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By
Bertel Schmitt on November 15, 2011
Back on Friday, Toyota’s Chief Engineer Satoshi Ogiso and TTAC talked about the past of the Prius, and the future of the automobile. Back to the here and now: We also talked about a car that has been a (badly kept) secret until today: A compact hybrid that suddenly makes former miser-meisters (such as the Honda Insight or the Mazda2) look like gas guzzlers. It is the Toyota Aqua, probably called Prius C when and if it lands on other shores. (Read More…)
By
Bertel Schmitt on November 14, 2011
Yesterday, we met Toyota Chief Engineer Satoshi Ogiso in his office in Toyota City. He is responsible for all new technology at Toyota. Yesterday, we talked mostly about the past. Now, we talk about the future.
When I ask Ogiso what car we will be driving in the future, he whips out a chart. It’s a chart which I call “Peak Oil 2.0.” (Read More…)
By
Bertel Schmitt on November 13, 2011
“Look, when we started the Prius project in 1993, we did not even think of a hybrid system for the Prius. We did not set out to build a hybrid. We studied what was needed for the 21st century, and two things were certain: The need to protect the environment, and the need to bring consumption down. That’s all we knew, and you did not need to be a clairvoyant to know it.”
The man who told me this last Friday better become clairvoyant. On Satoshi Ogiso’s shoulders rests the future of Toyota. Ogiso is responsible for all new technology at Toyota. As Chief Engineer, he is in charge of the Prius and its many siblings, he is responsible for plug-in hybrids, EVs, fuel cell hybrid vehicles, anything apart from the aging internal combustion engine is his.
I meet Ogiso at the world headquarters of the (still, officially) world’s largest automaker in Toyota City. (Read More…)
Recent Comments
Beerboy12 - It’s not the roundabouts fault though is it. Poorly placed roundabout is a nightmare, blame the engineer though, not the roundabout.
brio - I drive a 2010 Mercedes C300. I rented a Verano last month. I was impressed. The interior is nicer than my Mercedes and the front seats are wonderful. I...
Lie2me - I know that intersection in Atlanta well. That was a real bottleneck there and I can see a roundabout being a positive to traffic flow. Now, I live in a rural...
E46M3_333 - I suppose you work for free then? Or you have a contract to return your prior pay should the company not turn a profit?
grandprix - Zackman, my story is very similar to yours except I had a ’57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop.It was in good “driver” condition but I was young then &...
Zelgadis - Ah, this is almost exactly like my first car. It was a 1984 Camry DX hatchback. It was a very good little workhorse, though I’m very much...
highdesertcat - doctor olds, I respect your point of view but I just can’t find a way in my own beliefs to share that same point of view. You know, there actually is a...
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