Prius Engineer Dies in Plane Crash

David Hermance, 59, dubbed the "American father of the Prius," died when his aerobatic plane plunged into the Pacific Ocean on November 25. Although he didn't invent the gasoline-electric engine, the Toyota Motor Corp. executive made it palatable to a skeptical U.S. public. He helped to develop a newer more fuel-efficient Prius model with greater acceleration that was released three years ago. Father of two grown children, Hermance was executive engineer for Advanced Technology Vehicles at Toyota's technical center in Gardena, California. He joined Toyota in 1991 as a senior manager, then became a general manager in the company's powertrain department. He previously was with General Motors for a quarter-century, working on vehicle emissions and durability test development.