Toyota Prius
-
Here is what we know about Estella Warren from her Wikipedia page: • She is a fashion model, with a portfolio that includes work for Victoria's Secret, Chanel, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. • She is a swimsuit model, which is like being a fashion model, except the fashion is less important. • She is an actress, with appearances in Ghost Whisperer and Web Cam 3D. • She was featured in the Marky Mark-themed Planet of the Apes remake, which was like Planet of the Apes, except not really. • She is Canadian. • She is 39. • She holds national titles in synchronized...
-
Does The Toyota Prius Hybrid Hold Up? Consumer Reports: Yes
Gas prices are going up, smaller cars are better than ever, and once again, U.S. car buyers are turning their sights toward higher gas mileage. For that, there's nothing that beats the 2011 Toyota Prius, with its 50-mpg combined EPA rating. But will that Prius hold up? Will the battery pack and...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius V Station Wagon/Minivan: Arrives This Fall
There's nothing like a story translated from overseas media, concerning a related but not-quite-the-same model of a new hybrid car, to get people all in an uproar. So here's the real deal on the 2012 Toyota Prius V station wagon/minivan: It will still arrive in U.S. dealerships this fall. That's...
John Voelcker -
The Ultimate Guide: Toyota Prius Battery Life, Cost, and Warranty
Like many articles, this one started with a reader question. Casey Krakowiecki wrote: I'm interested in buying a new Toyota Prius hybrid. I hope you can answer a couple of questions that will help me. (1) Are the rechargable batteries guaranteed for 8 years? If they fail at 7 years and 11 months...
John Voelcker -
Will Japanese Power Problems Mean Fewer 2011 Toyota Prius Cars?
World supplies of the highly popular Toyota Prius hybrid could be further threatened by new electric power problems in Japan. The Japanese government requested on Friday, May 6, that the Hamaoka nuclear power plant system shut down all of its reactors, which supply to the central Japanese power...
George Parrott -
Want A 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid? Register Online Now
It's been a long time coming, but by June of next year, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale in the U.S. If you're eager to be one of the very first on your block to own the world's most popular hybrid vehicle--but you insist on being able to plug it into grid power--now is your...
John Voelcker -
Gas prices are rising, so you'd think that the 2011 Toyota Prius hybrid would be the car of the moment. But with car production halted in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, Prius supplies are already growing tight. And Toyota is hardly helping the thriftiest buyers, those who want only a bare-bones version of the car with the highest combined EPA mileage rating: 50 mpg. Since the redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius launched almost two years ago, buyers have been perplexed by the four available trim levels, which are named II, III, IV, and V. The mysterious Prius I, the missing model of the...
-
Has U.N. Doomed Quiet Electric Cars to a Life of Noise Making?
Should electric cars make noise? It’s one of the most contentious arguments in the electric vehicle world today, with passionate cases made on both sides for and against warning systems designed to announce the presence of a plug-in car to pedestrians. But early reports coming out of a recent...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Toyota Total For Hybrid Vehicles Passes 3 Million & Counting
Late last month, Toyota announced that it had delivered its 3-millionth hybrid-electric vehicle, with 3.03 million sold as of February 28. Of that total, almost 2.2 million were the company's dedicated hybrid Prius model, now in its third generation. The 1997 Toyota Prius four-door sedan was one of...
John Voelcker -
Barrier To Buying Green: Electric Cars And Hybrids Confusing
Think car buyers understand what a hybrid is, or a plug-in electric car? Think again. A new survey conducted by research firm Synovate finds that many of almost 1,900 new-car "buyers and intenders" don't understand how hybrid vehicles work. Worse, most of them don't seem to understand how...
John Voelcker -
Could Chevy Volt Plug-In Displace Prius Hybrid On Red Carpets?
It all started with Leonardo DiCaprio, who showed up at the foot of the red carpet in his very own Toyota Prius. Within a couple of years, alighting from a Prius hybrid--or any other hybrid, including the hulking Cadillac Escalade Hybrid luxury full-size sport-utility vehicle--was de rigeur for any...
John Voelcker -
What Are The Turning Radii Of The New Toyota Prii?
Toyota announced this week that it had ended what it called a “decade-long debate” by decreeing that the plural of Prius would be Prii henceforth and to the end of time. Okay, they didn’t say that last part. Toyota unveiled the winning word at the Chicago Auto Show this morning...
IEEE Spectrum -
When people think of Texas, there’s always certain stereotypes associated with it: cowboys, twangs, conservative politics, boots, guns and big, gas-guzzling trucks. While some stereotypes are rooted in truth, Texas can surprise you. Like when people actually visit a major city and realize that most Texans are neither cowboys nor all heavily accented. Or when a former Texas oilman becomes a champion for clean energy. Or when West Texas becomes the largest wind-producing region in the U.S., and the first smart grid rollout in the country takes place in Austin. And when Houston (where I...
-
Europe's Toyota Prius V Wagon: Better Battery, Two More Seats
At last month’s 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the wraps came off the new 2012 Toyota Prius V, a bigger and more practical version of the Prius hatchback that treads the line between wagon and minivan. Despite the extra height, weight, and girth, however, the vehicle is still limited to five...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Will Toyota Cut Prius Prices To Keep Hybrid Sales High?
Hybrid sales in the U.S. have flattened over the last couple of years, but they're going great guns in Japan. Now, an analyst suggests that the great popularity of the Prius in its home market may lead Toyota to cut the price there to keep its sales high. The Toyota Prius has been the best-selling...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Plug-In: Can It Measure Up To Chevrolet, Ford And Nissan’s Offerings?
Last week, I wrote about how Ford and GM have staged comebacks that hinged in part on the carmakers’ embracing of new electronics, launching greener cars with smartphone apps and wireless and voice-command capabilities. Toyota will soon be joining the crowd by offering all of the above...
VentureBeat's GreenBeat -
2011 Detroit Auto Show: Toyota Prius C Compact Hybrid Concept
As part of the family of four Toyota Prius hybrids that the carmaker unveiled at the today's Detroit Auto Show, it showed a concept for a new, compact Prius hatchback. Low, edgy, and relatively sleek for a highly aerodynamic Kamm-tailed car, the Prius C concept is actually Toyota's second concept...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Ad We'll Never See: Animals Worse Than Hybrids
Some of the first emissions regulations in the world came about because of the way the Los Angeles Basin is shaped. Reports of smog in southern California started with the Conquistadors, and by the Sixties, LA was notorious for its foul air. California began regulating auto emissions before the...
John Voelcker -
We love reader questions, and occasionally they prompt posts, like this one: I'm thinking of buying a motorhome. Can I tow my 2008 Toyota Prius behind it? Stumped us, so we turned to the good people at Toyota. They sent us excerpts from the Prius owner's manual, complete with many, many, many legally required warnings about all the things you should and shouldn't do around your car. But buried in the alerts and boxed warnings was good information. The basic answer: No, you should never flat-tow a Prius hybrid behind any vehicle, RV or otherwise. (Oddly, Toyota calls it "dinghy-towing," a term...
-
Video: Really Bad Prius Driver Slams Police Car, Then Tree
For all the grief Toyota Prius hybrid drivers get, you'd think they were some deranged combination of green storm troopers and mentally defective traffic impediments. But every now and then, a Prius driver does do something jaw-droppingly idiotic. Take, for instance, the unidentified (and possibly...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Sells Its Two-Millionth Prius Hybrid ... And Counting
We missed a milestone a couple of weeks ago: Toyota built and sold its two-millionth Prius hybrid earlier this month. The first-generation Prius, the world's first production hybrid-electric vehicle, was launched in Japan late in 1997. It stayed a low-volume car for several years, and wasn't...
John Voelcker -
2011 Toyota Prius Hybrid Prices Raised $250 For Every Model
The 2010 Toyota Prius had an exceptionally long model year, introduced in early spring 2009 and delivered to dealers by May or June that year. But now the 2011 Prius hybrids are arriving at dealerships, and Toyota has levied a modest price increase of $250 across each of the four trim packages it...
John Voelcker -
Prius Plug-In Hybrid Now By June 2012, Cheapest Plug-In In U.S.?
Amidst a flurry of battery-electric vehicle announcements by automakers all over the globe, Toyota reiterated plans to launch six new hybrid models by 2012. But the company will push back the U.S. launch date for its first plug-in vehicle, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. Toyota had said this...
John Voelcker -
What Do Nissan Dealers Really Know About The 2011 Leaf?
It's hardly a secret that the 2011 Nissan Leaf is one of the most anticipated electric cars this year. Nissan now has over 20,000 customers who have paid $99 to be placed on the waiting list, securing a place in electric car history. But as with any new car roll-out, those who eagerly sign up for a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield