Toyota shows interest in EV company

Last month brought continued talks of an acquisition of some magnitude between two opposing members of the automobile industry: the industry giant of Toyota and the little known newbie of Tesla.  While no deal has been confirmed yet, the money on the table is steadily growing.  What once was a $60 million deal grew to a $100 million deal and is now at the magnitude of $1 billion dollars.  Despite the fact that nothing is set in stone yet, one thing is for sure – Toyota means business.

While Toyota can be credited for popularizing the idea of a hybrid vehicle with its first introduction of the Prius, which joined our Schaumburg Prius lot over ten years ago, the company has yet to introduce its version of the electric vehicle, or EV.  The EV is widely believed to be the next generation of “green” vehicles in an overarching goal of ridding ourselves from a dependency on oil.  No one argues Toyota does not have the know how to produce an EV, and this argument is furthered by the fact that the company does plan to release a version of the Prius as a plug-in hybrid.  Thus, it is only a matter of time before Toyota enters the newly created EV market.  It is likely the company will enter full steam ahead and a takeover of Tesla Motors would only give Toyota more “electricity”.

Tesla Motors is a fully electric vehicle manufacturer out of Silicon Valley.  The company focuses on producing very high-end luxury electric vehicles.  These vehicles, in regards to looks and performance abilities, are on par with heavy-hitters like Ferraris and Lamborghinis.  But, they only run on electric charge.  Furthermore, these vehicles charge in a fraction of the time current EV vehicles, like the Nissan LEAF and Chevy Volt, can reboot their battery packs.  Needless to say, the merger between Toyota’s mass market and Tesla’s advanced technology could mean extensive improvements and changes to vehicles like the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid.  Chicago and other major urban markets would benefit drastically from the partnership.

To learn more about Toyota’s current line up of green vehicles, visit your local Schaumburg Pruis dealer, Schaumburg Toyota, which also sells the latest 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid.  Chicago proper and suburb residents should stop by today.