Is a hybrid in your future? The father of the Prius thinks so.

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There's been a lot of talk in the past year about the future of automobiles and how we all need to prepare ourselves for the day of the "driver-less" car. Automakers and even tech giants like Google are working on their own versions of cars that pilot themselves, and claim that they could be ready in the next 10 years. Hop in, tell it where you want to go, and watch in amazement as the vehicle drives you to your destination. Sounds like science fiction, right? Would you trust a computer system to make all of your driving decisions?

Toyota's chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, who was one of the pioneers of the original Toyota Prius, has a different opinion– he believes that we should maximize advances in hybrid technology first. Before autonomous cars (or even simply all-electric cars) take over, Uchiyamada says "there are still many more gains we can achieve with hybrids." For example, the current 3rd generation of the Prius has 10% better fuel efficiency than the previous one, at a combined MPG of 50. Mr. Uchiyamada is confident they can improve that number even more when the 4th generation is developed.

His game plan? To sell 5 million hybrid vehicles in the U.S. by the end of 2016 and achieve mileage standards set forth by the Obama administration. “It’s only when we put ourselves under the same kind of intense pressure we faced in developing the Prius that we can achieve great goals. That’s what it takes. I want our industry to achieve this goal," he said.

Toyota's continued work with hybrid technology is actually more in line with what I think is best for all of us, as drivers. Rather than moving on from hybrids and only focusing on self-driving vehicles, they're slowly adding more self-driving features in future vehicles and getting us comfortable with using them. Two examples immediately come to mind: the first is the advanced technology package available on the Prius V, which offers a parking assist option where the driver uses a camera to find a suitable spot for the vehicle. Once located, the vehicle automatically guides itself into a parking spot.
The second is the Yaris Hybrid-R, a concept vehicle capable of 414 horsepower. It utilizes multiple motors, with a gas engine to power the two front wheels, and two electric motors that specifically power the rear wheels, giving the car all-wheel drive traction. While unlikely to ever hit the showroom, elements of its design may make their way into future cars.

In addition to both of these technologies, Toyota is also working on sensors that would allow a vehicle to apply brakes and control the steering wheel on its own. According to Mr. Uchiyamada, they want to eliminate driving fatalities on the highway, but believes that drivers need to be in control of their vehicle for the foreseeable future.

Do you agree that we're not yet ready for a world where cars drive themselves?

Why this NFL star decided to become a Prius owner

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What kinds of cars do celebrities and athletes drive? With the spending power they have, you'd think it would be something bright, flashy, and fast, like a Ferrari or Lamborghini. But in order to get (and stay) rich, one needs to save money, and that's why NFL cornerback Antonio Cromartie has become an advocate for the Toyota Prius.

Cromartie, who plays for the New York Jets, admits that he had a spending problem. He blew through a lot of money (upwards of five million dollars, the total value of his rookie contract!) after first being signed in 2011. In an interview with Newsday, he confessed to an addiction of owning lots of cars: "I had two Dodge Chargers, probably spent $100,000 just fixing them up," he said. "I had a '65 Caprice, which I spent $100,000 on. I had two BMWs, two Escalades."

Once he came to the realization that he was draining his money on personal items as well as friends and distant relatives looking for handouts, Cromartie knew he didn't want to become another bankrupt celebrity. He got coaching from a well known accountant in Los Angeles named Jonathan Schwartz, who now helps him manage his savings. Antonio stopped all his ridiculous spending habits and even spent a few weeks living with Schwartz's family to see what normal household life should be like. There, he became interested in the Toyota Prius after getting a chance to drive around in theirs. Later that year, Cromartie's wife ended up getting him a Prius as a Christmas gift. The 50 MPG hybrid has since become his favorite car. "I'll fill it up every 2 1/2 weeks or so, and I'm only spending 33 bucks, while everybody else is spending 80 or 90 bucks a tank", he said.

It's interesting to see stories of those who come into large sums of money, whether they're athletes or lottery winners. Many find themselves with the problem of spending too much money and then getting into trouble. I'm happy that Cromartie got help, and I hope that everyone can learn from his story that being practical is an important part of growing up.

For what it's worth, he DOES plan on buying some rims for his Prius to give it some added flair. Wonder if he'll go for the aerokit as well!

What do you think about Antonio Cromartie's story?

What are the Safest Family Vehicles?

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Every parent out there knows that you need a certain kind of car to accommodate for your little ones, especially if you haven't changed your ride since college. Raising children is like that pivotal moment in your life where having a two door coupe suddenly seems more of a liability than it does being cool. Let's be honest- trying to cram baby seats into the back of a sports car isn't very fun. When your car vocabulary starts changing from words like "powerful" to "practical" and you get a sudden interest in the number of air bags the vehicle comes equipped with, you know you're ready for a family car.

To better prepare for this stage of our lives, U.S. News and World Report comes out with an annual list of the best family vehicles, highlighting the best cars, vans, and SUV's for shoppers. The vehicles are rated based on overall quality, safety, and family friendly features. This year, they put the spotlight on both the Toyota Prius and Toyota Highlander Hybrid, which were awarded "Best Hatchback" and "Best Hybrid SUV"!

According to the report, the Prius was chosen because "it has the best combination of quality, size and family-friendly features in its class."

What does this mean? Since the vehicle is a hatchback, it will easily seat a family of four or five, with plenty of cargo space for storing all those blankets, books, toys, and diapers you've got. The Prius has a whopping 21.6 cubic feet of cargo space, whereas most other hybrid vehicles only have 10-15! It's also a top safety pick, with some of the highest scores in front, side, rear, and roof impact/crash/strength test results. Last but not least, the Prius gets amazing gas mileage, making it able to travel hundreds of more miles on a single tank than a non-hybrid vehicle. At 50 miles per gallon, the family road trip can actually be an affordable option despite the price of gas being higher than ever.

The Highlander Hybrid, on the other hand, was picked because it delivers great power in the form of a 3.5-liter V6 engine, outputting a total of 280 horsepower split between two electric motors. It has a driving experience that is both comfortable and controlled, which are exactly the kind of words a new parent wants to hear when transporting small children! One of the reviews from which U.S. News and World report garnered their data on the Highlander Hybrid was from Kelley Blue Book, who noted that it "attains best-in-class fuel economy without sacrificing power or interior space" by seating seven and getting a combined 28 miles per gallon. For a vehicle of its size, 28 is on the very high spectrum of fuel efficiency.

What features do you think are most important for a family vehicle? Leave a comment below with your top choice! 

How Can You Tell Someones Drives a Prius?

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If you know the answer to this joke ("they'll tell you") then consider this for a moment: one thing I notice from monitoring social networks and watching tv/movies is that the Toyota Prius seems to catch a lot of humor from people who enjoy making cracks at it. It's almost as if you're instantly tagged as an environmental awareness extremist, an egoist, or a goofball if you drive or support one, because mainstream media is telling us to think that way. For the record, I thought "Horrible Bosses" was a hilarious movie, though I personally blame it for the amount of times I've had to hear "You were drag racing...in a Prius?"

Here's the thing- the people who want to joke about or bash this car know that deep down inside, if they could get 50 MPG and a built in navigation/infotainment system (Entune), they'd jump at the chance. There's a reason the Prius has been around so long and is seen as the flagship hybrid vehicle of the entire automotive industry!

The desire to want to tell everyone about your new car is pretty natural too, so why is it any different to geek out over efficiency rather than performance? As I discussed previously, there is still a notion in some people's heads that you can't buy a car unless it's from Ford, GM, or Chevy, and if you do, it has to be a gas guzzler that goes from 0-60 in less than 6 seconds. Is that really something to be proud of, and yet getting great gas mileage isn't? It seems like a double standard in this case.

As this video from CNET shows, you can recoup the cost of an average car with the gas saved by purchasing a Prius in about 5 years. It's even faster if you drive more than 15,000 miles a year or if you practice hypermiling techniques. On top of that, it has a built in sensor that shows you the average miles per gallon you are attaining on a monthly basis. How cool is that?

Do you think we're too quick to lump drivers of certain vehicles into stereotypes these days? What other shows or movies have you seen where the character is defined by the car he/she drives?

Could Harry Potter Help You Drive More Safely?

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The movies may have long passed, but graduates from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are still pouring out each year and bringing their magic (er, technology) to the real world.

And by that I mean researchers at Keito University in Japan- they've been working on a way to bring an invisibility cloak to your car seats, to make them transparent when you're backing out of parking spots and into busy areas. With how important visibility is to safe driving, this is definitely one of the coolest ideas I've seen in some time! No more squinting at tiny dashboard displays as you can simply look behind you and get a full view of your blind spot. It's a great idea when you consider the number of people that still manage to back into other cars or light posts, despite having technology built into their car (such as backup sensors) to help prevent it from happening.

How does the camouflaging trick work? A small camera takes video footage of the space behind the vehicle. The stream is then projected onto the car seat itself, giving the driver the illusion of a completely transparent seat. If you really want to get technical, the seat itself is woven with thousands of tiny little beads known as retroreflectors, that pick up light and shine it in specific directions. Masahiko Inami, one of the developers of the technology, quotes author and inventor Sir Arthur C. Clarke for his inspiration behind the invisibility cloak: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I want to develop technology like magic that general people can use easily in the future.”

The “see-through Toyota Prius” is on display if you're willing to make the trek to the 2012 Digital Content Expo in Tokyo. Otherwise, see a video of the invisibility cloak in action below:

While there's no date set for when this will become available for your next car, expect to see innovations similar to this as the cost of technology and cameras decrease. 

The Most Popular Car Color Is...

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If someone asked me what I thought the most desirable color on a car was, I'd say red. Wouldn't you? It's fast. Energetic. Associated with flashy cars and being noticed. But does everyone end up with "Firestorm Red" or "Barcelona Red Metallic" on their ride? Nope, and that's why it's not the most popular.

Instead, many car buyers settle for something more modest while they save up for (or rather just dream about) their ideal vehicle.What is the modest car owner's color of choice? White. That's right, white. The color that is devoid of color!

Automobile paint manufacturer PPG conducted a study and found that white was the most popular color, with 21% of car buyers opting for it. Black came in at second with 19%, and silver was third with 16%. The study was also conducted back in 2004, with similar findings. In other words, no love for the quirky yellow or green cars out there (green is one of the least popular colors- only 1 in 50 people are likely to have a green vehicle)!

Perhaps the biggest reason for the popularity of white and black is the fact that the average car buyer doesn't care as much- prioritizing color is most important for buyers considering sports cars, SUV's, and higher end luxury vehicles. 

The most interesting thing about this study? According to PPG representative Jane E. Harrington, "Color is one of the first characteristics noticed in product design, and it is increasingly being used in everyday items, from cell phones to large appliances, based largely on automotive trends."

In other words, if the automotive industry was being compared to the fashion world, it's practically New York City as far as spotting and creating consumer product color trends! 

So...what color is your car? 

Prius: We Put a Key in Your Key [VIDEO]

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If you're familiar with internet memes or MTV, you probably remember Xzibit, host of "Pimp My Ride". He's gained eternal notoriety for adding a crazy amount of customization to people's cars.

What you might not know is that the Toyota Prius borrowed from Xzibit's style of doing things (or maybe it was Xzibit that copied Toyota?) and put an extra key inside the Prius Smartkey. So if the battery ever dies out on your Smartkey, you can still remove the hidden one and use that to get inside your vehicle.

I recently shot a video of our own Mike Hecht talking to some Prius owners about the Smartkey, how to remove it, and when to replace it. If you're a Prius owner, or simply interested in how the Smartkey works, you'll definitely want to check it out.

Got a question on something car related Mike should offer advice about? Leave a comment with your suggestion and we may make a future video on it!

St. Louis Day Trips

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With the sunny weather holding off dusk longer, many of us are looking to get out more and have fun. Whether an outdoor activity or day trip, there's plenty to do, it just depends on how far you're willing to drive to get there. What if you had a hybrid car and didn't have to worry so much about burning through your gas, though?
Imagine this scenario: You've just bought a new Prius C, which gets 53 miles per gallon while driving in the city, and 46 on the highway. Let's say you live in a pretty centralized location, somewhere in St. Louis (we'll use our address, 10725 Manchester Rd, as the example). So where can you go to on one gallon of gas or less? Below you'll find three recommendations for mini road trips!

1. The Great River Road, Alton, Illinois (~35 Miles)

This stretch of highway is right on the Missouri/Illinois border and goes from Alton to Grafton, Illinois. It's one of the most scenic drives in the entire region, hands down! You can have a picnic by the riverside, load up some bicycles on your car and ride down the bike path, or stop and visit the Alton Museum of History and Art while you're in the area. I also like to stop by Fast Eddie's for some cheap drinks and food whenever I travel through Alton.

2. Mount Pleasant Winery, Augusta, Missouri (~37.5 miles)

Missouri is known for having some great wineries. That probably stems from the fact that the wineries here are some of the oldest in the country, having been created by German immigrants in the mid 19th century. Mount Pleasant is one of the closer wineries to make a day trip to, with a trek down highway 94 into Augusta, just shy of an hour in driving time. You don't have to be a wine aficionado to appreciate it either - there's often live music at the winery, and a great hiking trail for those who prefer to explore the area.

3. Meramec River- St. Clair, Missouri (~40 miles)

Mention the Meramec River to anyone from St. Louis and you'll instantly conjure up thoughts of floating, canoeing, and river rafting. Some would almost insist that it is a St. Louis tradition to go floating every year! St. Clair, which is a small town off highway 44, is a great spot for hitting the river. The nearby Old Cove Canoe shop offers rentals and float trips, and is perfect for families or large groups of friends. They're open on weekends and holidays currently, and have more general hours during the summer. 

If you're interested in daytripping to these great spots or any other St. Louis attractions on minimal gas, consider a fuel efficient hybrid vehicle like the Prius C. It's offered in four grades with a starting price of under $20,000. The Prius C One has automatic climate control, 3.5-inch multi-function display, remote keyless entry, power windows, and 9 airbags. It's also got MP3 and Bluetooth hookups so you can listen to your favorite tunes or chat hands free.
The other grades – Two, Three and Four – offer additional features, such as upgraded audio, cruise control, navigation, Toyota’s Entune with 6.1-inch screen, satellite radio, alloy wheels, heated seats and a power moonroof.

Do you have a favorite day trip spot? Leave a comment and tell us where you like to go!