6 months ago
64
Design overhaul brings Prius person to the crushed and extends wheelbase
Hybrid front-runner was primitively removed from the marketplace owed to request for SUVs
The caller Toyota Prius volition spell connected merchantability successful the UK, Autocar tin reveal, having earlier been removed from the marketplace owed to higher request for SUV models.
Toyota primitively cited an “evolving UK merchandise strategy and changing marketplace conditions” arsenic the rationale for not offering the new, fifth-generation Prius successful the UK erstwhile it was revealed past year.
It said astatine the time: “The caller exemplary represents a precise antithetic proposition to its predecessor, alongside a wide displacement successful UK user request towards much SUV-style vehicles.”
It added that Prius income successful the UK paled successful examination with its different hybrids, specified arsenic the C-HR crossover and Corolla hatchback.
However, the Prius hybrid hatchback volition present beryllium offered successful the UK, Autocar understands, with an authoritative announcement to follow. The concern lawsuit for the exemplary is apt to person been bolstered by beardown income of parallel- and plug-in hybrids, some of which had grown successful year-on-year marketplace stock successful the UK by the extremity of September.
The caller Prius is based connected the latest mentation of the TNGA platform, which underpinned the previous-generation model, with important modifications to amended stiffness, refinement and stability.
Globally, it is disposable with 2 powertrains: a front-wheel-drive 2.0-litre parallel hybrid with 191bhp, and a four-wheel-drive 221bhp plug-in hybrid. The second tin screen 0-62mph successful 6.7sec, which makes the existent Prius the quickest to date.
The PHEV besides receives a 13.6kWh lithium ion artillery that is officially susceptible of providing 53 miles of driving nether electrical powerfulness alone.
A star sheet connected the extortion is said to adhd capable vigor for up to astir 777 miles of electrical driving annually, but it is not yet confirmed whether this functionality volition beryllium disposable successful the UK.
Inside, the Prius has been reinvented with a absorption connected worldly prime and operator comfort. A 7.0in integer operator show is fitted arsenic standard, positioned to minimise distraction portion connected the move, and paired with a new-generation cardinal infotainment surface based connected that from the latest Corolla and Toyota RAV4.
On the determination to dramatically reinvent its hybrid flagship, Toyota said: "While the Prius has played a starring relation successful driving hybrid use, the existent dispersed of HEVs done a wide scope of models means it has reached a turning point.
"The improvement squad decided to commencement from scratch and look astatine what the Prius needs to stay fashionable for the adjacent 25 years. Based connected a tendency to renew the Prius itself and pass the entreaty of hybrid cars to an adjacent wider audience, the Hybrid Reborn conception was created."
Since motorboat successful 1997, Toyota has sold astir 5.05 cardinal examples of the Prius worldwide, which, it says, equates to a CO2 redeeming of much than 82 cardinal tonnes. A saltation of the hybrid strategy it pioneered is present disposable successful each halfway Toyota models connected merchantability successful the UK.
In Germany, prices scope betwixt €45,290 and €52,690 (£39,500 and £46,000), positioning the Prius good supra the parallel-hybrid Corolla (from £30,225 successful the UK).
Additional reporting by Felix Page
English (US)