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Toyota Announces Details of CNG-Fueled Camry

9 June 1998

Toyota Announces Details of CNG-Fueled Camry

    TORRANCE, Calif., June 9 -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A (TMS),
Inc., announced today that it will begin selling a limited number of
compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered Camrys to fleet customers late this year.
Plans to increase sales volume within the next two years, based on continued
research and development into the viability of CNG fuel, were also announced.
    "Toyota has been actively involved in reducing the automobile's effect on
the environment for more than 30 years," said Dave Illingworth, TMS senior
vice president of planning and development.  "Our work on advanced-technology
vehicles has included electricity, clean-burning internal combustion engines
and hybrids, as well as alternative fuels such as CNG, hydrogen and propane."
    The CNG Camry will be based on the LE-grade four-cylinder model, and has a
gasoline-equivalent capacity of 11.4 gallons.  CNG vehicles produce
considerably cleaner exhaust emissions than conventional gasoline-fueled
vehicles and can easily be refueled wherever natural gas service is available.
In addition, CNG is a domestically available natural resource, and is
typically less expensive than gasoline.
    In addition to the CNG Camry, TMS also sells the fully electric RAV4-EV
four-door, five-passenger, sport utility vehicle to fleet customers.  With
orders for over 360 vehicles, and deliveries exceeding 175, the RAV4-EV is
proving to be the most popular electric vehicle in the country.
    In December 1997, the company announced it would complement its fleet of
environmentally sensitive vehicles in the U.S. with a vehicle powered by the
revolutionary gasoline/electric Toyota Hybrid System (THS) before the end of
the century.  The debut for THS was in the Prius, the world's first production
hybrid vehicle, launched in Japan late last year.
    Pricing and future production volumes for the CNG Camry will be announced
at a later date.