From an article in USA Today:
Toyota will announce today that it is taking a new look at an alternative fuel that it had left behind: compressed natural gas.
And Honda, the only maker now of a CNG-powered car, plans to make twice as many of those environmentally friendly Civics for the U.S. in 2009 as it did last year.
Toyota says it will display a concept version of a CNG-electric hybrid Camry at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Though it has made no commitment to production, the unveiling is tied to a burst of renewed interest.
“With this concept, we are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG,” says Irv Miller, a vice president for Toyota Motor Sales, the U.S. sales arm. He lauded CNG as cheaper than gasoline, low in emissions and more plentiful than oil. Data presented at a Toyota-sponsored conference here made the case for oil production declining faster than natural gas supplies, pointing to the need to look anew at the fuel.
Toyota is “testing the waters,” says John O’Dell, senior editor for Edmunds Green Car Advisor. “They want to be ready” if it looks like CNG will make a comeback.