Toyota’s Green Problem

I bought my first foreign car in 1973 -- a worn out 1969 Toyota Corolla that had a decent 1971 engine installed. The Corolla engine was famous for burning exhaust valves, and I replaced a few (thankfully, I'm a mechanic). However, when I sold the car, with 165,000 miles on it -- it was still running fine. Recall that in Spring of 1973, our oil prices first started to spike due to the first Arab Oil Embargo. I was furiouis at Detriot. If I "babied" my 1968 Impala, I could get 15 mpg @ 55mph. I _routinely_ got 40mpg with my old Corolla. Yes, that car was a "fly-weight," but engine and body technology have surely improved since 1971. No? Can't meet the 35 mpg standard by 2020? Pla-leeze...

I bought my first foreign car in 1973 -- a worn out 1969 Toyota Corolla that had a decent 1971 engine installed. The Corolla engine was famous for burning exhaust valves, and I replaced a few (thankfully, I'm a mechanic). However, when I sold the car, with 165,000 miles on it -- it was still running fine. Recall that in Spring of 1973, our oil prices first started to spike due to the first Arab Oil Embargo. I was furiouis at Detriot. If I "babied" my 1968 Impala, I could get 15 mpg @ 55mph. I _routinely_ got 40mpg with my old Corolla. Yes, that car was a "fly-weight," but engine and body technology have surely improved since 1971. No? Can't meet the 35 mpg standard by 2020? Pla-leeze...

Global warming is a farce and science has proven that!
Our govt has withheld evidence that the warmest year ever recorded was 1934 and 5 of the top 10 were in the 30's...so what does this say...people are stupid not to question these hippy tree huggers...
Fossil fuels may not the best fuel source, but I enjoy getting 17mpg in my tacoma...at least I know its not made by "american" standards and that truck can last my the rest of my life.
So who is going to pay for carbon credits when Al Gore uses his jet to go across the world and has a house that consumes more power than the city it is nearest too....Who is the bigger hypocrit now...

I support toyota in their quest and lawsuit.
Now only if they made a motorcycle, I would be incomplete bliss.
My bumper sticker reads "hydro-carbon powered eco vehicle" and if you dont like it....walk!!!

Is anyone else offended by the Toyota add that shows the father excitedly telling the kids about the new treehouse and the kids are sitting in the van playing video games? They ask if it has bucket seats and some other nonsense then opt to sit in the car all day instead of enjoying the outdoors in their new treehouse! This is a company that claims to be "a part of the greening of America" ? Ok, let's send a message to kids that it's okay to sit in a vehicle, using up lots of energy I'm sure, to pass the time instead of getting outside and playing in a treehouse. I find it to be absolutely hypocritical and disappointing.

Is anyone else offended by the Toyota add that shows the father excitedly telling the kids about the new treehouse and the kids are sitting in the van playing video games? They ask if it has bucket seats and some other nonsense then opt to sit in the car all day instead of enjoying the outdoors in their new treehouse! This is a company that claims to be "a part of the greening of America" ? Ok, let's send a message to kids that it's okay to sit in a vehicle, using up lots of energy I'm sure, to pass the time instead of getting outside and playing in a treehouse. I find it to be absolutely hypocritical and disappointing.

Could it be possible that Toyota is just trying to keep their corner on the market? They are saying that it is not technologically feasible to produce cars that get 43 mpg by 2020, but the Prius proves that it is technologically feasible. However if all cars were required to get that kind of gas mileage then Toyota wouldn't have any advantage in the "green" market. Anyways that???s just a thought that came to my mind when I read this article.

Could it be possible that Toyota is just trying to keep their corner on the market? They are saying that it is not technologically feasible to produce cars that get 43 mpg by 2020, but the Prius proves that it is technologically feasible. However if all cars were required to get that kind of gas mileage then Toyota wouldn't have any advantage in the "green" market. Anyways that???s just a thought that came to my mind when I read this article.

One of the ways Oil corporations convince Americans that oil is the best energy source available is by insisting that current technologies guarantee the safest, cleanest, and most secure means for drilling and transporting oil. The public relations machine run by oil companies is so smooth, it has been successful at staving off government investment in renewable energy technologies, auto industry investment in more efficient automobiles, and attempts to block drilling in America's most serene natural habitats. Again and again we are all duped by this enormously powerful industry that acts as the perpetual victim while reaping the world's largest revenues in history.

http://greenpieceblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/oil-spills-on-2-coasts.html

One of the ways Oil corporations convince Americans that oil is the best energy source available is by insisting that current technologies guarantee the safest, cleanest, and most secure means for drilling and transporting oil. The public relations machine run by oil companies is so smooth, it has been successful at staving off government investment in renewable energy technologies, auto industry investment in more efficient automobiles, and attempts to block drilling in America's most serene natural habitats. Again and again we are all duped by this enormously powerful industry that acts as the perpetual victim while reaping the world's largest revenues in history.

http://greenpieceblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/oil-spills-on-2-coasts.html

I WAS SO PLEASED THAT GREENMOM WASTHE FIRST ONE TO COME AND TELL THE TRUTH.yOU GOT A GOOD CLASS-ACTION SUIT IF YOU GET YOUR FELLOW OWNERS GET UP ENOUGH GUMPTON AND GET TOGETHER.BUT MOST OF THEM WILL NOT ADMIT THEY HAVE BEEN SUCKERED BY TOYOTA.dID YOU GET YOUR TAX DEDUCT FOR BUYING THE LAWN MOWER.eVEN THE U.S.ENERGY DEPT. WAS IN ON THE SCAM,FALSIFYING THE MILEAGE FOR YEARS.NEXT TIME BUY AMERICAN.LAST BUT NOT LEAST .WHEN THE FLASHLIGHT BATTERIES GO BAD.IT MIGHT COCT YOU $4500 TO REPLACE.MAKE THEM SPELL OUT THE WARRANTY,THAT WILL MAKE YOU CRINGE AND CRY AT THE SAME TIME...CAIO

In 1987 I drove a Nissan Sentra that got 42 miles to the gallon. Why, if it was possible to beat 35 MPG then, is it suddenly Impossible now? The only reason anyone is arguing that they can't meet new mileage standards 12 years from now is GREED! And, of course, Toyota is going to side with Detroit. How are they going to distinguish their Prius from the competition if everyone has cars that get at least 35 MPG? Toyota's not concerned about the environment, only about becoming #1.

OK I usually dont like to comment on other comments but feel I must in order to make a point with some writers here. We have a winter home in Central America. Part of the area in our location there is called by the locals, "El arco seco". The dry arch! A swath of land about the size of Massachusetts that experienced desert like conditions and less than moderate rain for decades. But the past 4 years a significant change began and what was a semi arrid place now experiences flooding for over 9 months per year. But according to some of you this is just island reflections and average change. Look, average change to me is something that gradually changes over a period of time. But continuos, cronic and mounting change is drastic and caused by cataclismic uncontrolled events like our excessive dependency and rampant use of fossil fuels. The problem is that some of you are not experiencing the changes and live in areas where the changes are marginal which causes you to believe they are normal. No sir! There is something terribly wrong here and the sooner we start listening to the messengers, the sooner we can begin to correct the problems before its too late. Maybe some uf you are waiting till there is nothing to eat from farmers that cant produce. Then all youll have is that oil drink to fill your bellies up.

I did the "green" thing, thinking it was the "right" thing. I purchased a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, preaching to my teenagers we should all take gas consumption and environmental impact seriously.

I am left holding the Toyota bag with Toyota getting the goods: I get no more than 24 miles per gallon no matter how "hybrid" I drive. I have studied hybrid driving, used forty plus years of good driving record to apply hybrid driving, talked with Toyota service about gas mileage improvement, downloaded fancy Toyota computer interface updates at the dealer, all to no avail. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid will simply not budge from that 24 mpg.

Once, waiting for a red light change, a fellow Toyota Highlander Hybrid driver honked, and yelled out "you getting good mileage on your Highlander?'. Guess I'm not alone on this one. I looked up the "lemon law" for my state, read about how hard it is to prove false advertising by Toyota, and took a pass. Just wish there was a class action suit...

I figure I'm out $6000.00. I figure my kids are out what could have been an excellent learning point on "doing the right green thing" when it comes to our choices in life, even if they cost more upfront.

Green enthusiasts dream of 100mpg vehicles. People in Hell want ice water. These people lack the knowledge to develop such a vehicle so they criticize a company that two years ago could do no wrong. Toyota is not saying they are against reaching those standards, they are saying you can't legislate a timetable for instituting technology that nobody has yet. I love this new way of arguing points. If you are against the war, you don't support the troops. If you vote against raising these standards on MPG, they you must want smog to envelop the globe.

Back on the mileage issue. Mileage can be increased to 100 MPG but its not in the oil producing companies intrest. Thats why the car manufacturers won??t do it. Because it will reduce consumption of fuels. This is bad for proffits! Since the late 50??s car manufacturers have had inventions of fuel system parts that will elevate mileage but have these stored away for perpetuity. Then there is the Hydrogen fuel issue. We could get rid of all the Middle East oil dependency problems in one single assembly line change to use alternative fuels to propel our vehicles and everything that is propelled by oil today. But no that would hurt the proffits and our interest abroad. Thats the bottom line. That is why I remain mostly silent on these issues. Why? Because I know that the human excesses in fossil fuel consumption days are coming to an end soon. Much sooner than anyone thinks. Then the changes to alternative fuels will be forced upon all of us. There will be no choice! Even the die hard car manufacturers will blink on this issue. But thanks to their negligence today, it will cost the world about a Billion and a half of its population as we choke to death in the heat and polluting smoke. Because someone always has to die in order to make believer out of the people that are oppressing the rest of us.