Ahh, Thanksgiving — turkey, family, angst, and burnouts. (Your holiday doesn't have burnouts? What are you, a commie?)

Also lists. We make lists every day, and on holidays, we sit around and stuff our faces full of food and make more lists. What are we thankful for this week? Turkey, that's what. We're also thankful for these ten cars — even though we can't afford some of them, we're happy that they exist. Dig in.

Bugatti Veyron

Because it's proof that one man can still go stark raving mad and build a world-beating car that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Makes the idea of a focus group seem like a fate worse than death. One set of its tires likely costs more than your first car did. It is yin and yang, Jalop (engineering masterwork) and anti-Jalop (heavy, unattainable). Do not try to understand it. It just is.

Photo Credit: Jason Thorgalsen / Flickr

Chevrolet Corvette

It is an American car made by American men and women. It is like walking down the street wearing a T-shirt that says, "I'm with Penis." It is remarkably modern and wonderfully crude all at once. And for a short, glorious while, it went to Le Mans and reminded the world that Yankees could kick ass. All hail the LS7. All hail the LS9. All hail Detroit.

Photo Credit: Sam Smith

Lotus Elise/Exige

Because someone, somewhere, forgot to tell the boys in Hethel to make it fat, ugly, and boring. Because it is a real car that happens to be built out of gossamer and fiberglass. And because I once flung one sideways through Road Atlanta's Turn Twelve — not entirely on purpose, mind — at triple-digit speeds and lived to tell the tale. It made me look less than stupid. I am eternally grateful.

Photo Credit: Horgakx / Flickr

Nissan GT-R

It is heavy, clublike, and run by a million computers. It is surprisingly sterile and undoubtedly better at driving itself than you are. (You get the feeling that no matter how you treat it, it is toying with you, watching you from afar.) It is on this list because it is unique. Because it is everything wrong with Japan's car industry. Because it is also everything right.

Photo Credit: Jason Thorgalsen / Flickr

Volkswagen GTI

Volkswagen's GTI is the ultimate automotive success story, a model that lost its way only to find it again years later. Sure, it's not the most durable thing on the planet, but that's part of its charm — it's cheap, cheerful, and faster than it seems. If you haven't embarrassed a supercar on some winding back road in one of these things, then you haven't lived. Hot hatches don't get much better.

BMW 335i

It is very nearly the perfect automobile, but this is no surprise. The 3 Series has been exceptional for decades, and save the odd dose of corporate German hubris, it just keeps getting better. Build a better sport sedan than this 300-horse, velvet-glove monster, and the world will beat a path to your door.

Photo Credit: Fabio Aro / Flickr

Mazda RX-8

Quirk, and for little reason other than satisfying a decades-old obsession on the part of its maker. Painfully slow around town. Those once-trick doors are now almost too much work, and the RX-8's Renesis rotary sucks dino juice like it's on OPEC's payroll. But the chassis is flat-out magic, the kind of magic you only discover at nine-and-a-half tenths when you're trying to eke out that last little bit of speed and you think nothing is left. It reminds you of a Spec Miata with more weight in the tail. It is the attainable sports car for people who truly understand what that phrase means.

Photo Credit: Michael Banovsky / Flickr

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Now that both Subaru and Mitsubishi have left the international rally stage, the WRX STI and the Lancer Evolution seem a bit lost. (Homologation specials need something to be homologated for, no?) Were we forced to choose between the two, we'd probably pick the Evo, but it's a tough call. It depends on the roads you're on, on how you feel that day, and on whether you have be someplace very quickly and with little drama (STI) or absolutely nowhere at all (Evo).

The STI is an amazingly talented car and arguably the better all-rounder. The Evo is the dirty, rough-edged monster that everyone thinks rally cars are supposed to be. We like them both — a lot — but only one of them feels as mean as it looks. Mitsu by a hair.

Ford Mustang

The Mustang is a rolling contradiction, equal parts modern muscle and hopeless anachronism. It is an argument for and against everything we stand for, a piece of yesterday bound up in a slightly cheesy modern wrapper. It is both much better and much worse than you expect it to be, but somehow, that's part of its charm. It is very, very difficult not to like.

Exhaust rumble. A rompy V-8. A stick axle so well-controlled, it makes the concept almost seem relevant again. These things are not the future, but we love them all the same. Were we to wake up tomorrow and drive off into the soul of America, we would do it in a Mustang.

Photo Credit: Sausyn / Flickr

Caterham Seven

One long-dead man's ridiculous dream turned reality turned company-bill-payer turned neglected relic turned reality again. Impossibly small. Sillier than almost anything else on wheels. Older than dirt. And still fantastic.

Happy turkey!

Photo Credit: Exfordy / Flickr

As we've seen almost every month since the huge drop in fuel prices, the biggest sellers are the biggest vehicles — the Ford F-series and Chevy Silverado pickups. Heck, even at the foreign automakers, we're seeing mid-size sedans beating out small sedans with the Camry outselling the Corolla and the Accord outselling the Civic.

1.) Ford F-Series: 33,381
2.) Chevy Silverado: 31,463
3.) Toyota Camry: 31,325
4.) Toyota Corolla: 23,576
5.) Honda Accord: 22,597
6.) Honda Civic: 20,723
7.) Ford Fusion: 19,786
8.) Chevy Impala: 18,709
9.) Nissan Altima: 18,408
10.) Ford Escape: 16,391

[via Cars.com]

The theft occurred while Brown was out of town at the state Democratic convention in Sacramento and the car was parked streetside in front of his Oakland Hills home. The thieves left the car up on cinder blocks, observing proper wheel theft etiquette, boldly choosing to take the two street facing wheels rather than the home-facing wheels. Adding to the hilarity was Brown's Facebook update where he says:

"Even though I am California's 'top cop,' 2 of my tires were stolen. No matter. I got 2 new ones and I'm rolling again!"

Way to keep a stiff upper lip. [SFGate]

Photo courtesy Amy Morosini

That aux-in jack that can be found in every GM product is the same aux-in jack you'll find in every Toyota product. But more to the point of supposed technological superiority — find me a Toyota or Honda-branded vehicle with a plug-in-play system that works as effortlessly as Ford's Sync system.

Tell you what — Kneale can send us an e-mail (ray-at-jalopnik-dot-com) and we'll stop by Englewood Cliffs in a fully-optioned Toyota Camry hybrid and a similarly-equipped Ford Fusion hybrid and you can tell me which one is more technologically advanced. Hell, we could show up in a Sync-equipped Ford Focus and it'd kick the Camry's ass in techie goodness. So until Kneale learns a bit more about what equipment comes in what model, we'd suggest he stick to doing what he does best — blathering on about things that aren't cars. We'd suggest perhaps maybe class warfare. See the full clip below:

The three tests we have are between the Honda Accord and the Honda Fit, the Toyota Camry and Toyota Yaris, and finally the Mercedes C300 and the Smart ForTwo. With each we get a full speed offset frontal crash with both cars traveling at 40 MPH, destruction and carnage ensue and rightly so, there's a lot of energy involved here. These are hardly scientific tests, and they represent the absolute most extreme crash scenario for these speeds, especially for the smaller cars. Ratings got from "Good" at the top of the scale through "Acceptable" and "Poor." Considering this is one car bashing into another, the evaluation is somewhat subjective, but it gives an idea of relative performance. Let's take a closer look at each.

Smart ForTwo Versus Mercedes C300

The Smart ForTwo is the poster child for Micro-Machine scale automobiles. With a tiny, tiny footprint and virtually zero front overhang, the 1808 lb ForTwo relies on a super-strong safety cage and airbags for protection. It's cold comfort against the much bigger Mercedes-Benz C300, tipping the scales at 3,560 lbs. Considering the circumstances, the little Smart held up pretty well, even though it bounced off the Benz like a pinball. The Benz scores a Good while the Smart gets a Poor, which is pretty harsh under these conditions. We like watching the three-pointed star float past the Smart in the slo-mo.

Honda Fit Versus Honda Accord

The Fit is one of our favorite little cars, with the new design maintaining the fun character of the original while giving it a little more room inside. The Fit uses traditional crumple zones for crash force dissipation but with such short overhangs there's not much room to slow absorb energy in a collision. When Accord meets Fit, we get an seriously mangled mess with the Fit. There's significant damage to the safety cage with the A-pillar crumpling and the wheel well smooshing up into the footwell. However, the front and side airbags kept the driver's head from bashing into hard parts. The 2489 lb Fit scored a Poor while the 3297 lb Accord was Good.

Toyota Yaris Versus Toyota Camry

The Yaris scores a Poor and the Camry gets an Acceptable, but this one seems like it needs another level of bad. In this crash the Yaris crumples up into a pretzel, with the A-pillar severely kinking, the wheel occupying the space where the driver's feet used to be and the door flying open. Yikes. The 2288 lbs Yaris is 200 lbs lighter than the Fit and the Camry is only 30 lbs less than the Accord, but the results seem more out of proportion than the differences in heft.

Toyota wasn't Saved By Zero but rather imperiled by a 36.7% drop in December 2008. Instead of focusing on 0% financing, Toyota is going to put more more money on the barrel, offering customer and dealer cash across their product line.

On the low end, the 2009 Toyota Prius comes with $750 in dealer cash in most areas. The non-hybrid Toyota Camry will be offered with $1,000 in customer rebates and $500 in dealer cash. The Corolla will come with cash rebates of $1,250 to $1,500 depending on the trim level. This is the money Toyota will give you for their most popular vehicles? What about the Tundra?

If you're in the market for a Tundra you can get up to $4,000 in customer cash for a 2008 model. The 2009 will come with $2,000 in dealer cash, which will almost certainly translate into some good deals for people who still need a new truck.

The switch from financing deals to cash incentives clearly shows Toyota thinks people are more concerned with short-term cash flow issues than long-term savings. With the 2010 Toyota Prius around the corner we're curious how low Toyota is willing to go to move the rest of their hybrid inventory.

[Automotive News (subs. req.)]

The Hertz Connect service, just launched in New York, London and Paris, is strikingly similar to the service offered by Zipcar in those urban areas. Not only does the service offer a variety of cars rented by the day or hour for a small monthly and usage fee, they both use RFID passes to access the cars and neither services charges for gas. Additionally, the Hertz service offers two cars intimately associated with the Zipcar service: the Mini Cooper and the Toyota Prius. The other offering is a Toyota Camry.

Where Hertz differs from the Zipcar service is in the features. Not only are all cars equipped with iPod-ready sound systems, each has the "NeverLost" in-car nav system found on regular Hertz vehicles. Additionally, Hertz representatives can locate, unlock and engage rented vehicles wirelessly. Once a consumer pays the $50 monthly fee they can book a Prius for just $8.50 an hour or $59.50 a day, a Camry for $10.20 an hour/$71.40 a day or a Mini Cooper $11.90 an hour/$83.30 a day. Those are all prices lower than the non-monthly-fee-enabled Zipcar service.

In a pinch you could rent a Prius and power your house. Of course, we're still waiting for the Corvette ZHZ to find its place in the fleet.

Press release with full details below. We'll let you know what we think once we've had a chance to use the service, but for the moment, let's just say we're intrigued enough to want to give Hertz a call to try it out.

"Connect by Hertz" Launches Global Car Sharing Initiative

PARK RIDGE, NJ — (MARKET WIRE) — 12/19/2008 — Hertz, the world's largest general use car rental company, has launched Connect by Hertz car sharing club, the only global car share club offered by an international car rental company, with neighborhood parking in London, New York City and Paris. Dedicated to providing the flexibility of car sharing with a superior customer experience, further cities, as well as universities, for Connect by Hertz are planned for 2009 and beyond, and members will benefit from reciprocal membership at any Connect by Hertz city in the world in early 2009.

Connect by Hertz (www.connectbyhertz.com) offers consumers an economical, convenient and socially conscious alternative to car ownership. Upon enrolling, the self-service, pay-as-you-go system provides members with 24/7 access to a centrally located fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles strategically distributed over a neighborhood or city, transferring the fixed costs of car ownership to per-trip costs. Membership in Connect by Hertz includes insurance, fuel, roadside assistance, maintenance and cleaning. Connect by Hertz members enjoy a paperless program where they can reserve, drive and return vehicles all on their own, via the internet or phone.

Connect by Hertz car sharing allows urban dwellers to escape the city. Pictured is one of Connect by Hertz's feature cars, the Toyota Prius at Liberty State Park in New Jersey.

"Hertz's vision is to offer total mobility solutions and car sharing is a logical step for the Company. In line with Hertz's long term growth plans, Connect by Hertz supports Hertz's diversified business model by providing best-in-class transportation solutions across the spectrum of customer needs," commented Mark P. Frissora, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Hertz Corporation. "In addition to being environmentally friendly, Connect by Hertz cars can save members thousands of dollars a year in vehicle ownership costs and, by leveraging Hertz's established infrastructure, we're the first major car rental company to be able to offer members the first global car sharing program. With aggressive plans for expansion, Connect by Hertz has all the elements to become a successful and profitable part of Hertz."

Connect by Hertz cars are chosen based on a set of aggressive standards established in the categories of manufacturing/maintenance quality, environmental sustainability, safety and a blend of fun and functionality. Environmentally friendly, each car sharing vehicle eliminates up to 14 traditional passenger cars from the road*. The showcase car of the Connect by Hertz fleet in the US is the Toyota Prius. Known for its high fuel-efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions, the reduced environmental impact of the Prius versus ordinary vehicles is most dramatic in stop-and-go city driving where the hybrid often operates on its electric motor. Additionally, all Connect by Hertz cars in the US are EPA SmartWay certified, indicating high quality environmental performance. The fuel emissions of the London and Paris cars are significantly less than the voluntary target of a maximum 140 g/km CO2 output set by the EU for the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

"We're living in an increasingly mobile society with today's consumers demonstrating an intense willingness to look at alternate modes of transportation, whether it be for economical or environmental reasons," continued Frissora. "An easy-to-use, paperless program that harnesses the latest in technology, Connect by Hertz unites people to places while meeting the ever changing transportation needs of society."

Connect by Hertz adapts the latest in end-to-end telematics to further provide superior customer service. Members enroll online where, beginning in January, they will be able to retrieve their invoice and access their driving history. Upon making a reservation, each member receives an email confirmation as well as a text message indicating the reserved car's license plate and location. To unlock and engage the vehicle, members simply need to swipe their membership card, the Connect card, over the car's radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader.

In car, a hands-free audio kit connects members to a Member Care Center representative should they have questions, need assistance or need to extend their rental. The in-car technology also enables Connect by Hertz to 'communicate' with the vehicle enabling representatives to unlock, engage and locate vehicles. The technologically savvy cars are also equipped with iPod connectivity and, in the US, NeverLost® in-car navigation systems and EZ Pass transponders.

Upon enrolling in Connect by Hertz, members receive a smart chip enabled Connect card, which gives them keyless entry to any car in the fleet that the member reserves. Connect by Hertz members pay an hourly charge, must be 18 years or older, 19 in France, must be licensed with a good driving record for at least one year prior to joining. For more information, visit www.connectbyhertz.com or call Member Care Services at 877-654-4400.

[Source: Connect by Hertz]

All four foreign-made cars were found by their owners with two tires slashed and the words "Buy USA" scrawled across the windshield. We mentioned in our earlier post police were looking for a middle-aged man driving a red Ford Escape, but had yet to catch a lead on the identity of the man. As you can see in the video above, the man parks his car, does the slicing and dicing then quickly goes on with his day presumably in a hurry to plot his next act of Carpocalypse heroism.

When the government doesn't hurry and take action, leave it to the real 'heroes' of the community to do their part.
(Thanks for the tip Henry!)

[via LiveLink]

Four cars in the Michigan city of Woodhaven were the victims of vandalism targeted at owners of foreign-made cars, including a 2009 Toyota Camry almost certainly assembled in the company's Georgetown, Kentucky plant. Though no one has been arrested in connection with the attacks, highly circumstantial evidence points to distressed autoworkers.

First, the choice of target and the use of the words "Buy USA" gives a fairly clear indication of motive. Second, the incidents took place near a Ford stamping plant. Finally, a middle-aged man driving a red Ford Escape was reportedly seen doing the deed. Of course, it could be anyone.

This event covers stage five (jingoism) and stage three (anger) of the five emotional stages of the Carpocalypse. With prayer already covered, clearly only rioting is left.

[Click on Detroit]

Stromer emerged from his hybrid unharmed but markedly startled and in a radio interview on fellow TG USA host Adam Corolla's radio show, Stromer dishes that his primary concern during the accident was spilling his newly purchased "triple grande nonfat latte." We are looking forward to the gripping social commentary Stromer will bring to the table for the new series. [The Adam Carolla Show]

[Noob]

But first some stats on the Toyota Camry Hybrid. For starters, it's a "dual-mode" hybrid utilizing the same Toyota-branded Hybrid Synergy Drive found in the Toyota Prius. The trim level of the Camry Hybrid is relatively up-featured, including LED taillights, a DVD-based navigational system and most of the features found on the top-of-the-line Camry XLE. Though the Camry was originally advertised with a higher mileage, new EPA standards bring the over-reaching hybrid down to a city and highway rating in the low-to-mid 30 mpg range. Despite the lower rating, the Camry Hybrid is still the sales king for those who want a hybrid, aren't concerned about highway mileage, and want something that looks more normal than a Prius. However, there are alternatives to the super number one best automaker from the land of the rising sun.
City: 33 mpg
Highway: 34 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
MSRP: $26,150

2009 Honda Civic GX CNG

The Honda Civic GX CNG is an interesting study in alternative fuel sources, their advantages and what-the-hell T. Boone Pickens is talking about. The GX looks just like any other Honda Civic, but runs on compressed natural gas typically added from a home fueling station. This Civic is inferior to the Camry in terms of city or combined mileage, but slightly bests the Toyota sedan on the highway. The Civic GX also has a lower cost of ownership (it needs minimal services), has a significantly smaller carbon footprint and costs about the same. The technology is still in development, though, so less than 1,000 vehicles are typically produced each year.
City: 24 mpg
Highway: 36 mpg
Combined: 28 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $25,090

2009 Kia Rio (Auto)

The Kia is among the smallest, cheapest new cars for sale in the United States, coming in at more than half the price of the Toyota Camry Hybrid and more than 1,000 pounds lighter. Powered by a 110-horsepower fourbanger tied to a CVT transmission, the little Kia is slightly better than the Camry on the highway, though much worse in the city. While much cheaper, the Rio offers few of the features and almost none of the prestige, comfort, desirability or practicality of the Camry. Even with limited availability for Toyota, the 2008 Rio only bested the Camry Hybrid's sales by 134 cars.
City: 26 mpg
Highway: 35 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,145

2009 Chevrolet Cobalt LS Coupe XFE

Essentially a 2009 Chevy Cobalt with a few light tweaks, the Cobalt XFE is modified ever so slightly to improve fuel economy — and prove that an American car can make the grade without a hybrid drive. Adjustments are mostly under the hood where the engineers tweaked the intake and exhaust valve lift duration, swapped the transmission gear ratios for lower operating revs, and put on some low-rolling-resistance tires. The result may only be 1 mpg over the previous year, but that's a step in the right direction. Like the other cars that take the lighter approach, the biggest gains are found at highway speeds.
City: 25 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 30 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $15,225

2009 Mini Cooper (Manual)

Fans of the Mini Cooper have always been able to boast about all the fun they have driving their itsy-bitsy British bimmer — so much fun that they forget to mention that it gets stellar gas mileage. Though not as useful as a Camry as a family vehicle, the Mini is at least a few hundred times more fun and gets a combined mileage just 2 mpg short of the big hybrid. There are no tricks here. The Mini is just a well-engineered, sufficiently-powered small car offered with a sixth gear.
City: 28 mpg
Highway: 37 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $19,200

2009 Toyota Yaris (Manual)

All of the 2009 Yaris models equipped with the manual transmission get the same EPA mileage, so you're not necessarily stuck with a little three-door hatch if that's your route towards mileage. The five-door S hatch comes equipped with rear-window wipers, fog lights, MP3/CD player w/ iPod interface and other nice features, though you'll have to tack on $3,000 to the base price. Though it can't quite compete with the Camry in city driving, this tiny Toyota does better on the highway and is close on the combined cycle.
City: 29 mpg
Highway: 36
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $12,205

2009 Mercury Mariner Hybrid

We found the 2008 Mariner Hybrid to be a fairly decent ride with only a few flaws, many of which were addressed with the 2009 refresh. The Mariner Hybrid, and it's twin brother Escape Hybrid, is most similar to the Camry in that it offers power, luxury and good gas mileage in a single package — an SUV package at that. Though slightly off the Camry's total, this is one of the few vehicles that bests the Toyota in the city.
City: 34 mpg
Highway: 31 mpg
Combined: 32 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $29,750

2009 Volkswagen Jetta & Jetta SportWagen TDI (Manual)

Both the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and its wagon sibling the SportWagen are within the Camry's price range and offer the utility, relative luxury and foreign car appeal of the Toyota. Unlike the Camry, the Jettas are both eligible for a tax credit. In the ongoing diesel-versus-hybrid debate the TDI twins step up with a comparable combined cycle and a substantially higher highway experience, a reflection of the efficiency and power of the diesel engine. And there's no risk of running short because of battery supplies.
City: 30 mpg
Highway: 41 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: Highway
MSRP: $21,990/$23,590

2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid

Nissan is still technically selling the Altima Hybrid, a car that is a direct competitor with the Camry, but sales have lagged far behind nearly all of its competitors. Why? It may have something to do with battery supply, but it also may have something to do with the reason why people are choosing the regular Camry over the regular Altima: age. The Altima, though refreshed, is a rather tired design that lacks the same appeal and luxury of the Toyota. It trumps the better-selling green sedan in the city, but no one seems to care.
City: 35 mpg
Highway: 33 mpg
Combined: 34 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City
MSRP: $26,650

2009 Honda Civic Hybrid

It should come as no surprise that the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid, currently the third-best selling hybrid car behind the Camry, bests the Camry in all areas of fuel economy by a large margin. It's smaller. It's lighter. The Prius is more of a competitor to this hybrid than the Camry, though Toyota has done a good job of making their larger hybrid price competitive with the Civic sedan.
City: 40
Highway: 45
Combined: 42 mpg
Advantage Over Camry: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $23,550

2009 Toyota Prius

The king. The reigning champ. The green boss. You can't touch the Prius and neither can the Camry Hybrid — at least not in mileage. Though all of these buyers are likely eco-minded, some hybrid huggers just don't like the Prius, don't want a hatchback or maybe just think the larger hybrid sedan is a perfect foil.
City: 48 mpg
Highway: 45 mpg
Combined: 46 mpg
Advantage: City, Highway, Combined
MSRP: $22,000

[Hybrid Sales Data: HybridCars.com. Fuel Economy Data: FuelEconomy.gov]

1st – 29 Kielbasa Kids Racing

2nd – 11 Team Eliminators

3rd – 1 Schumacher Taxi Service 1

4th – 21 Team Pro-crass-Duh-Nation

5th – 07 Team Go Green

NASCAR, for its part, has been trying to reach out to minority audiences so it's no surprise this sponsorship will include a fundraiser with NASCAR fan Randy Moss and Fergie. The team is run by staunch Republicans, but they're not going to turn down the money and, after years in racing, seem to know how to spot a winner. (h/t to Brian) [CNN.SI]

It's especially tough to see someone work themselves to death in a white-collar job as opposed to going out doing what they love. We're not saying engineers don't enjoy what they do, but it's a shame to see a life wasted creating a boring mid-size sedan that gets slightly better fuel economy. We imagine that somewhere, Eric Stromer is laying a single rose on his Camry Hybrid. [Yahoo News](image)

Toyota Camry Hybrid Thailand Production Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that, as part of an effort to further popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide, it will begin producing the "Camry Hybrid" at Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. (TMT), TMC's vehicle production base in Thailand. Production of the Camry Hybrid at TMT's Gateway Plant will commence in 2009, with an annual production target of 9,000 vehicles. "Thailand is the first ASEAN country to build hybrid vehicles. As the Camry has received a warm welcome from Thai customers, we are sure these customers will be satisfied not only with the product but also with its environmental performance", said TMT President Mitsuhiro Sonoda at a joint press conference in Bangkok with Siam Toyota Manufacturing Co., Ltd., attended by Thai government officials. Ever since the introduction in 1997 of the Toyota Prius—the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle—TMC has actively been promoting and popularizing hybrid technology, as part of its high-priority environmental management policy. Toyota aims to sell 1 million or more hybrid vehicles annually as early as possible in the 2010s and is working to establish a worldwide optimal hybrid vehicle production system that reflects market needs.