Toyota Prius News
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Toyota's fourth-generation Prius hybrid, expected in around 2015, has a tough act to follow. Still among the most economical vehicles on the market, the third-generation Prius has taken the internal combustion engine to new levels of efficiency--and the new Prius will have to beat it. To ensure the next-gen Prius is worthy of the badge, Toyota is aiming to make improvements in tire rolling resistance, aerodynamics, and weight savings. According to Inside Line, sources at Toyota have revealed the company is in talks with tire manufacturers to work on an ultra-low rolling resistance tire for...
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'Fixing' A Toyota Prius Hybrid: Recycling 1, Aerodynamics 0
You wash your Prius every week, give it regular oil changes, and always drive it for maximum efficiency. Then some imbecile T-bones you at a junction, and your pride and joy is ruined. What do you do? Normally, you might get it all repaired through the usual channels--insurance, bodyshops and the...
Antony Ingram -
Beep Bloop Beep: Star Wars' R2D2, C3PO Sell Prius Plug-In (Video)
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... In fact, not that long ago, and right here on earth, a rebel alliance of green-minded folk were attracted to the force of hybrid vehicles. Using less fuel and producing less pollution, the oil empire has never been quite the same since. We're not sure...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Prius Becomes World’s Third Best-Selling Car Line
Green is the new black. At least, when it comes to cars. For just over a decade, those who bought a Toyota Prius hybrid have had to entertain the possibility that the rest of the world would view them as tree-hugging, tofu-eating, hemp-wearing, middle-class hippies In April however, that changed...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius V, Prius C, Help Toyota Top 4 Million Hybrid Sales
Believe it or not, Toyota has now sold more than 4 million hybrid cars worldwide since it launched the original Toyota Prius hybrid in Japan in 1997. According to Toyota, the milestone was passed in late April, when the 2012 Toyota Prius C had only been on sale five or six weeks. But while it --...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Yes, Even Prius Drivers Can Be Utter Idiots At The Wheel
We spend a fair amount of time here defending Toyota Prius drivers, who seem to have a bad reputation for slow and inept driving. We point out that gentle acceleration gets you there almost as quick and saves you money, despite the angry SUV driver 18 inches off the rear bumper. But then something...
John Voelcker -
With the 2012 Toyota Prius V wagon, 2012 Toyota Prius C, and 2012 Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid all launching within the past 12 months, it’s been easy to forget that there are other Toyota hybrids outside of the Prius brand. In fact, the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid and 2012 Toyota Highlander Hybrid have been somewhat overshadowed in recent months by the Prius brand, so now it’s time to redress the balance. In their own way, both cars offer car buyers an unassuming way to get great gas mileage, without compromising on functionality, comfort or style. Today, we’re going to focus...
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Like Hybrids? Like Camping? You'll Love The Prius Tent
We've seen our fair share of dubious modifications to Toyota's Prius over the years, but we've discovered one that's actually pretty cool. Anyone who has ever tried will know that sleeping in the back of your car isn't always the most comfortable of experiences, so anything that improves this...
Antony Ingram -
2002 Vs 2012 Toyota Prius Hybrids: Progress In Numbers
It seems like the Toyota Prius has been zipping around our roads forever, but in reality the first examples only hit U.S. soil just over a decade ago, with the Japanese market getting the car a few years before that. The premise remains the same--a mass-market hybrid vehicle that offers the best...
Antony Ingram -
Five Ideal Companion Cars To The 2012 Nissan Leaf
You’ve taken the plunge and shelled out anything from $33,000 upwards for an all-electric 2012 Nissan Leaf. Quiet, efficient and full of gadgets, you’ve discovered that it has quickly relegated your gas car to the garage, carrying out the weekend chores, work commutes and maybe even...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: 3rd Fastest-Selling Car In U.S.?
What makes a new car a success? Is it the awards it wins, initial sales figures, how many people order it, or the average amount of time it stays on a dealer lot before being sold? Together, all of the above help us work out which cars are popular and which ones aren’t, but according to...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Prius Hybrid Sales Soar For Second Month
Yesterday, we told you electric-car sales were down slightly in April--even as overall car sales continued to recover. But while the plug-in sales will likely stay low for awhile, both ebbing and flowing, one green model benefited greatly in April: the ur-hybrid Toyota Prius. Now that all four...
John Voelcker -
The Toyota Prius is the world's highest-selling hybrid vehicle and the third best-selling Toyota car in the U.S. Now, after one failed attempt, it appears that Prius production will come to North America--but not until 2015 or thereabouts, as Toyota first acknowledged back in July 2010. Koie Saga, a senior managing director for Toyota drivetrain research, said the company was targeting that year to kick off Prius assembly in the U.S. But that won't happen until Toyota is ready to launch the fourth-generation Prius, which would likely be a 2016 model launched sometime during 2015. The task...
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Is the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid The Invisible Plug-In Car?
For the past few years, every time an automaker has launched a new plug-in hybrid or electric car, it’s been to a fanfare of sorts. But while Nissan, General Motors and Fisker have attracted the spotlight as more and more customers step up for their new cars, Press coverage of Toyota’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want A Brand-New 5-Year-Old Toyota Prius Hybrid? Head For Miami
Believe it or not, the Toyota Prius has been available in the U.S. for over a decade. Aimed at a much more mainstream market than the first two generations of Prius Hybrid, the 2012 Toyota Prius Liftback, 2012 Toyota Prius V, 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid and 2012 Toyota Prius C offer the best...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius V: Service Alert (Exhaust Actuators)
At the end of last week, Toyota quietly announced a service campaign to rectify a potential problem with the exhaust system on the 2012 Toyota Prius V. The voluntary service campaign will focus on weak actuators located within the exhaust heat recovery system on the 2012 Toyota Prius V which, under...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius Vs. 2012 Chevrolet Volt: Which Is Right For You?
With gasoline prices on the increase, many consumers are looking to buy a hybrid or plug-in hybrid as their next car in order to save gas and money. If going whole hog and ditching gasoline entirely in favor of an all-electric car like the 2012 Nissan Leaf or 2012 Mitsubishi i isn’t an...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Blind Man Drives Prius, With A Little Help From Google (Video)
Steve Mahan got into a Toyota Prius hybrid, drove to the dry cleaner's, picked up some clothes he'd left to be cleaned, and drove home. The trip was about a mile and a half. Steve Mahan is legally blind. He's lost 95 percent of his vision. He did it, though, with a little help from Google. The car...
John Voelcker -
The 2012 Toyota Prius C is probably the most anticipated hybrid of 2012, and offers subcompact style and hybrid gas mileage. It’s no surprise then that Toyota has already had to up production volumes in Japan, where the Prius C is currently made. But if the photograph we received this week from a reader who goes by the pseudonym of Miami4me2C is anything to go by, a high demand for the fun-packed hybrid has also given rise to the age-old problem of inflated sticker prices as dealers try to cash in on the new hybrid’s popularity. It shows the window sticker put on a Prius C Two by...
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Is Chevy Volt Vitriol Simply Toyota Prius-Bashing Rehashed?
What goes around comes around, and you need look no further than the auto industry for proof. Model names can be mothballed for decades before reappearing. Features and styling cues make comebacks, with mixed success--all the marketing in the world can’t make Ventiports modern today. Less...
Thomas Bey -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: Parsing The EPA Efficiency Sticker
We all understand what miles-per-gallon means for a gasoline car. And we can readily grasp the range in miles of an electric car. But when a car has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, things can get complicated. The standard 2012 Toyota Prius is rated at 50 miles per gallon, and at best...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Hybrid Demand Rises As Gas Heads Toward $5/Gallon
As gas prices across the U.S. continue an upward march towards $5 per gallon, demand for Toyota Hybrids is now the highest it has been for nearly four years. On Thursday last week, Toyota reported that sales of all Prius brand hybrids -- including the new 2012 Toyota Prius V wagon -- were up 52...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Why I Bought A Prius Plug-In, Not A Volt Or Leaf: A Reader's Choice
Last month, Toyota said that it had 2,100 pre-orders for the 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Now, with first sales of that car being logged this week and dozens of them delivered to dealers, we have a third viable, high-volume plug-in car available to U.S. buyers. Consumers can now buy a pure battery...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid: Brief Drive Report
In the world of plug-in cars, the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt may get all the attention, but a new arrival will make it very much a three-car race. The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid is just now arriving at Toyota dealers in California plus a dozen or so other states. While it may look just like a...
John Voelcker