toyota Europe Vice President for Product Planning & Marketing, Alain Uyttenhoven, told Automotive News.
The Toyota exec, however, does not diminish the importance of hybrid models, on which Toyota has recently decided to base its recovery: “We see pure battery-powered vehicles to be just a solution for small trips in the city, while a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid is the best solution for both weekday urban commuting and weekend trips,” Uyttenhoven added.
Now, 100,000 euros for a futuristic fuel cell car is quite a lot, and Toyota is entering unchartered waters competing with brands that have much more cache, even if their offerings pollute more.
Will the fuel cell Toyota prove to be the Prius of deep-pocketed Europeans? Only time will tell.

PHOTO GALLERY

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Dan Wheldon Car Crash

Wheldon died on Sunday when he was caught up in a stunning chain-reaction crash (AFP/Getty Images/File, Robert Laberge)

CAR NEWS From www.ibtimes.com, As Will Power became mired in the crash that caused the death of his rival and friend Dan Wheldon, he allowed the thought of death to enter his mind.

"Your worst nightmare is to end up airborne and heading toward the catch fence," Power told the Daily Mirror on Wednesday. The catch fence just destroys the car. A lot of guys have had their legs destroyed."

"So, I thought, 'This is it!'"

Speaking three days after the crash that killed Wheldon, Power didn't suffer the same fate. In interviews, Power blamed the setup of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway track, the catch fence and the race speeds as reasons Wheldon died.

From AFP, IndyCar has launched its probe into the crash in which Dan Wheldon died, and hope to have a preliminary report within weeks, the US open-wheel racing series said in a statement.

Wheldon, a 33-year-old English driver who won the famed Indianapolis 500 twice, died on Sunday when he was caught up in a stunning chain-reaction crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in what would have been IndyCar's season finale.

Fifteen cars were involved in the fiery melee on the 12th lap, after which the race was cancelled.

"The entire IndyCar family is saddened by Dan Wheldon's tragic death, and our thoughts continue to be, first and foremost, with Dan's wife, Susie, and his entire family at this incredibly difficult time," an IndyCar statement said.

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Saab Presents New Restructuring Plan to its Creditors

On Monday, Swedish Automobile presented the restructuring plan of Saab Automobile to the company's creditors at a preliminary meeting in Vanersborg, Sweden. Saab’s management informed the creditors about the key points of the reorganization process, which has the support both of the administrators who are overseeing the process as well as future owners Pang Da and Youngman.
The two Chinese companies have committed to provide €50 million (US $69.6 million) in order to fund the restructuring process. They have also pledge to give at least €600 million (US $835.8 million) in 2012 and 2013 to restart production and clear the carmaker of all its debts.
Pang Da and Youngman claim to have made plans to secure Saab’s future existence by expanding its model line-up and setting up new operations in China. Among other measures, the plan also calls for cutting operating costs by reducing the workforce by 500 employees.
The new owners plan to accelerate Saab’s penetration in the Chinese market as well as other emerging countries including Russia. They also want to restart production as soon as possible and reposition Saab as a “distinctive, near premium brand supported by a renewed and broadened portfolio”.
The sales target set for next year is a modest 35,000-55,000 units. For 2013, however, Saab is supposed to ramp up production and sales drastically, practically doubling 2012’s figures to 75-85,000 cars annually.
The next two years are seen by Pang Da and Youngman as “transitional” and they expect Saab to be profitable again by 2014. According to the plan they presented, they aim to vastly increase annual production to 185-205,000 units in the long run.
Somewhere in the statement, though, was a rather interesting statement: “Saab Automobile has not received the funds from Pang Da and Youngman that have been committed for today.”
You can make what you want of that. We sincerely hope that, even though it does sound ominously familiar, this is just a glitch and the deal will eventually go through.

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