Toyota Motor Sales will validate their status as a leader in automotive hybrid technology with the arrival of a plug-in version of the Prius Hybrid. Talk of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) has been circulating for some time now, leaving eco-conscious drivers drooling with anticipation for the PHV’s arrival.

The desire to get your hands on the vehicle may not be fulfilled in the near future, but Toyota didn’t become the front runner in sustainable mobility by procrastinating. As it turns out, the company is as much a leader in the safety of vehicles as they are in the hybrid technology of vehicles.

As a means to put the safest PHV on the market as possible when in goes on sale in 2012, Toyota has lent a very lucky group of 150 people from various organizations a prototype of the PHV to drive for the next 18 months. This will allow individuals to experience how the PHV performs in accordance to every day tasks as well as the longevity of the vehicle’s performance. These individuals will provide Toyota with feedback on the PHV giving Toyota the opportunity to repair any flaws before the vehicle becomes available to the general public.

Much like the current Prius, the PHV uses both electricity and gasoline to power the engine. A lithium ion battery is what distinguishes the PHV from the Prius and allows the vehicle to drive solely on electricity for 13 miles before reverting back to gasoline reliance. The PHV’s battery endures higher speeds than its derivative and can fully recharge in three hours.

The lithium ion battery not only endows the PHV with more power, it also keeps the PHV’s price tag affordable. Instead of a larger battery that needs to be charged overnight, the PHV’s smaller battery requires quick charges more frequently. Toyota believes the smaller battery that charges quicker conforms to every day tasks better than a larger battery that requires hours upon hours to recharge. The PHV’s quick-charge battery has an ultra low cost, which will put the vehicle on the market for a far less price than other automaker’s hybrids.

Your used car dealership of New Jersey, Hudson Toyota, credits the Prius Hybrid’s renowned acclaim to its city fuel economy of 48 mpg and small, compact body, which NJ residents consider essential features for city navigation. The PHV’s extended electric-only drive range and improved fuel economy of 60 mpg are sure to garner the same success as the Prius Hybrid for any local Toyota car dealers NJ residents will visit.

Chastised for sitting idly by as complaints were coming in, Toyota President Akio Toyoda and other executives are now making the U.S. congressional rounds, attending three hearings in less than two weeks, to make themselves available to a very fearful public.  Toyoda and his men are, in effect, working to calm consumer fears and restore Toyota’s reputation as a safe, reliable, and affordable automobile.  There are currently voluntary recalls on 2010 Priuses and the Lexus HS250h to update software in the vehicle’s anti-lock brake system and Toyota will also be mailing notification letters to Prius owners in the coming weeks.

In addition to this public step, as you drive by your local dealership/Toyota service center, coming home from a Saturday night dinner and a movie, you might notice it lit up with employees hard at work inside.  In response to this trying situation, many dealers are extending service hours and adding more weekend service; there are even those going above and beyond that are staying open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Perhaps there’s a sign out there that reads: “At Newark Toyota, brakes come before breaks”.

In all honesty, though, it will take more than mere slogans or the lip service of the President sitting before congressional committees to restore Toyota’s once strong standing in the eyes of the U.S. car buying public, but it would seem that now that Toyota has acknowledged problems do exist they are on the right road to repairing these damages and preventing future ones.