REPORT: Toyota SAI hybrid coming to Japan later this year
Rumors of a new Toyota Motor Company hybrid called the SAI have been floating around for a few months, but things are looking more likely now than ever. The Kyodo News is reporting that ToMoCo will release the SAI, a new medium-sized hybrid, in Japan later this year. The SAI will be bigger than the Prius and share some structure and looks with the Lexus HS 250h. It won't be a simple rebadging, and Green Car Congress says the price should fall somewhere between the two already-established hybrids.
To prepare for the new hybrid and more sales of current models, Toyota is increasing battery production so that the bottleneck that affected Prius sales can be minimized in the future.
[Source: Kyodo via Green Car Congress]
Image: Japan Car Blog.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rick 4:57PM (8/21/2009)
Looks like a Jetta.
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Chris M 6:18PM (8/21/2009)
Looks like it could be the next Camry.
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skierpage 6:29AM (8/23/2009)
This looks exactly like the Lexus HS 250h, which puts the powertrain from the Camry hybrid in the slightly smaller Toyota Avensis platform which until now was primarily available in Europe. Maybe the "SAI" will have awesome new tech, but from here it looks like Toyota badge engineering.
gerrrg 6:57AM (8/24/2009)
Looks like an attempt to answer the Ford Fusion Hybrid; priced between the Lexus and Prius and larger than the Prius. Apparently, someone got peeved over Ford's claims of highest mileage mid-size sedan.
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