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In a time of skyrocketing oil prices, Japan¡¯s Toyota has announced it will start selling hybrid cars in Korea from the second half of next year. Hybrid cars reduce fuel use by running on electric batteries as well as gasoline to power engines and electric motors. Korea¡¯s Hyundai Motor also plans to launch hybrid vehicles from next year, a signal that competition between the two countries will move into the sector.
Takehisa Yaegashi, head of Toyota's hybrid development project, visited Korea last Friday and said the company would start selling its Lexus hybrid car RX400h, recently launched in the U.S., in Korea from next August. Toyota grafted technology for the Prius, its first mass-produced hybrid car, onto the Lexus¡¯ sports utility vehicle RX330. It has a 3.3-liter V-6 engine, but its fuel efficiency matches small cars -- it can go 17.8 km on one liter of gas, Toyota claims.
Meanwhile, Hyundai produced 50 hybrid models of its small sedan Click for the government last year and will start selling hybrid cars to the public from next year. The hybrid Click has a fuel efficiency of 18 km per liter, about 50 percent better than the regular Click.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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