Toyota's Acqua designed to be world’s best fuel economy car

The Acqua, the compact hybrid that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to introduce in January, will be the best fuel economy car among the hybrids in the world, the company said. Using a new Japanese testing standard that reflects the actual driving patterns more closely than the old testing standard, the results show that the Acqua can travel to about 40 km on a liter of gas. The new compact hybrid will use the same powertrain as the Prius, which travels 32 km on a liter of gasoline. But the Acqua will sell for 300,000 yen (US$3,865) less than the Prius, at around 1.7 million yen (US$21,899). Japanese automakers have begun competing in the production of fuel efficient cars. Last October, Honda Motor Co. launched the hybrid version of its subcompact, Fit. Mazda Motor Corp. rolled out its new Demio subcompact in June this year and Daihatsu Motor Co. recently introduced the Mira e:S minicar, which runs 30 km per liter, by far the best among gas-powered cars. (October 10, 2011)