TOYOTA REVEALS ACCELERATED RESEARCH
PROGRAM FOR COMPACTS

TOKYO―A developing world-wide shortage of petroleum resources and increasing air pollution has shown the need for radically new and more efficient motor vehicles using less fuel and discharging fewer pollutants into the atmosphere. Public recognition of these factors has recently boomed international demand for existing compact or small cars, because of their lower gasoline consumption.

In view of this challenge, Toyota Motor Company President Eiji Toyoda―who heads Japan's largest automobile manufacturer―recently revealed the existence at his headquarters near Nagoya of an accelerated development program. The program is designed to make a series of improved compact vehicles, which will use less fuel more efficiently to produce a cleaner exhaust emission.

Environmentalists have long maintained―as has Toyota―that the most obvious way to limit excess exhaust gas emissions (and thereby improve the environment) is to burn less fuel more efficiently. It is equally obvious that burning less fuel will not only contribute to a better environment, it will also go a long way toward solving the energy crisis.

Toyota policy has wisely reflected a recognition of these vital environmental and fuel considerations. Consequently, research efforts during the past several years have concentrated on developing vehicles with a much higher fuel-burning efficiency, but still well within the limits of any projected exhaust emission controls. The practical spin-off result of this has been significantly improved mileage per gallon in every Toyota line model.

The company―as the world's 3rd largest vehicle manufacturer―has also had substantial experience in the design and production of compacts. This experience has earned it the merited reputation among industry experts of being the most progressive producer of compact cars in the world.

With this background, and foreseeing the developing environmental and fuel crises, Toyota, several years ago, assigned a "task force" to design engines and vehicles that would meet the approaching problems of the mid-70's.

Inextricably linked to the public interest problems of "saving on fuel" and "reducing exhaust gas emissions" is the public interest problem of assuring "increased safety." Toyota is also making tremendous strides in this important area.

At a recent conference, President Eiji Toyoda stressed the company's progressive approach to these interlinked matters of public interest by stating "As Japan's leading vehicle manufacturer, it is Toyota's public duty to speedily solve the problems of exhaust emission controls and automotive safety―problems which are of great social concern."

The Toyota President went on to promise that "We will put forth our best efforts to solve these problems from the viewpoint of national and international well-being."

That Toyota is giving these public interest problems an extremely high priority is abundantly evident in its recent completion of a multimillion dollar program for building an Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESV), as well as in the just revealed accelerated program for new "low-fuel, limited-exhaust" compacts.

Continued progress has been made in Toyota's Electronically-controlled Fuel Injection System (EFI). These units will soon become standard equipment on a large number of production models.

Particular emphasis has been given to improving the capability of engines and carburetors. While tests of improved versions and new concepts have been carried out exhaustively in the laboratory, the majority of tests have taken place under actual driving conditions.

Research on improvements in fuel or exhaust system-linked parts and components (both within and outside of the special accelerated program) are continuing at a rapid pace.

The initials "EFI" stand for Electronically-controlled Fuel Injection, a device/system which can replace a conventional carburetor and inject just the right amount of fuel into each cylinder.

A Toyota EFI results in the following advantages over a conventional carburetor attached to a gasoline engine

1. Larger power output

   (Minimized intake resistance increases the power output of the eigine);

2. More efficient fuel consumption

   (Accurate control of the gas/air mix contributes to more efficient power generation);

3. Quicker acceleration/deceleration response

   (Supplying fuel at the stage immediately adjacent to the intake valve speeds changing of the gas/air mix and results in faster vehicle acceleration/deceleration) ;

4. Cleaner exhaust

   (Providing the correct amount of fuel at the right moment decreases both CO and HC in the exhaust).

A number of efforts have also focused on improving mileage by speeding engine warm-up, controlling fuel mix ratio in the carburetor and improving ignition control and sparking.