Hybrid Car - More Fun with Less Gas

(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo August 28, 2008. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference at a hotel in Tokyo Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. Toyota lowered its global sales target for 2009 to 9.7 million vehicles on Thursday, down from an earlier 10.4 million vehicles, blaming 'tough times,' caused by rising material costs, a slowing U.S. market and soaring gas prices. Watanabe said Japan's biggest automaker will continue to boost growth by focusing on gas-electric hybrids as a core strategy, and offsetting declining U.S. and European demand with sales in emerging economies. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo August 28, 2008. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo August 28, 2008. Toyota said on Thursday it would miss its goal of selling more than 10 million vehicles next year, lowering its forecast by nearly 7 percent to account for a severe downturn in Western markets driven by high fuel prices and a credit crunch. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo August 28, 2008. Toyota said on Thursday it would miss its goal of selling more than 10 million vehicles next year, lowering its forecast by nearly 7 percent to account for a severe downturn in Western markets driven by high fuel prices and a credit crunch. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo August 28, 2008. Toyota said it would miss its goal of selling more than 10 million vehicles next year, cutting its forecast by nearly 7 percent due to a severe downturn in Western markets driven by high fuel prices and a credit crunch. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during Tokyo Environmental Forum in Tokyo Wednesday, June 11, 2008. Toyota is introducing a plug-in hybrid vehicle with next-generation lithium-ion batteries in Japan, the U.S. and Europe by 2010, under a widespread strategy to be green outlined Wednesday. The ecological gas-electric vehicles, which can be recharged from a home electrical outlet, will target leasing customers, Toyota said. (AP Photo/Katsumi Kasahara)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference to unveil the redesigned Toyota minivan Alphard, right, and its new model Vellfire in Tokyo, Japan, May 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference to unveil the redesigned Toyota minivan Alphard and its new model Vellfire in Tokyo, Japan, May 12, 2008. After the press event Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita said that plans for a new assembly plant in Mississippi are bring delayed slightly because of the credit crunch in the U.S. and worries about American auto sales. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference to unveil the redesigned Toyota minivan Alphard and its new model Vellfire in Tokyo, Japan, May 12, 2008. After the press event Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita said that plans for a new assembly plant in Mississippi are bring delayed slightly because of the credit crunch in the U.S. and worries about American auto sales. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference to unveil the redesigned Toyota minivan Alphard and its new model Vellfire in Tokyo, Japan, May 12, 2008. After the press event Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita said that plans for a new assembly plant in Mississippi are bring delayed slightly because of the credit crunch in the U.S. and worries about American auto sales. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo May 8, 2008. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo May 8, 2008. Toyota posted a larger-than-expected a 28 percent fall in quarterly net profit, hit by a stronger yen and finance-related losses, and forecast its first annual profit drop in seven years as the U.S. auto market slows. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo May 8, 2008. Toyota posted a larger-than-expected a 28 percent fall in quarterly net profit, hit by a stronger yen and finance-related losses, and forecast its first annual profit drop in seven years as the U.S. auto market slows. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference in Tokyo May 8, 2008. Toyota posted a larger-than-expected a 28 percent fall in quarterly net profit, hit by a stronger yen and finance-related losses, and forecast its first annual profit drop in seven years as the U.S. auto market slows. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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(AP) - Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a press conference for its 2008 motorsports activities in Tokyo Friday, March 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan in this December 11, 2007 file photo. (Toru Hanai/Files/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan in this December 11, 2007 file photo. Being the world's leading automaker is not easy for Toyota as it fights off tough competition from other automakers and faces challenges expanding its market abroad. Failure is not normally a word associated with an auto company that's in a league of its own. For years, Toyota has led the industry by nearly every corporate yardstick: profits, market value and cash reserves. Outselling General Motors Corp, which held the No.1 spot for the previous 75 years, was largely a symbolic milestone. To match feature TOYOTA/ REUTERS/Toru Hanai/Files (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. Watanabe said on Tuesday that he expected more than $2.7 billion in annual cost savings starting next year from the automaker's latest cost-cutting plan. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. (Toru Hanai/Reuters)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. Watanabe said on Tuesday that he expected more than 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in annual cost savings starting next year from the automaker's latest cost-cutting plan. REUTERS/Toru Hanai (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during an interview with Reuters at the company headquarters in Toyota, central Japan December 11, 2007. Watanabe said on Tuesday that he expected more than 300 billion yen ($2.7 billion) in annual cost savings starting next year from the automaker's latest cost-cutting plan. REUTERS/Toru Hanai (JAPAN)

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(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp President Katsuaki Watanabe speaks during a news conference unveiling its new fully redesigned "Land Cruiser" in Tokyo September 18, 2007. The new vehicle is equipped with 4.7-litre V8 engine and new technologies, including a "crawl control" system which the engine and brakes are automatically controlled when driving on surfaces that require delicate speed adjustments such as on rocks or sand and on steep hills, the company said. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao (JAPAN)

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