Toyota’s New Prius Models
Filed Under: green automotive technology, Humor on January 24, 2011
Toyota introduced a couple of new designs for the Prius family that it plans to bring to market in the next couple of years. One is a larger, roomier, more family-practical Prius called the Prius v (V for Vendetta Versatility) and the other is a smaller, sportier commuter called the Prius c (C for Compact).
Prius c, as in compact, as in “I go through the trash compactor when hit by an fav.”
The cars were shown off at the NAIAS in Detroit last week and are to use the same drive train as the current Prius. They were shown as “production concepts” with one of them having a firm release date for next year and the other possibly the year after that.
The compact, which has a tiny market segment (ha!) and thus less sales viability was not presented with fuel efficiency or firm production dates. Since it’s much smaller than the current Prius model, being a two-door, it probably beats the Prius’ impressive 50mpg. On the other hand, it barely seats 2 (I think it’s meant to seat 4, but looking at the thing, that’s quite a stretch..er.. compact. (ha! again)
The real star of the new duo is the Prius v. This will be a direct competitor with Ford’s Fusion, a mid-sized hybrid sedan. IT’s basically a Prius with a slightly larger interior and a hatchback. It’s expected to get 42mpg city and 38mpg highway (40 average) and be sold as a MY 2012 offering later this year.
The market for family-sized vehicles is huge – the largest in the U.S., in fact. So Toyota is smart to try to leverage themselves into it. The Prius has sold extremely well as a commuter and single/couples car, but is a flop as a family sedan because of its limited size.
Now it’s edging into soccer mom territory. I expect the next production prototype from the Prius line to the be Prius fav (Family Assault Vehicle, aka SUV).
