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Toyota's
Top Prius Executive Dies in Plane Crash
Toyota's top Prius advocate, David W. Hermance, died in a
plane crash in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast on
Saturday, November 25. Hermance was the executive engineer for
environmental engineering at the Toyota Technical Center USA
in Gardena, California.
Hermance was thought of as the American
Father of the Prius and testified before Congress about
the benefits of alternative fuel vehicles. Colleagues
have stated that Hermance made the Prius palatable to
skeptical U. S. car buyers as the vehicle was first introduced.
News agency Reuters is reporting that Hermance died
while piloting an aerobatic Russian Yakovlev plane and
Edmunds is reporting the plane is actually a 1993 Russia-made
Interavia E-3. Both the body and the plane have been
found of the coast of San Pedro, California.
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Hermance was a licensed pilot who entered many aerobatic competitions
and had been performing some of his stunts before his aircraft
failed to pull out of a rapid descent. Toyota Motor Corporation
is currently unsure who will fill Hermance's position.
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