While the Geneva Auto Show tried to bill itself as "The Green Show" in the days leading up to today, there was a sense that it would be so by tying itself to Toyota. After all, Toyota let the press build buzz with a sneak peek sketch of the Hybrid X. And after Chevy's triumph with the Volt in Detroit, good money was backing a Japanese blockbuster in Geneva.
It didn't happen.
The Toyota Hybrid X is obviously the next-gen Prius - if you squint your eyes a bit and forgive some Concept Car frivolity. The overall look is very good and immediately renders the very futuristic 2007 Prius as yesterday's news. But my hopes were centered on big announcements on the future of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system.
As noted above, the Hybrid crown belonged to GM in Detroit, and I expected Toyota to wrest it back today. No plug-in hybrid announcement, no lithium ion batteries to match the futuristic new look. In fact, the press guide hardly mentions the technology at all and keeps the focus the design.
This makes the Chevy Volt an even more important car for GM to deliver. Not that Toyota will ultimately falter but, for now, the crown still sits in Detroit.(See IntelliChoice's latest Hybrid survey.)
