Toyota Prius: The Next GenerationMotoring Channel Staff - 17/October/2008
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2010 Toyota Prius - The New Generation

Toyota has big plans for the new Prius hybrid

This small photo is from the Prius's info display

Will Toyota's hybrid Prius be a hit? Stay tuned...
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Tokyo, Japan —
Photos of Toyota's new generation Prius hybrid car were leaked on
to the Internet a couple of days ago, and Toyota's American PR division
has released a statement confirming that this indeed the new Prius: "Many
of you will have seen by now photographs on sites like PriusChat,
Jalopnik and AutoblogGreen of a vehicle said to be the new Prius. We
thought we’d take a moment to confirm that the car shown in these
unauthorized photos – at least the ones we’ve seen so far -
is indeed the new Prius. "Sorry, we’re not able to provide details. "Those
will be forthcoming when the car is formally introduced at the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. What we can
tell you, however, is this: This new Prius will retain all of the
virtues of the model that precedes it. "It’s
about the same size as its forebear, but with more interior room and
better fuel economy. But you expected nothing less, right?" There
has already been much conjecture in the past few days about the design
of the second generation Toyota Prius, expected to be on sale later in
2009, and much of it has been luke-warm at best. The design is not really that different from the original Prius, and reasons for this are unclear. Viewed from the side, the new Toyota Prius has an almost identical silhouette to the previous model. The
only major external updates are the headlight clusters and
presumably the brake lights, and they appear to be borrowed from
the Corolla. Perhaps the financial crash is already effecting the
world's largest automaker? It is possible that Toyota wanted to
keep the vehicle's overall look so the everyman on the street would
recognise the vehicle, as the Prius does have a distinct design. However,
the appearance of the vehicle will be far less important than how it
operates and as Toyota's statement indicates, it will be more fuel
efficient than its predecessor. It will need to be more efficient, especially with Honda's Insight arriving in 2009, which looks better and is expected to deliver next generation mileage on par with the new Prius. We
can expect some new advances in Toyota's 'Hybrid Synergy Drive' that
may allow the vehicle to run at higher speeds on pure electricity, but
more interior room will also appeal to family buyers looking to lower
their fuel bills. Using twin motors, one electric and one petrol,
the Prius hybrid vehicle can significantly reduce fuel consumption by
shutting down the petrol engine and running its electric motor. Hybrids
such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight are seen as stepping stone
technologies. The ultimate goal for car makers is to deliver zero
emission vehicles that run on electric engines. Stay tuned to the
Motoring Channel, as we'll have all the details on
Toyota's crucial new hybrid car when it launches at the 2009 North
American International Auto Show in Detroit early in '09. Related Links:
- Toyota Hybrids + Custom Yaris (2008) - Toyota Aygo Crazy (2008) - Toyota Camry Aussie Hybrid (2010) - Toyota Corolla (Road Test) - Toyota iQ (2008) - Toyota LandCruiser (Road Test) - Toyota Venza (2008) - Toyota A-BAT Concept (2008) - Toyota Landcruiser (2008) - TRD Aurion (Road Test) - TRD Aurion (2007) - Toyota Corolla (2007) - Toyota Supra (2010) - Toyota Tarago V6 (2010) - Toyota
Camry (2006) - Toyota
RAV4 (2006)
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