Toyota, determined to continue its world domination of the hybrid segment, arrived at the Detroit auto show with not one but two siblings to the mighty Prius and once again promised to deliver a plug-in Prius next year.
Although the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are getting all the love lately, Toyota still rules the roost for alt power. The company offers 14 hybrid models worldwide and shows no signs of ceding the green mantle to anyone. Toyota sold 140,928 Prius hybrids last year, an increase of 36 percent over 2009, and pretty much defines the technology.
"With nearly one million sold in North America over the last 10 years, it has the highest brand awareness of any hybrid vehicle," Bob Carter, group VP and general manager, said at the unveilings. "Prius has become to hybrids what Kleenex is to tissues and Levis are to jeans."
Still, the Toyota Prius is yesterday's news, what with everyone and their brother promising to deliver an electric vehicle within a few years. So Toyota unveiled a Prius that's a little bigger and a Prius that's a little smaller, promising to create "a modern family with a Prius for everyone."
"Today, we’re going to plant the family tree and watch it grow," Carter said using a green analogy too cute by half.
The move makes sense. According to the Detroit Free Press, Toyota's market research revealed that its customers wanted more choices in the Prius lineup. And the Volt and the Leaf have, despite their tiny sales numbers thus far, increased pressure on Toyota to re-assert its green cred -- at least until the RAV4 EV it's building with Tesla Motors rolls out.
The bigger of the two new models is the Prius V, for "versatile." It's essentially a Prius wagon, a mid-sized car with more than 50 percent more cargo space than the sedan. Rather than simply stretch a Prius, Toyota designed the V from the ground up around the Synergy hybrid system we all know and love. It is 6 inches longer and 3.4 inches taller than the current model. Open the hatchback and you're looking at a cavernous 34.9 cubic feet of cargo space. Toyota says the V will deliver 42 mpg city, 38 highway, and 40 combined.
Look for the V in showrooms this summer. No word on price, but the sedan starts at $22,800. The V will probably be a bit north of that.
More interesting is the smallish Prius C concept. It has more aggressive styling than is typical for Toyota, and it's a bit sportier than you'd expect of a Prius. The car is aimed squarely at aimed at urban commuters looking for high fuel efficiency in a roomy car, and you've got to wonder if Toyota doesn't have its eye on the sporty Honda CR-Z hybrid. Toyota didn't offer many specifics for the C but says it is the basis for a model we could see in the first half of 2012.
"It will be the most value-oriented hybrid, with the highest mileage of any 'plug-less' hybrid available in the U.S.," Carter said.
Ah, plug-ins. Toyota also showed off the Prius Plug-In. Again. It's been pimping this car so long it's going to need a redesign before it hits showrooms sometime in the first half of next year. We've all heard the specs, but we'll run 'em down again just the same: 13 miles of all-electric range, 60-mph top speed under electric power. You'll be able to recharge the lithium-ion pack in 3 hours minutes at 110 volts and a little more than half that at 220.
At one time, those specs were really impressive. But given the various hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electrics on the market or on the horizon, they seem merely adequate at this point.
No word on price when the car rolls out in 14 states along the East and West coasts.
Photos: North American International Auto Show
