Quote:
Originally Posted by knox_sportx
I think that guy that works at the Georgetown plant and trolls this board could confirm... but I thought the Venza was a U.S. 'domesticated'-only version of the MarkX Zio. When you look at the basics of the cars, they are remarkably similar. It's the outside packaging and different dash that's the main difference. Although I'm still scratching my head why the Venza didn't get the trick up-to-7 passenger seating arrangement from the Zio anyway.
So consider this. What if they brought the hydrogen Zio over as a way to quickly validate/test the drivetrain before deploying it as a mid-cycle refresh for the Venza (assuming it sells). Or maybe they're simply doing hot-weather testing in Death Valley, but it will be sold in the Mideast or other left-hand drive markets?
Just a thought...
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Good points!
The only comment I have is that I think that the hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle will still be in the experimental stages for quite a few years yet, if only because the hydrogen-refueling infrastructure is not there. Consider that the Venza's mid-cycle refresh is 3 years after its introduction, which would make it 2012. I don't even think that large areas of California will have a hydrogen-refueling infrastructure by that time, much less the rest of North America. So, I doubt that there will be a fuel cell-powered Venza available for commercial use in 2012.
Maybe there will be limited, pseudo-commercial testing, as the Honda FCX Clarity is doing by having it leased out to select customers. So, the Death Valley testing (and maybe cold weather testing) is a possibility.
