Toyota Uninterested in Diesel Hybrids

Toyota has been on the leading edge of fuel-efficient developments for a while, and the popularity of the Prius and Camry Hybrid have been a boon to consumer awareness of the brand. But even as Toyota leads the market in technology, other manufacturers — Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and BMW among them — are taking hybrid development in a new direction: diesel-electric hybrids.

Some argue that diesel is the best way to get energy efficient in the short term, so diesel hybrids could be the best of both worlds. Even so, Toyota has no plans to reveal a diesel hybrid anytime in the near future, saying it’s not ready for production at a “marketable cost.” Whether that’s true or not, other manufacturers are forging ahead with diesel hybrids, including the Volkswagen Golf TDI Hybrid, BMW X5 Diesel Hybrid and Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK BlueTec Hybrid. For once, it will be up to Toyota to catch up.

No diesel hybrids for Toyota, says Watanabe (Autoblog)