Toyota Camry

Joe Thompson asked:


In September this year, the new 2008 Honda Accord will hit showrooms. The hybrid version of the popular midsize sedan though will not be making an appearance as Honda announced that it will be discontinuing the production of its Honda Accord Hybrid units. A spokesman for the company announced the news following the sales report of the company in the United States which reflected the dwindling sales figures of the hybrid.

“We have found that our hybrid system works better on smaller cars,” says Chris Naughton speaking for the second largest Japanese car manufacturer.

The use of hybrid technology became popular when the price of gasoline started skyrocketing. Hybrid cars use an electric motor to provide assistance to an internal combustion engine. For smaller cars, the use of electric motors means that during low-power operation, the engine is turned off while the electric motor powers the car. This translates to increased fuel economy as the electric motor gets its power from a high power output battery pack.

For larger cars though, the use of a hybrid powertrain is mainly to give the car a better performance. The additional power provided by an electric motor increases the power and torque output of a car. But with this application, the electric motor is not used alone. This means that the fuel savings is less than when a hybrid powertrain is used on a smaller car.

The slight increase in fuel economy led Honda car buyers to opt for the conventional Accord than the Accord Hybrid. Owing to the added electric motor, battery pack and modified engine parts, the Honda Accord Hybrid is priced more than the conventional Accord. With a difference of 6 miles in terms of gas mileage rating, the higher price of the Accord Hybrid does not justify its fuel economy according to Honda car buyers.

Honda though promised that they will be coming up with a hybrid vehicle which is not a version of their popular car models such as the Civic Hybrid. The company announced that the hybrid car will be released in 2009. According to Honda, the vehicle will be smaller and less expensive than the current Honda Civic Hybrid.

The Honda Accord is a bigger than the Civic and is equipped with a bigger engine than its direct competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Accord hybrid uses a V6 engine unit with an electric motor which produces 253 horsepower. This increase in power though is second only to the consideration of car buyers as they are looking for fuel efficient cars which can justify the higher price of hybrid vehicles.

The Toyota Camry, on the other hand, is equipped with a smaller four-cylinder engine which returns more miles for a gallon of gasoline. This makes the Camry a better choice for many car buyers. Last month, 14 percent of all hybrid vehicles sold in the United States auto market were Camry Hybrids. The Honda Accord Hybrid only managed to corner 1.4 percent of the hybrid vehicle market.

After the announcement that the Accord Hybrid will be dropped from Honda’s lineup, there were speculations that Honda will be introducing a diesel version of the Accord. According to auto industry experts though, Honda will likely wait for Volkswagen or Mercedes-Benz to test the United States auto market for its reception of diesel cars.



Roland

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


When it comes to car buying, a lot of people consider the different attributes of a vehicle. Others are looking for a new vehicle with good performance while others put more value on comfort. Some buyers are after the exterior design of a vehicle while some are looking for vehicles loaded with features. There are also those whose choice of vehicle depends on its safety. But one thing that all consider is a vehicle’s reliability. And when it comes to reliability issues, Toyota is tops - that is, until this year.

Consumer Reports recently reported that Toyota’s vehicles’ reliability has declined. This comes after years of the Japanese automaker’s leadership in the industry when it comes to reliability. The Consumer Reports 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey shows that consumers are now finding Toyota vehicles less reliable than their ancestors. In contrast, Ford’s vehicles have received good marks from consumers.

The most popular Toyota nameplate, the V6 variant of the Camry received a dismal and surprising below average rating in terms of predicted reliability. The Camry has been redesigned fore 2007 and it has always been Toyota’s best selling vehicle. It has been known through the years as a reliable car. The redesign though may have had negative effects on the reliability of the car.

Aside from the 2007 Camry, the redesigned and beefed-up Toyota Tundra also received a below average rating in reliability. The four-wheel drive V8 version of the full-size pickup truck received the dismal rating. Even Lexus’ all-wheel drive variant of the GS sedan received a below average rating. Since Consumer Reports does not recommend any vehicle with a below average rating, the three variants are no longer on the prestigious “Recommended list” of Consumer Reports.

Although reliability of aforementioned variants dropped below average, the automaker in general is still third in the overall reliability ranking. That includes Toyota’s luxury division Lexus and its youth brand Scion. The Japanese automaker ranked below fellow Japanese automakers. Honda is ranked as the producer of the most reliable automobiles. Subaru, the makers of the durable Subaru ignition coil, spark plugs, and spark plug wires is ranked second.

Toyota Motor Sales Executive Vice President Jim Lentz had this to say in response to the Consumer Reports announcement: “Over all, this survey reflects well on our products. However, we’re taking measures every day to continue to sharpen quality and enhance customer satisfaction.” Being on track to become the largest automaker in the world, Toyota has been stepping up its production output. It is only normal for automakers to have problems with quality control after a huge boost in production. Thus Toyota is expected to bounce back from this minor stumble.

In the past, redesigned Toyota vehicles have been recommended by Consumer Reports due to the automaker’s track record. The Auto Channel reported that even if Consumer Reports have insufficient reliability data for a new vehicle, it still recommends redesigned Toyota, Lexus, and Scion nameplates due to the aforementioned reason. But with the amount of Toyota recalls this year, Consumer Reports gave the redesigned Toyota vehicles below average reliability scores. If Toyota can bounce back to its trademark stance in terms of reliability, Consumer Reports may bring back its policy to recommend the automaker’s newly redesigned vehicles.



Sheila

Viet P asked:


I need to tell the differences between the two Toyota cars - the Camry and the Aurion.

Janet