Toyota plans 2012 rollout of two new plug-in and six hybrid EVs

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While hybrids for now account for a minute slice of total car sales in the U.S., Toyota plans to crank out six new gasoline-electric models worldwide by 2012. These aren't re-treads or updates, they're brand spanking new models. And while the company has famously said in the past that the all-electric vehicle market isn't exactly poised for prime time, it's planning to roll out two relatively short range plug-in EVs in 2012, too. According to CNN Money, one of the plug-ins will be a small commuter ride with a 50-mile range. The other will be an electric version of the Rav4 SUV with a 100-mile range, which the company is working on with Tesla. Toyota has said that the EV market isn't going to do much until less expensive  batteries can lower the cost of EVs. The car maker is working on the Rav4 electric with luxury EV maker Tesla, in part to get a better handle on Tesla's strategy of using off-the-shelf batteries for its battery packs rather than the sophisticated, specialized batteries made specifically for cars. Toyota hasn't said where the new cars will be sold, but the U.S. is by far the company's biggest market for hybrids. Its Prius accounts for about half of all hybrid sales here.

Quick Take: While Toyota has been dismissive of some segments of the EV market, it looks like the company's hedging its bets. Toyota's strategies have worked pretty well so far: The Prius is doing well and the company typically has two cars (Camry and Corolla) in the top 10 in U.S. popularity polls. And it managed to successfully weather what could have been a ruinous round of recalls earlier this year.

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