I saw the 100 MPG Toyota Prius - Plug-in Hybrid Conversion in SF. What can I say? It’s a Toyota. It’s a Prius. It’s a hybrid. It goes a long long way on at tank of gas. Our local cheap gas stand is selling at $1.99/gal. One hundred miles for $2.00.

My first car was a 1960 VW Beetle. It got about 20 mpg or so and I paid about 30 cents for a gallon of gas. If my math is right, then my VW Bug in 1972 went about as far on $2 as this Toyota does 36 years later. And we wonder why Toyota is making money hand over fist while GM and Ford and Chrysler have their hands out.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe free for our updates via RSS feed. Thanks for visiting and please do come back!

Toyota is doing its part to make a mint, um, decrease the impact that its cars have on the world’s fossil fuel resources. By 2010 the automaker wants 1/10th of its sales to be hybrid vehicles. Toyota had not set a target date to reach one million units until now. Presently, the car maker sells 450,000 hybrids a year and wants to more than double that figure within two years.

A fully redesigned Prius hybrid is expected out next spring as well as a second hybrid vehicle. Toyota not only wants to keep its lead in the hybrid market, but expand it.

Toyota not only wants to win, but win big.

While Toyota works to improve its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the company is also working to make the new 2009 Prius, how shall I put this, a whole lot less ugly, sharp and futuristic-looking.

In that, Toyota is making the car of the future, and will make it available in the U.S., Japan, Korea from next April. Even better news - Toyota is planning to make the price more ‘competitive.’ And why would they do that? People will pay out the gazoo for them here in Silicon Valley.

It’s a car that appreciates in value. With gas prices continuing to climb (we pay $4.29 4.53 for the very cheap stuff here in SV) we can expect this car’s value to continue to go up as well. Leave it to Toyota and other Japanese car makers to lead the way in fuel-efficient vehicles.