Toyota Hybrid Minivans Coming

Hybrid Minivans made by Toyota could be available in North America in 2010. The Toyota Sienna Minivan is also known as the Estima Hybrid which is currently available in Japan.

By: Andy Hodges
Published: Oct 28, 2009
Updated: Feb 8, 2010

Toyota Hybrid Sienna Minivans Could Offer Fuel Economy For American Families

Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc could be introducing a 2010 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan sometime next year in the United States. Toyota Hybrid Minivans are in big demand, but it's not sure when the automaker will bring the product to North America. The minivan hybrid is known as the Estima which originally went on sale in Japan in 2001.

Sienna was set to be introduced as a hybrid model in 2010 but that plan was scratched because of the current economic recession. There are numerous signs that the economic recession might be on its way to recovery. The auto industry has been hit the hardest during the past year, taking several losses, and a long road ahead for recovery.

It is not known what the price or MPG rating will be. The hybrid minivan would be a perfect fit for American families in the United States. One thing to point out, it's not only Toyota, other automobile manufacturers also had to take a step backwards and drop new ideas on future planning.

While there are SUVs and mid-size hybrids coming to market already, it wouldn't take much for Toyota to bring forth a new minivan. For example, the Sienna shares the same engine as the Toyota Highlander which could be used if engineers develop a new drive train. While this sounds simple enough, there might be other reasons why the car maker waited.

There is also a lot of secrecy going on in the auto industry. While the car manufacturers develop new hybrid technologies, they don't exactly share everything they're doing. With that being said, Toyota might already have a new direction on how to tackle the minivan market.