Toyota, who has taken a leadership role in hybrid technology, is also working on other alternate fuel vehicles including those which operate on compressed natural gas (CNG). To that end, the company has announced that a CNG Toyota Camry will be on display at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, an event that will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from November 21-30, 2008.
“With the combination of plentiful long-term supplies in North America, improved and more efficient recovery methods, favorable pricing and clean-burn/low emissions characteristics, CNG has become a prime energy-source for the future,” said Irv Miller, group vice president, TMS Corporate Communications. “With this concept, we are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG within our broad and comprehensive R&D scope.”
CNG technology is not new to Toyota as the company had previously marketed a four-cylinder CNG Camry to California fleet customers in 1999. However cheap gasoline and a widely unavailable refueling structure resulted in tepid customer demand so the program was discontinued in 2000.
Recent changes in market conditions has renewed interest in CNG paticularly as the price of oil remains high and consumers are looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to gasoline. Infrastructure is still lagging, but with the US sitting on huge supplies of natural gas, the trend toward this cleaner fuel source is expected to grow over the coming years.
“Natural gas,” adds Miller, “and an expanded retail-friendly CNG infrastructure could be seen as a model for future hydrogen infrastructure.”
Speaking about the Los Angeles Auto Show, I plan to be in L.A. for the Press Days and will report my findings on The Auto Writer as well as on this site. My coverage will include all of the newest cars, concepts, and industry trends including whatever offerings from Toyota, Lexus, and Scion are on display.
(Source: Toyota Motor Corporation, N.A.)
