Toyota Motor Corporation this week started sales of its redesigned Prius-series parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in Japan. Sales of plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models are scheduled to begin in March.
When the Prius was launched in 1997, it was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car and paved the way for the advancement of the technology and its way into a wide range of Toyota models. The model will be produced at Toyota’s Tsutsumi plant in Japan.
The new Prius HEV features Toyota’s latest fifth-generation hybrid system for both the 1.8 and 2-litre versions. According to Toyota, the Prius 2.0L offers a fuel consumption of 28.6 km/l and a maximum power of 144 kW (196 hp), 1.6 times more than the previous model. The 1.8 liter model has a fuel consumption of 32.6 km/l.
According to Toyota, the second-generation TNGA platform was developed as part of the continuous improvement of the mature TNGA platform and offers improved driving performance thanks to a lower center of gravity and large-diameter tires. It comes standard with Toyota’s latest active safety package, Safety Sense. Prices range from JPY2.75 million to JPY3.92 million (US$20,830 to US$29,700).
