SHOW CARS

Toyota Hybrid Car

Hybrid cars are becoming more mainstream as Toyota have perfected their Prius model since it first went on sale in Japan in 1997. Now, twelve years later the contemporary Prius has evolved into something most people would be happy to own. In Japan today buyers have to wait for four months from the time of ordering for delivery of their new Prius. The domestic demand is so high Toyota are restricting international exports to a controllable level.

There is no doubt Toyota are the world leaders of motor vehicle manufacture and while other countries like Korea, China and India are developing their own vehicle manufacturing industries it will be a very long time before any fledgling manufacturer will get to the point of knocking Toyota off their perch. In addition to their manufacturing arm Toyota are committed to research and development in a major way; something that will help keep them at their number one market position for a long way into the future.

I made my first trip to Japan to buy motor vehicles for the New Zealand market in 1998 and was intrigued at these unusual cars which at the time were being introduced into the Japanese domestic market. I had never seen any thing like them. I made a point of studying the Prius motor car as it evolved from those early days and was impressed by the fact that it was Toyota who developed the original hybrid vehicle and it was Toyota who was evolving the concept through their newer and more up to date models. As the years passed the Prius hybrid began growing legs in other markets around the world until today where there are waiting lists to buy them by those eager to attain ownership of these now highly respected motor vehicles.

As I traversed the Japanese motor vehicle auctions over the years it was interesting to see the likes of Honda and others introduce their hybrid concepts; but it was very obvious who they were following and that was Toyota.

The world is changing and wants different things than were used by past generations; this is particularly true of automotive transport. With environmental issues, fuel economy and safety factors all part of the modern motor vehicle design equation the hybrid car has an important role to play in vehicle supply for the foreseeable future. Other technologies will evolve as time moves on but meanwhile the hybrid car is a popular choice for the motorist of the early 21^stcentury.

Given all of this it makes sense for the contemporary motorist to find out a little about these hybrid motor cars so they have a little knowledge when it comes to shelling out their hard earned money to buy one. There are horror stories out there where buyers have made the wrong choice in their hybrid purchase and have paid a huge price in problem rectification. This is particularly true for people wanting to buy in the used hybrid market. Only last week I was talking to an unfortunate used hybrid buyer who was in process of having the battery in his hybrid replaced. He was telling me that he went to a workshop that supposedly knew all about hybrids to get the battery replacement. He paid big money, drove out the door and only a week later was back at the same repair shop with major ongoing problems associated with the electrics of his once loved hybrid car. This man’s enthusiasm for the ‘clean green hybrid machine’ quickly waned as his joy of ownership turned to frustration and his monetary savings achieved from the low running costs the hybrid boasted were swallowed up and replaced by indebtedness far exceeding what it would have cost him to run a normally aspirated motor car of the same year and capacity. All is not what it seems sometimes and this is particularly true if you buy a bad hybrid motor car.

There is a point here worth noting. Hybrid motor vehicles need specialists to repair them. In addition to that special and unique tools are required to do the work. It is an expensive exercise to set up a shop to do service and repair work on the hybrid motor vehicle. The fact of the matter is no general repair shop is equipped to repair or service hybrid cars no matter what they tell their clients. Therefore, if it’s a hybrid car you want it’s a specialist hybrid car service centre you will need to do the service and repair work on your motor vehicle; no exceptions. You will pay a high price for the privilege but this will be your only exposure. On the other hand, go for the cheaper option and use a shop that has no specialist hybrid car service and repair equipment yet tells you they can do the work and you could pay a much higher price in the whole scheme of things; this is almost guaranteed.

Whether or not you are in the market to buy a hybrid motor vehicle I suggest getting a little education about them is a good idea. There are many places you can find out information; the internet is a great place to start. Free information is available although since you get what you pay for perhaps a little investment in education is the better option.

Hybrid4us is a website that has available a very good ebook which is not expensive and available as a download from the website; I would say a worthwhile read for any body considering ownership of a hybrid motor car today.

I look forward to the newer hybrid models as they are introduced to the market over the years to come. For me the Japanese market is where the future in hybrid motoring has evolved in the last ten or twelve years in particular and I have no reason to think this situation will change in the short term at least.

John Porteous
Auckland
New Zealand