L.A. Auto Show: Toyota’s gassy hybrid concept

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When it comes to picking the Fuel of the Future, Toyota likes to spread its bets around.

Hence the debut this week at the L.A. Auto Show of the Japanese automaker’s CNG hybrid Camry concept, which Toyota believes is the first operating example anywhere of a hybrid car with an internal-combustion engine powered by compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.

The concept vehicle marks Toyota’s only current entry in the natural-gas field (the automaker offered a non-hybrid CNG Camry back in 2000, with limited results). Rival Honda has scooped up a boatload of eco-friendly PR with its Civic GX, which runs solely on natural gas.

But lest anyone conclude that Toyota is about to make a serious play for natural-gas fans, it should be noted that the silvery blue vehicle on display at the convention center is the only example in the world -– and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Chris Hostetter, vice president of advanced product planning at Toyota’s U.S. headquarters in Torrance, says the Camry concept vehicle is intended primarily to demonstrate that the automaker’s hybrid system –- which powers the Prius, among other vehicles -– can be adapted to a variety of fuels

‘It’s an illustration that our hybrid drive system is very flexible,’ Hostetter said.

As of now, there are no plans to put the car into the hands of consumers for on-the-road testing, as some auto companies are doing with other advanced powertrain concept vehicles, such as those powered by hydrogen fuel cells. For the moment, at least, Toyota seems interested primarily in simply gauging how the public and the automotive press react to the idea of a natural-gas-powered hybrid.

For the stat-conscious, the CNG hybrid Camry carries the equivalent of eight gallons of natural gas and has an estimated range of more than 250 miles. Because the cylindrical CNG tanks take up the space normally occupied by the spare tire, the concept car comes equipped with run-flat tires.

Estimated fuel economy is comparable to the current gasoline-electric Camry hybrid: 33 mpg in combined city-highway driving, versus 34 mpg for the gasoline-electric version. CNG also produces fewer emissions than gasoline.

-- Martin Zimmerman