| Toyota Motor Co. President Katsuaki Watanabe confirms a new diesel V-8 will propel
the Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV for North America, while indicating the automaker
will increase research into making ethanol from wood waste.
It's unclear if the V-8 will in fact be the same engine that appears in overseas
versions of the Land Cruiser SUV. Toyota is offering an all-new 4.5L diesel V-8
- dubbed the D-4D, in the Land Cruiser outside of the US. The D-4D includes a
common rail injection system, the first time that Toyota has used the setup on
a V-8 engine.
Toyota's top executive makes his comments at a Toyota event, capping the first
day of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
In keeping with Toyota's plans to develop all powertrains, lithium ion batteries
and fuel saving technologies in-house, Watanabe also says Toyota will continue
research into harnessing wood waste, instead of food or grain based crops, to
make ethanol.
"We have a reforestation program going on in Japan right now, this is an offspring
of that ... to try and take wood byproducts and create ethanol, rather than by
a food crop," says Irv Miller, group vice president for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
"Ethanol is a long shot now, I think everybody's looking at that," he adds. "It's
going to be a while before we can get that developed and when we do it's going
to be rolled out.
Toyota has already announced the Tundra and Sequoia will be E85 capable in 2008.
Hours after General Motors announced a strategic partnership with biomass to
ethanol technology startup Coskata, Toyota executives say they have no plans to
deviate from their in-house research to support fuel suppliers or refiners.
Toyota Motor Sales USA President Jim Lentz says the automaker is monitoring whether
US drivers will in fact shift toward E85.
"We're going to move that into other car lines as we see a movement by consumers
to go in that direction," Lentz says. "There's no question when you look at the
new energy act that the federal government has just passed, there's going to be
a big push toward ethanol. ... The only direction we're interested in going is
on the research side - of the
matter used to convert into ethanol, as opposed to getting into the refining business."
JANUARY 2008 |
