Japan stays on high-tech course

Japanese OEMs optimize existing technologies while laying the groundwork for advanced hybrid and fuel-cell technologies.

The Japanese are known to be fond of new technologies, as evidenced by the recent surge for cell-phone-cum- digital-cameras. In the automotive sector, there has been a continuum of new-technology introductions for years, one of the more important ones occuring in 1997 with launch of the Toyota Prius hybrid car.

Most of its 110,000 unit sales have been to Japanese customers, but the American market has been climbing steadily. In light of that, Toyota figured it was time for an updated version, which is about to hit the streets.