Thu, 24 May 2007
Toyota Motor Corp. said on Wednesday it will start selling two
vehicles that can run entirely on ethanol in Brazil, a first for the
Japanese auto giant which has invested heavily in eco-friendly cars.
The Corolla Flex and the Corolla Fielder Flex will be put on sale from
this Friday by Toyota's subsidiary in Brazil, where ethanol is already
widely used as a fuel thanks to an ample supply of local sugarcane.
They are the first models to be marketed by Toyota that can run on up
to 100 percent ethanol, the company said in a statement. All other
Toyota vehicles can run reliably on petrol mixed 10 percent with
ethanol.
Brazil is the world's second-biggest producer of ethanol after the
United States and more than 80 percent of its vehicles can run on
ethanol, either mixed with petrol or pure.
Toyota aims to sell 2500 Corolla Flex vehicles and 750 Corolla Fielder
Flex vehicles a month in Brazil.
The group has no immediate plans to introduce the vehicles in any
other markets, said Toyota Motor spokesperson Tomomi Imai.
The Japanese giant overtook struggling US rival General Motors in the
first quarter of 2007, helped by the popularity of its fuel-efficient
vehicles.
AFP
--
No comments:
Post a Comment