TOYOTA UNVEILS NEW HYBRID-ONLY VEHICLE

       Toyota has unveiled a new hybrid-only model that is bigger and more expensive than its popular Prius, underlining the Japanese auto-maker's ambitions to make "green technology" more wide spread.
       The Sai sedan is Toyota's second hybrid-ontly model after the Pruis. Toyota offers hybrid versions of other models.
       Sai, which means "talent" and "colour", will be sold only in Japan starting on December 7, targeting monthly sales of 3,000 vehicles. No global sales plans have been decided, the world's biggest auto-maker said yesterday.
       Hybrids get better mileage than regular petrol-engine cars by switching between an electric motor and a petrol engine. Other auto-makers are also beefing up their hybrid line-ups, including hybrid-only models.
       Government incentives, including "Cash for Clunkers" programmes and tax breaks, have Prius orders soaring in Japan. The waiting list for the car has grown to several months.
       Hybrid sales in Japan have been the one bright spot for Toyota, which has been losing money, battered by the global economic downturn.
       The Sai gets 23 kilometres per litre, half the fuel consumption of a comparable petrol-engine model, Toyota said. The Prius gets 38 kilometres per litre under Japanese conditions.
       The Sai comes with a bigger 2.4-litre engine than the 1.8-litre Priusm is roomier and has fancier features, such as an interior made from plastic that uses plant-deruved materials.
       It is also more expensive, starting at 3.38 million yen (Bt1.25 million). The third-generation Prius, which went on sale earlier this year, starts at just over 2 million yen in Japan.
       The Sai looks rather sedate compared with the Prius, with its more circular styling.
       "This model shows our hopes to make hybrids more widespread," said Toyota offical Takuji Nakamoto.
       Like the Prius, the Sai will be sold at all dealer outlets in Japan, totalling about 4,000 around the country. Some Toyota models are sold at only some of the showrooms, because they are designed to appeal to certain kinds of consumers. The Sai will be assembled at Toyota's Kyushu plant in south-western Japan.
       The Prius is the world leader in petrol-electric hybrid sales, selling more than 1.4 million vehicles since its debut a decade ago.

       The Sai comes with a bigger 2.4-litre engine than the 1.8-litre Prius, is roomier and has fancier features, such as an interior mamde from plastic that uses plant-derived materials.