Driving better cars can only be part of the solution, which needs to include better development patterns and supporting systems so we can drive cars less. But since many of us do in reality drive a lot, better cars can help.
I also feel that when big corps. do something relatively good, introducing a new car design with significantly reduced resource imapcts, it is a good idea to support those directions. In this spirit I asked Toyota for information about the introduction of their Prius hybrid gas/electric 4-door sedan to the US. Today I got this general update which might be of interest:
Thank you for your interest in Toyota's Prius!
We are pleased to have you among the 17,000 people who have inquired
about Prius and the Prius Demo Program. As part of the Demo Program,
prototypes of Prius, the world's first mass-produced gasoline/electric
hybrid vehicle, will be driven for a month by families in cities across
the U.S. Toyota also asks participants to join in market research and
public relations activities. The input gathered in this program will
help to make the Toyota Prius right for the American market when it goes
on sale next summer.
THE TOYOTA PRIUS MAKES IT EASY TO BE "HIGH TECH" AND GREENER
This 4-door sedan, already on sale in Japan, gets significantly better
gas mileage than conventional cars and reduces emissions to one-tenth of
the legal requirement there. (The U.S. version is targeted to meet SULEV
emission standards.)
Since June, Toyota has conducted the Prius demonstration program in four
major cites: Irvine, CA, Seattle, WA, Sacramento, CA, and Chicago, IL.
Our Atlanta, GA demo is now in progress. If you are selected as a
finalist for the Prius Demo Program, then you will be contacted by
e-mail and/or telephone to set up an in-person interview with our Prius
Demo team.
CHAT ON LINE WITH PRIUS DEMO PARTICIPANTS ON NOVEMBER 11!
We're also excited about a special Prius chat session on the Internet.
To hear first-hand from some of the Demo Program participants about
their Prius driving experience, log on to
http://www.talkcity.com/events/chat/toyota on Thursday, November 11,
from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time).
VISIT THE "PRIUS PROGRESS" WEB PAGE
We have created a web page--available through November 25--for people
like yourself who are interested in learning more about Prius. Click on
the following link to read about the Demo Program, Prius design, plus
more. http://toyotarequest.programhq.com/Prius/index.html
Thank you for your interest and support in helping to make Toyota a
leader in technologically advanced transportation that reduces the
impact to our precious environment.