Toyota Prius News
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The next-generation Toyota Prius hybrid may retain the same shape as its predecessors, but it's likely to be different in several important ways. With spy shots of 2016 Prius prototypes now emerging, it's time to follow up on a piece we did six months ago. So, let's look at all the confirmed facts and swirling rumors about the next edition of the world's most popular hybrid car. For one thing, it will likely make the switch to a lighter lithium-ion battery pack. For another, it'll be built in the United States, one of its largest markets. And according to persistent rumors, it may even offer...
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Toyota Prius Over $150K In Singapore, Vin Diesel Not Impressed
If you ever feel cars are getting too expensive, consider yourself lucky you don't live in Singapore. The country, an island located on the tip of mainland Malaysia, is smaller than most cities, and one of the most prosperous nations in the world. Due to its (lack of) size, traffic is a big...
Antony Ingram -
2013 Toyota Prius Plug-in Challenge Raises Funds For Philanthropy
When it comes to social media marketing, Ford showed the auto world how it's done back in 2010. The company's Fiesta Movement recruited perky, camera-ready cool kids to talk about the Fiesta through blog posts, photos, and videos. The campaign was so successful that 60% of Americans knew about the...
Richard Read -
2016 Toyota Prius Spy Shots: Next-Gen Hybrid Breaks Cover
The Toyota Prius has one of the most distinctive profiles on the road, and as new spy shots reveal, that familiar silhouette is unlikely to change for the next generation. The full set of spy shots, coming to us via our sister site Motor Authority, clearly shows the Prius's aerodynamics-influenced...
Antony Ingram -
Hybrid Sales Soar So Far In 2013: Ford Rises, Prius Falls
For a long time, the Toyota Prius was the only game in town for high fuel-efficiency vehicles. Starting with the 2004 model, it really came to define the public image of a hybrid car. Now, though, as hybrids and plug-in cars are slowly growing their share of the market, Prius sales have fallen--not...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Continues To Trounce Honda's Insight In Global Hybrid Sales
The Toyota Prius has come a long way since hitting the market over a decade ago. Back then, at the turn of the 21st century, it was no more than a fuel efficient but ultimately unappealing curio, bought only by a select few. Fast-track to 2012 and it was one of the world's highest-selling cars...
Antony Ingram -
Say the word "hybrid" and then ask drivers, anywhere in the world, to name a car brand. They'll likely say "Toyota," a testimony to that brand's launch of the first Prius in 1997 and its tenacious pursuit of improvement in hybrid-electric powertrain technology since then. Today, Toyota announced it has delivered 5 million hybrids worldwide--and almost 2 million of them were sold in the United States. To mark the occasion, the company issued not only a press release filled with the obligatory statements from executives and external analysts, but a truly unusual video. In it, happy young hybrid...
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First Toyota Prius Hybrid National Car Meet Announced For June
Toyota has now sold more than 1 million Prius hybrids in the U.S. over 12 years. Now their owners can get together to celebrate their cars, and all the fuel they didn't burn. For the first time ever, a national gathering of Prius owners is being held from June 14 through 16 in Riverside...
John Voelcker -
Discounts Soar On Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrids--In New York
Live in the New York area? If you do, you're perfectly placed to get some hefty discounts on Toyota's Prius Plug-In right now. In fact, you're in the right place to get a discount on several green models at the moment, including the regular Prius, as well as Ford C-Max and Fusion hybrids. According...
Antony Ingram -
California Is Unlike Anywhere Else: Toyota Prius Most Popular New Car
Years ago, tourism officials in the Lone Star State adopted the saying, "Texas: It's Like A Whole Other Country". There's some truth to that, but the slogan might be most appropriate for California. Like Texas, California, is home to a diverse array of cultures and a wide range of environments...
Richard Read -
NHTSA To Probe 2004-2009 Toyota Prius For Steering Issue
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into possible defects with 2004-2009 Toyota Prius steering shafts. No official recall has yet been announced, and will only follow if the NHTSA grants a defect petition claiming the steering column linkage was improperly...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Prius Becomes Emergency Generator With Special Kit
Last year's East Coast power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy illustrated just how much we rely on electricity in our daily lives. Virtually everything we rely on day to day requires power. No power means no hot water for washing, no refrigerated food, and often, no way of cooking. After the...
Antony Ingram -
How much electric range is the "right" amount in a plug-in hybrid or range-extended electric car? If you're a fan of battery electric vehicles, the answer is "all of it." But if you want to drive most of your miles on electricity, and still have the security of a combustion engine as a backup for long-distance travel, the answer may vary. Our reader Jim Bradbury explained last year why he chose a Prius Plug-In over a Chevy Volt--because of the length of his commute and the car's larger interior space. Other buyers will rank their priorities differently, but this year, they can choose among...
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Toyota Doesn't Seek Hybrid Taxi Sales--Cabbies Just Love Them Anyway
Taken a taxi anywhere recently? Nowadays, there's a pretty good chance that if you have, it's been a hybrid--low running costs and great reliability records are starting to make them popular with drivers, as gas prices creep ever upwards. Toyota's Prius and Camry Hybrids are becoming a familiar...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota's Everyday Drive Website Highlights Plug-In Hybrid Benefits: Video
While purchasing a hybrid vehicle is a relatively easy decision these days, the purchase of a plug-in hybrid can be significantly more difficult to justify, thanks to its greater expense. In terms of the Toyota Prius, a 2013 Prius Two with no options can be configured with a sticker price as low as...
Kurt Ernst -
Buy A Toyota Prius Plug-In, Get Up To $5,000 In Cash Incentives
Toyota is offering up to $5,000 in bonus financing cash for buyers of the 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Until December 3, buyers can get $5,000 bonus financing cash on the Plug-In Prius Advanced model (offer #1239), and $4,000 on the regular Plug-In Prius (#1235). The deals also include 0% APR...
Antony Ingram -
2016 Toyota Prius Rumor Roundup: 60 MPG, AWD, Lithium-Ion Battery
Over the next 14 months, you can expect leaks, rumors, suppositions, spy shots, and outright guesses about the 2016 Toyota Prius to proliferate. The fourth generation of Toyota's quintessential hybrid car is a crucial model for the company. If Toyota sticks to its model cadence, we expect that...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Recalls Prius, Corolla Models For Steering Issue
Toyota has announced the recall of 2.8 million vehicles worldwide to correct a steering fault found on some models. 670,000 Toyota Prius and Corolla models in the U.S. may suffer from an issue in the steering column. The faulty component may cause a knocking or rattling from the steering column...
Antony Ingram -
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there are still thousands without power--and even shelter--along the Northeast coast. It makes most of our issues look rather trivial, but admidst the chaos we've seen examples of great solidarity and ingenuity from those affected. The power losses have also brought to light the alternative use of electric cars as power sources--but in extreme circumstances, even hybrid vehicles have been used. One New Jersey man used his Toyota Prius hybrid as a backup generator, reports NBC News. Using a 100 watt power inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter--later...
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Will Toyota Prius Hybrid Change Its Shape For 2015?
Love it or loathe it, everyone can recognize the Toyota Prius. Since the second generation model arrived in the 2004 model year, the aerodynamically-honed one-box shape has always shouted "Prius". So much so that many consider Honda's Insight hybrid to deliberately feature similar styling. Only...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Prius Hybrids Now The Best-Selling Cars In California
Ten years ago, even in green-car-loving California, the Toyota Prius hybrid was a rare sight on the roads. By the start of 2012, the Toyota Prius was far from rare, recording impressive sales figures in both March and May, to become the world’s third best-selling car line. Now, Toyota’s...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Have Hybrid Cars Finally Moved Beyond Stereotypes?
There was a time when anyone who drove a hybrid car--especially a Toyota Prius--was viewed with distain by the majority of other road users. They were seen as aloof, over-privileged, and perhaps, thanks to a certain episode of South Park, smug about their car buying decision. But with more hybrids...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid: Is It An Electric Car, Or Not?
The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid is the second best-selling plug-in electric car in the U.S. today. It outsells the Nissan Leaf and is bested only by the Chevrolet Volt. But if you view it as an electric car, it’s an odd duck indeed. The car’s plug-in hybrid powertrain adds a...
John Voelcker -
2013 Toyota Prius, Prius V, Prius Plug-in Hybrid Pricing Announced
The 2013 Toyota Prius Liftback and 2013 Prius V wagon will cost buyers between $100 and $200 more than comparable 2012 models, Toyota announced yesterday. The pricing increase, which comes into effect immediately, means that those buying the 2013 Prius Liftback will find themselves paying $200 more...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield