Just when it looked as though the hybrid vehicle competition between Toyota and Honda couldn’t get more intense, Toyota will soon be offering a new hybrid version of its sub compact Toyota Yaris. With the Honda Insight priced lower than the third generation Prius, Toyota will soon offer an inexpensive hybrid based on the subcompact Yaris.
The new gasoline-electric Toyota Yaris will likely be the lowest priced hybrid in the automaker’s lineup. Although Toyota Financing Washington DC says the Prius has long held the position of the highest selling hybrid on the road, Honda has claimed the title of the most affordable hybrid in America, which Toyota hopes to take away from the automaker when the Yaris hybrid becomes available in 2011.
Toyota’s reputation in the hybrid market has largely been untarnished which Toyota Service North Dartmouth proudly points out, despite the plethora of hybrid vehicles from other manufactures. However, Toyota of Bastrop suggests that the decision to move aggressively into smaller and lower-priced hybrid vehicles is an indication that Toyota is concerned of its closest rival and its claims of being the lowest priced hybrid on the road.
Honda launched the 2010 Insight at the same time as the 2010 Toyota Prius. Already the both models have seen popularity in Japan and here in the U.S. according to Los Angeles Toyota dealers, but the competition is likely to heat up even more very soon. By the time Toyota launches the Yaris hybrid, Honda will likely be launching the Honda Fit hybrid, which should be even cheaper than the Insight.
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Read about the latest Toyota hybrid technology on Toyota Dealer News.