Hybrid Camry Goes On Sale In May - MSRP $25,900 - 40/38 MPG

[hatrack]

Toyota Motor Corp. announced it has priced its new 2007 Camry hybrid — a gasoline-electric version of America’s most popular car — at $25,900, $5,400 more than the gasoline-only Camry.

Preliminary estimates place the hybrid at 40 miles per gallon in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, Toyota said in a statement Monday. That compares to 24 (city) and 34 (highway) mpg for the four cylinder gasoline-only 2007 Camry.

The Toyota Prius, the best selling hybrid on the market, is rated at 60 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway.

The Camry hybrid has a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine yielding 187 horsepower when combined with the electric motor. In contrast, the 2006 Honda Accord hybrid is more powerful, producing a combined 253 hp with its 3.0-liter, V6 engine. But the price tag is $5,000 more, at $30,990, and the Accord hybrid gets lower mileage, 25/34 mpg.

EDIT

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12048551/

[TreasonousBastard]

1. And, as with the Prius...

fat chance you're gonna find one at that bottom sticker price. With a waiting list, people are paying over 30 grand for the Prius, so what's the real price for a real car?

A diesel Jetta will give you that kind of mileage, and run on biofuel.

[jpak]

2. A 2004 Echo goes for ~10K and gets 37-41 mpg

The best gas mileage deal on the market????

[Dead_Parrot]

3. Hey, I manage

~34 Mpg out of my '93 Nissan Pulsar. Plus I get to spend the othe 9k on something else... :)

[JohnWxy]

4. And,,,,if you are able to find 10% or 15% ethanol blend you would be

contributing to a decrease in imported oil!! - For those who would like to help make a difference but can't afford to buy a new car or can't afford the extra $5,400 for the hybrid. Any car that runs on gasoliine can use ethanol 10% or ethanol 15% - no modifications required.


Of course, if we had a policy to promote the production and availability of ethanol (NOT just rhetoric but actual funding (e.g. low rate Govt loans) to accelerate building of ethanol production capacity), more of us could be doing that, and gradually, but immediately (as opposed to waiting till you can buy a hybrid) reducing use of a fossil fuel (less GHGs) and demand for imported oil.:patriot:

....something to think about ... and possibly email your Legislators about!

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Almost non-existent in NZ...

Although plans to get 2PJ of transport energy from ethanol are in place, and the excise laws have been tweaked to alow it's production without customs taking an interest, it hasn't picked up yet. It's wait-and-see time...

[TreasonousBastard]

5. 40mpg highway on my...

old 96 Corolla wagon with the 5-speed.

Now I get 35mpg in a 2000 Saturn LS1, pretty much the same as some people I know with 4 cylinder Accords. The LS1 and Accord are reasonably sized cars for my aging ass, unlike the old Corolla or newer Echo.

[Beaverhausen]

7. I paid sticker price for my Prius.

and don't forget, there is a $3000 tax credit with the purchase of hybrids so the higher cost isn't really so bad.

And emissions is virtually zero...another benefit.

[JohnWxy]

8. emissions virtually zero?? I believe you are still burning gasoline

in that car so there would still be emissions proportional to the amount of gasoline you are burning.

...... that is, until they build a hybrid FLexible Fuel Vehicle which would burn Ethanol 85 then you really would be reducing emmissions!


Of course, nothing to stop you from using ethanaol 10% in your gasoline engine. This would give you some additional reductions in fossil fuel usage! REmember every bit of fossil fuel you do not burn is less fossil fuel we import:patriot:. Which not only helps the environment but will strengthen our economy and increase our security! :-) (no more lives for oil!)

[Beaverhausen]

9. oh I'm sorry- I'm at 10% of most other cars

http://www.toyota.com/prius/
go here and click the link where it says:
Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV)
to see the chart


Emission levels
Hybrids are typically certified to very stringent tailpipe emission levels defined by the California Air Resources Board. Beginning in 2004, both California and Federal emissions rules transition to more stringent levels known as LEV II and Tier 2, respectively. The table below compares the 2004 fleet averages in California and Federally to the Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) and Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standards. Also added is a new Federal standard called Tier 2/Bin 3.


Every 2006 Prius sold in the U.S. is mechanically equipped to meet the California SULEV <1> emission standard. However, since gasoline available outside of California is not as clean burning, Prius is certified to the Tier 2/Bin 3 standard for federal emissions compliance.
California has adopted a new designation for vehicles with SULEV <1> exhaust emissions, zero fuel evaporative emissions, 150,000-mile emissions durability and an extended emission systems warranty. Vehicles certified to meet these requirements are referred to as Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicles (AT-PZEVs). <2> Every 2005 Prius sold in the U.S. is mechanically equipped to meet the California AT-PZEV <2> emission standard. However, they are only designated as AT-PZEVs <2> in California and states having adopted the California regulations.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. You're lucky, but what ...

was the sticker? Loaded with every option available?

Anyway, I have nothing against the Prius and think it's a great car. I just did the calculations a while back and when I was putting 50-75,000 miles a year on the car in my job, I was still way ahead buying a used 35mpg car than a new Prius.

Admittedly, I wasn't doing that much to save the planet, but I wasn't hurting it that much more, either.

[Beaverhausen]

12. Did you see this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=45916

I didn't get a "loaded" Prius. I got a mid-range model.

And it's important to me to support new technologies by buying that car, it's important to me that the emissions are so low, and I actually love the car itself. I also get some $$$ perks such as a percentage point off the loan because it is a hybrid, and I get $$$ every month from my company's "environmental initiatives" program. Win-win-win.

[skids]

11. Cripes there they go again... not $5,400

Here's the price breakdown for the Camry:

The 2007 Toyota Camry will roll into dealerships in March at a lower base price than last the current iternation, but the higher-end models are set to get dearer. At $18,270, the base Camry will be $175 less than the 2006 base, while the SE starts at $20,790 (up 2 percent). The loaded 4-cylinder XLE sedan, complete with premium sound and other perks, will cost $24,425 (up 7.2 percent), while a loaded V6 XLE will be $27,520 (a 6.6 percent increase).

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/25/2007-toyota-camry-pricing-announced/

OK, now let's compare the sticker price of the hybrid with the equivalent feature set.

What features does the hybrid have? Compare that list to the feature set in this here PDF file --
the hybrid is on the second page. Note the number of options that are in the hybrid, but optional on the LE and even SE models. The hybrid even has a few options only available in the XLE.

http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicles/2007/camry/features.pdf

Oh, and we shouldn't forget to mention:

The first half of the Camry Hybrid drivetrain is a 147 horsepower version of the standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. The second half is a 105-kW electric motor and 244-volt battery pack that delivers a peak of 45 hp. The battery pack consists of 34 nickel metal hydride modules, each of which contains six 1.2-volt cells. Run it all through a continuously variable transmission, and it adds up to 192 horsepower, versus the standard ed- (4 cyl) Camry's 158 hp. For a point of comparison, the Camry Hybrid moves from 0 – 60 in about 9.4 seconds, nearly a second faster than the Prius.

http://www.hybridcars.com/camry.html

Granted this is partially Toyota's fault for not producing a low-option-count hybrid. They have their reasons, good or bad. But for the rags to go around touting a $5,400 "additional price tag" for the hybrid drive system, when that system comes bundled with an uber-stereo system and a bunch of other goodies is FUD.