Toyota Ups Ante – Plans 50% increase in Hybrid sales

Toyota sold 192,000 hybrids in the U.S. last year. The company plans to sell 300,000 this year.

Demonstrating its commitment to hybrids, Toyota also unveiled a futuristic FT-HS 3.5 liter hybrid sport concept car.

The US carmakers' answered with…gee….concept cars – GM's Chevy Volt, an electro-gasoline model that uses lithium ion batteries.

Ford's concept is a a plug-in hybrid engine and a fuel-cell system.

DaimleryChrysler is concentrating on diesel-power versions of its Mercedes-Benz.

In other words, while the American car makers are mired in ideas. Toyota and Honda are making money hand over fist to develop even better hybrids.

It's going to be real hard and take a long time AFTER the American car makers decide what it is they want to accomplish.

The direction American car companies surely want to go has not even been decided yet.

2020 – 75% of cars on the road are "made in Japan."

What do you think?