2015 Lexus ES 300h Hybrid Gets New Infotainment Features

While its Toyota Camry Hybrid sibling gets a significant refresh, the 2015 LexusES 300h cruises into the new year with only minor changes.

For the 2015 model year, the ES 300h gets a handful of small updates, including several new infotainment features.

The standard Display Audio system features a seven-inch touchscreen, which can be divided into three sections to show different types of information simultaneously..

Other features of the new multimedia system include HD Radio with complimentary traffic and weather data, Bluetooth audio, and automatic phone-book transfer. It's also paired with a backup camera

A new optional feature for 2015 is Lexus Enform Remote. This subscription-based service allows owners to monitor and control certain vehicle functions with a compatible iOS or Android smartphone.

2015 Lexus ES 300h

With this feature, owners can remotely lock and unlock the doors, start or stop the engine, set the climate control, and keep an eye on teenagers, friends, or anyone else they might loan their car to.

Rounding out the technology updates are additions to some carryover optional features.

The Remote Touch Interface infotainment-controller knob gets a redesign, the Lexus Enform App Suite gains Slacker and iHeartRadio 4.0 apps, and the Mark Levinson audio system gets a "restoration" feature, for improving the quality of compressed digital audio files.

Besides these new tech features and standard perforated leather upholstery, the the 2015 Lexus ES 300h is essentially unchanged inside and out.

2015 Lexus ES 300h

The powertrain still consists of a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine and continuously-variable transmission, along with an electric motor. Net output is 200 horsepower.

EPA-rated fuel economy is also unchanged at 40 mpg combined (39 mpg city, 40 mpg highway) as is the 8.1-second 0 to 60 mph time.

While the related Toyota Camry Hybrid gets a substantial restyling for 2015, the ES 300h looks the same as it has since it was redesigned for the 2013 model year.

The 2015 Lexus ES 300h is arriving at dealers now.

Source: Green Car Reports

A Closer Look at the 2013 Toyota Camry Hybrid

"Vanilla." Taken in modern context, that's not a compliment, but it should be. Vanilla actually has exotic origins, and as spices go, only saffron is more costly. Despite the realities, calling something "vanilla" is not whistling in admiration. The Toyota Camry has been called "vanilla" countless times since its debut, but both the car and the bean have something up their sleeves.

Scoff all you want, but vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor, and there is no mainstream sedan that outsells the Camry. Apparently, vanilla has an underlying tinge of filthy lucre. We didn't feel rich, exactly, wheeling around in the Camry Hybrid, but we came away impressed, nonetheless.

"When I go to an ice cream parlor for the first time, I always order their vanilla," says Ralph Hannabury. Why vanilla? "When you're making ice cream, everything builds off vanilla. If they have that right, you know they know what they're doing," Ralph explained. Who is Ralph Hannabury? For more than two decades, he made ice cream for Russo's Candy House in Saugus, Massachusetts. Ralph knows vanilla, and good vanilla is hard.

It's the same thing with cars. Supercars are easy compared to a good, bland sedan that starts faithfully every day for hundreds of thousands of miles and exhibits none of the bad habits that are "features" when you're talking exclusive machinery. The Camry is a riot of dispassion to car people, and the Hybrid only moreso with its Hybrid Synergy Drive sopping up whatever visceral treats you can find in the standard Camry.

The Camry Hybrid is understated about its fuel efficiency.

Keeping the recipe metaphor going, even the best ingredients can't stand up to a poor chef. If the seasoning is overbearing or cooking technique flawed, you'll ruin expensive raw materials. With the Camry Hybrid, Toyota proves its skill at making the tricky Hybrid Midsize Sedan Souflee.

The Camry Hybrid is understated about its fuel efficiency. Look once, it's a Camry, just like the thousands of other Camrys that Toyota sells every couple of days. Look twice, it's still just like every other Camry and it's got extra little badges on its front quarter panels. Look a third time and you might notice the Hybrid-specific 17-inch tire and wheel package, but probably not.

Just like every Camry audio system, this one had an unpleasant trebly edge.

The Camry Hybrid interior is more distinctive, with its own gauge cluster, different plastic trim replacing the fake-wood-patterned standard trim, and Hybrid-specific seat fabric in quick-to-dinge ivory or light gray. The Camry Hybrid shares its acoustic glass windshield with the V6 model to keep noise out, and our car had the JBL GreenEdge audio system for making it. Just like every Camry audio system, this one had an unpleasant trebly edge that was only somewhat mitigated by selecting analog-only radio reception instead of the HD Radio default.

Our test car was also equipped with navigation and the Entune multimedia system. Entune is Toyota's answer to SYNC and MyFord Touch from Ford, with app support (apparently using Bing, making restaurant reservations with OpenTable and using movietickets.com to secure access to a matinee) plus weather, traffic, stocks and sports. With all those distractions pumping at you from the 6.1 inch LCD, it's a good thing the Camry Hybrid also has 10 airbags, high strength steel in the B-pillar and rocker panels, electronic nannies like stability control, radar-based Blind Spot Monitor and Safety Connect to call for help when you do wreck.

The dynamic compromises Toyota made for the Camry Hybrid were the right ones.

The tech isn't quite as easy to use as systems like Chrysler UConnect or even the half-reviled MyFord Touch, but it becomes an innocuous part of the experience quickly. Except for that horrible-sounding audio system. It's like they designed in tinnitus from the start. The rest of the interior impressions are the same as other Camrys. The seats are comfortable and decently supportive, the dashboard is topped with stitching in an attempt to class up the joint, though the panel doesn't blend into the doors gracefully and there are a lot of hard plastics around. It's roomy, comfortable, and the trunk doesn't even take much of a hit with the addition of the 244-volt hybrid battery pack, and it's in fact up 2.1 cubic feet over the last-gen Camry Hybrid.

Driving the Camry Hybrid is not going to light any enthusiasts' hair on fire, though it'll put electrons and molecules to work when you mash the throttle all the way to the carpet for a 7.6-second run to 60 miles per hour, slotting neatly between the more-than-fine four-cylinder model and bonkers-rocketship V6. Low-rolling-resistance tires are also low capability tires, so there's little point in trying to achieve thrilling cornering speeds. Driven like a normal person, of course, the dynamic compromises Toyota made for the Camry Hybrid were the right ones.

Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system is flat-out the best implementation of such a setup we've yet to sample.

While it's not a high performance car in the hot rod sense, the Camry Hybrid is a high performer in its own right. Toyota's continued development of its Hybrid Synergy Drive system is flat-out the best implementation of such a setup we've yet to sample in a midsize sedan. The new Ford Fusion is looking to challenge that, but other comers like the Hyundai and Kia twins can't touch the Camry Hybrid's level of refinement, seamless handoff between electric propulsion and gas engine, and isolation from the judders of engine stops and starts.

The gas engine is a larger 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder with more torque than before. It's been tweaked with a water-cooled EGR system that reduces the temperature of exhaust gas that gets re-routed to the intake to control emissions, a move that was previously accomplished by enriching the mixture. The new way saves more fuel, and the Hybrid Synergy drive system has been tweaked to increase efficiency by reducing transaxle losses, improving motor control, and an EV Drive mode has been added this time around, too. Toyota rates the net power from the electric and internal-combustion sources at 200 horsepower, which is more than plenty when you consider the surprisingly svelte 3,190 sub-3,500 pound curb weight and slick 0.27 drag coefficient.

The Camry Hybrid is exceptional for its normality.

That EV Drive mode only lasts for 1.6 miles, and if there's a hill in the way, forget it, you're not getting far without firing the motor. There's still the ECO mode you can select if you want to really be infuriated by unresponsive controls, too. When you just treat the Camry Hybrid like a normal car, i.e. stick it in Drive and go, only the brakes give away the hybrid-ness. Even at that, Toyota's got the regen-to-friction braking switchover very well managed.

The regular Camry isn't a standout in any category, while the Camry Hybrid is exceptional for its normality while returning EPA fuel economy estimates of 43 miles per gallon city, 39 mpg highway in LE trim, which drops to 40/38 in XLE guise. Our highway-heavy drive cycle returned us 38 mpg, bang on the estimates. Or, you could get a diesel Passat. There is only one car that offers the Camry nameplate and this kind of fuel economy, and that's the Camry Hybrid, and it's perhaps the most outstanding Camry of all.

Source: Autoblog

A Closer Look at the 2013 Toyota Camry

The 2013 Toyota Camry carries on a long-standing tradition of giving buyers exactly what they want, with no surprises, at a price that’s affordable for consumers across multiple demographics. Yes, there are more stylish and more entertaining family sedans on the market, but few rival the Camry’s long-standing reputation for value and bulletproof reliability.

That’s not to say that the 2013 Toyota Camry is a compromise filled with mediocrity. Redesigned for the 2012 model year, the latest Camry variant offers up an impressive array of amenities, luxury touches and even a degree of driving enjoyment that seemed to be absent from earlier models. While exterior updates are best described as “evolutionary,” the interior of the latest Camry is a significant improvement over the previous model. There’s more attention to detail inside, coupled with higher-quality  materials and a stylish double-tiered instrument panel. Interior corners are pushed outwards, too, giving the 2013 Camry a spacious and airy feel within the cabin. Thinner front seats further add to rear seat passenger leg room, making the new Camry a better choice for those who regularly haul second-row passengers.

While Toyota builds the Camry with a range of engines (including a 2.5-liter four cylinder and a 3.5-liter V-6), those focused on fuel economy will want to opt for the Camry Hybrid, as it delivers both impressive fuel economy and reasonable performance. The Camry Hybrid blends a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a continuously variable transmission to deliver 41 mpg combined (39 mpg city and 43 mpg highway) in LE trim. Opt for the range-topping Camry Hybrid XLE, and the fuel economy dips slightly to 40 mpg combined (38 mpg city and 40 mpg highway) due to the car’s larger wheels and tires. With a combined output of 200horsepower, acceleration is more than sufficient no matter which Camry Hybrid version you choose.

Opt for the four-cylinder 2013 Toyota Camry, and the fuel economy drops to 28 mpg combined (25 mpg city, 35 mpg highway), while the more powerful V-6 version returns just 25 mpg combined (21 mpg city, 30 mpg highway). Of these two, our preference is for the four-cylinder version, which feels a bit livelier than four-cylinder Camry models past. Still, if your budget allows, we’d encourage you to shop the Camry Hybrid over the other available drivetrains.

Ride comfort has been improved across all models, and the list of available and standard features has been upped as well. All trim levels now get Bluetooth phone connectivity, as well as a touchscreen audio system, Bluetooth audio streaming, an iPod interface and a USB port. Available options include a voice command-based navigation system, JBL audio and Toyota’s Entune connectivity system, which allows users to take advantage of apps like Pandora.

If safety is a concern, the 2013 Toyota Camry scores well in most tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives the car its Top Safety Pick status, but in the agency’s latest test (the small frontal-overlap crash test) the 2013 Toyota Camry received a rating of “poor.” The NHTSA gives the latest Camry five stars overall, with only the frontal-impact crash test returning a four-star result instead of a perfect score.



Source: Green Car Reports

Hybrid taxi drivers find fuel efficiency paying off after Sandy

One of the major side effects of the power outrages in New York and New Jersey following hurricane Sandyis gas stations' difficulty getting fuel to customers. Shortages have led to seemingly endless gas lines, and in all of this, hybrids have shown their inherent value.

Business Insider says that hybrids are proving to be advantageous for many New York City taxi drivers. The NYC cab fleet is currently a mix of hybrid vehicles and comparatively fuel-hungry Ford Crown Victoriasedans. According to the report, at many taxi companies, cars are assigned to drivers first-come, first-serve, so what they're driving on a given day comes down to the luck of the draw.

One cab driver said that refueling a the V8-powered Ford costs about $45 a day, while the the hybrid taxis can go a couple days before needing to gas up. It's suspected that the Crown Vic drivers, forced to go to great lengths to refuel, will not be reimbursed for their efforts.

Source: Autoblog Green

Toyota starts making, selling Camry Hybrids in Taiwan

PRESS RELEASE

Toyota City, Japan, February 16, 2012-Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces that its production affiliate in Taiwan, Kuozui Motors, Ltd. (Kuozui), today marked the start of production and sales of the "Camry Hybrid" in Taiwan.

Production of the Camry Hybrid at Kuozui's Kuanying Plant in Taiwan's Taoyuan County began on February 15, making the plant Toyota's seventh hybrid-vehicle production site outside Japan. Initial annual production is set at approximately 7,000 vehicles, to be the exclusive supply of the domestic market.

Sales of the vehicle, ranging in price from 1,069,000 to 1,399,000 Taiwan dollars, began today.

Marking the development, Kuozui President Haruaki Hoshino said: "We are very proud to begin production of the state-of-the-art Camry Hybrid at our Kuanying Plant. With environmental and energy-conservation consciousness in Taiwan rising every year, we hope to supply the Taiwanese market with as many hybrids as possible."

TMC considers addressing environmental issues to be one of its most important management tasks and is actively working to promote hybrids and other environment-friendly vehicles. At the end of 2011, global cumulative sales of TMC-produced hybrid vehicles reached approximately 3.6 million units.

Overview of Kuozui Motors, Ltd. (as of January 31, 2012)

Establishment		April 1984
Location		Jungli City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan
Chairman		Su Yannhuei
President		Haruaki Hoshino
Capital ratio		TMC: 65%
		Hotai Motor (a joint venture of Taiwanese investors, TMC and Hino Motors): 30%
		Hino Motors: 5%
Capital		3.46 billion Taiwan dollars
Employees		Approx. 4,000
	Plant	Jungli Plant (Jungli City)	Kuanying Plant (Kuanying)
	Start of production	August 1986	March 1995
	Products	Corolla	Vios, Yaris, Wish, Innova (IMV*), Camry, Camry Hybrid, others
	Site area	227 square kilometers	336 square kilometers
	Production capacity	100,000 units/year	65,000 units/year
*A project aimed at creating an optimal production and supply network on a global scale; the project consists of three pickup trucks, a minivan and an SUV.

Black Friday worth it for hybrid and EV buyers?

Here’s the good news. Black Friday shopping deals are coming to a dealership near you, in a trend that is gaining strength according to industry observers. Besides, it’s the end of the month and the end of the year — time to offload old product to make room for 2012 models — so Black Friday and auto deals just make sense.

But, here’s the bad news. The top deals expected heading into the end of this year will mostly be found in the gas-guzzler segment.

Still, if you’re seriously in the market for a new hybrid, this Black Friday is worthy of some car shopping.

Heading into the new year, Forbes has put together a list of the best end of year deals. While most of the vehicles on the list are large gas-guzzlers, that doesn’t mean extra special hybrid deals won’t be found this Friday.

According to the AutomotiveNews, for example, many dealerships will be trying special deals this Friday. So, while you might not get a super low price on a new Toyota Prius, for instance, you might be able to qualify for special financing or some other kind of incentive. Of course, some dealerships might make one-of-a-kind deals on a Prius or other hybrid vehicles this Friday.

In particular, I’d probably check out the Ford Escape hybrid and the Nissan Altima hybrid, since neither will be produced in 2012. Unfortunately, I’m not sure there are many of those hybrids left out there.

Likewise, I think the 2011 Toyota Camry hybrid is also worth a look since the 2012 Camry hybrid is simply a better car for the money. However, according to Consumer Reports and others, the 2011 Camry hybrid is a great vehicle, so if you can negotiate a deal — at least a few thousand below 2012 Camry hybrid pricing — I’d pull the trigger.

Anyway, if you don’t like lines and avoid Black Friday like the plague, I’m sure the crowds at your local car dealership will be far less annoying. And you might just find an unbelievable deal.

Source: Hybridcar Blog

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Review

The new 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid achieves EPA gas mileage ratings of up to 43 mpg city, 39 highway—which, if you need to haul a full family of five or even four adults, makes it possibly the greenest roomy sedan pick on the market. For that reason, the 2012 Toyota Camry lineup achieves an excellent 9 out of 10 rating here at GreenCarReports.

While the entire 2012 Toyota Camry lineup has been redesigned for 2012, it's the Camry Hybrid that gets the most substantially redesigned powertrain. Toyota has reduced the size of the battery pack and allowed a larger trunk than before, while the Hybrid Synergy Drive system gets many of the improvements from the latest Toyota Prius—resulting in improved responsiveness, better drivability, and smoother, more reassuring braking. The Camry Hybrid also inherits the latest Prius' Eco Mode and EV Mode—the latter allowing the Hybrid to go a half-mile or more on electric power alone.

But the rest of the Camry lineup isn't so bad either for green-minded shoppers, either. All four-cylinder models are now up to 25 mpg city, 35 highway—matching or beating the base-engine Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata. And if you opt for the V-6, ratings are up 1 mpg this year, to 21/30.

Across the lineup, the Camry clearly prioritizes comfort and interior space over sexy styling. With its soft ride, roomy interior appointments, and reputation for reliability, resale value, and other frugal factors, it's a smart choice for families looking to get the most for their money as well as go green.

Those interested in the Hybrid should find more options at the dealership, too. For the first time, for 2012, the Camry Hybrid is offered in more than one trim level; Hybrid LE models come with dual-zone automatic climate control and a SmartKey system, while the XLE gets alloy wheels and leather.

Source: Green Car Reports