Toyota Motor Corp. announced it will release a hybrid-electric version of its “Estima” minivan in Spring 2001 in Japan, but said it hasn’t yet decided when to offer it in North America or Europe, reports Bloomberg News. The seven- to eight-passenger Estima minivan, Japan’s best-selling vehicle in August, is known as the “Previa” in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere in Asia. Like the hybrid-electric “Prius” automobile Toyota has sold since 1997 in Japan and in North America since August 2000, the hybrid minivan will use a combination of a small gasoline-powered engine in conjuntion with an electric drivetrain. Together, the two systems achieve higher fuel economy and greatly reduced emissions. Pricing for the vehicle has not yet been announced.
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