Toyota's third-gen Prius is already a huge hit in Japan, and the automaker plans to lease a plug-in version to corporate and municipal customers by the end of the year.
Just 200 are slated for release in Japan under a joint program with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry aimed at promoting the adoption of plug-in hybrids and EVs. Although the new Prius - like all those that came before - uses a nickel metal hydride battery, the plug-in features a lithium-ion pack.
"Toyota Motor Corp. believes that, in response to the diversification of energy sources, plug-in hybrid vehicles are currently the most suitable environmentally considerate vehicles for widespread use," the company said in a statement. "TMC therefore intends to encourage the marketing of plug-in hybrid vehicles while introducing a total of 500 vehicles globally—primarily to fleet customers—to further use and understanding of the vehicles."
We aren't being left out of the experiment. Toyota plans to send 150 plug-in hybrids to the United States. Still more are slated for Europe.
The plug-in will be based on the 2010 Prius, which rolled into Japanese showrooms last month. Toyota has already booked more than 80,000 orders for the car in Japan. It was the best-selling car in Japan last month; the Honda Insight topped the list in April. We've driven both cars; see our review of the Prius here and the Insight here.
Plug-ins are touted for triple-digit fuel economy, but a test fleet of 17 plug-in Prius hybrids in the Seattle area has achieved an average of just 51 mpg. Officials there and plug-in advocates said the problem lies with driver behavior, not the technology.
Toyota didn't release a photo of the new plug-in Prius, so we're running a pic of a prototype based on the 2009 model.
See Also:
- New Prius Clocks 80,000 Orders Already
- Feeling the Heat, Toyota Boosts the PriusTitle
- Plug-In Hybrids: More Hype Than Hope?
Photo: Toyota
