Radical New Toyota Prius in the Pipeline

Your browser, , is out of date and not supported by www.motortrend.com. It may not display all features of our site properly and could have potential security flaws. Please update your browser to the most upated version. Update Now By Peter Lyon | Illustrations By Holiday Auto Magazine | November 05, 2012  |   It's been some 15 years since Toyota launched the first Prius with the tag line "Just in time for the 21st century." While it's commonplace now, back then, the Prius was at the cutting edge of the hybrid revolution. Toyota followed up with a parade of hybrids, expanding the use of its fuel-efficient tech to its luxury Lexus lineup as well as building a brand around the Prius. Q: Are you saying that the image of the Prius that Toyota originally wanted to build, and the one that is selling so well today, has lost direction?
A: I wouldn't say that. If the truth be known, Prius sales only really took off after we launched the second generation. If we check out the buyer breakdown back then, we saw lots of forward thinkers in the mix, like scholarly types, wealthy businessmen, and those with a strong creative edge. Today, however, the vast majority of customers [in Japan] for the current Prius are senior citizens looking for a reasonably priced car with class-leading fuel economy. Our job with the next Prius is to try to regain the interest of customers from our second-generation car. Q: So by employing an all-new THS system, you hope to bring those customers back to the showroom? Will you aim for huge sales again with the new Prius?
A: THS will be important, but big sales are not our main aim. We plan to focus buyer attention on the slightly smaller and cheaper Aqua, the model below the Prius [in Japan], while overseas, the next Prius will be crucial. In fact, our sales target is roughly the same as the current model. But like the first two Priuses, the next Prius will employ the most advanced technology we have, and while delivering class-leading economy, it will redefine the "hybrid" as we know it. Q: Tell us more.
A: The design will change significantly, the most radical of which will be the lowering of the hood and waistline. The hood height will drop in height by at least 90 mm [3.5 inches] and it will lose its characteristic wedge shape. The A-pillar will retreat backwards while the roof line will be pushed forward by around 500 mm [19.5 inches] with two aims: 1) to improve aerodynamics and 2) to improve the overall look. Q: And to achieve that effect, the THS unit must be downsized considerably.
A: Yes, that's right. But these significant revisions were made possible thanks to an all-new platform as well.

View the original article here