Toyota Prius News
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Remember that $21,000, very basic 2010 Prius? Toyota has now confirmed it has neither current plans nor a schedule for selling the lowest-level model of the 2010 Toyota Prius, known as the Prius I, to consumers. In fact, it doesn't even have a timeframe for "continued, regular fleet sales of Prius I" beyond a small pilot program it ran in September. Missing mystery 2010 Prius We've written before about the missing model of the 2010 Prius, which was launched early this year in equipment levels II, III, IV, and V. The then-unspecified Prius I model was rumored to retail at $21,000, giving...
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First Photos: 2011 Toyota Prius Station Wagon!We've written before that Toyota plans to introduce more Prius body styles to expand the reach of its most recognized and iconic hybrid car. Now, our sister site GreenCarReports.com has uncovered three photos of a possible 2011 Toyota Prius station wagon. One comes from a blog called Woody's Car...
John Voelcker -
2011 Toyota Prius Station Wagon To Feature Lithium-Ion BatteryWe've known for a while that Toyota plans to introduce more Prius body styles to expand the reach of its most recognized and iconic hybrid car. Now, images of a possible 2011 Toyota Prius station wagon have hit the media. At least in Japan. Woody Thompson, proprietor of Woody's Car Site, points us...
John Voelcker -
Signs of the Apocalypse: Toyota Planning Prius SUV?According to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, Toyota is preparing a larger version of their popular Prius hybrid for production by the end of 2010. The new vehicle will fall into the SUV or station wagon class and will utilize lithium-ion batteries as opposed to the nickel-metal hydride...
Robert Scardino -
Do Hybrids Hit Pedestrians More Often? NHTSA Report May Say SoAdvocates for the blind have long been pushing for hybrid and electric cars to make some kind of artificial noise at low speeds, to alert people with vision impairment of their presence when operating in all-electric mode, which is quieter. But data on whether electric-drive cars actually hit...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Creates New Flower Species To Cut CO2 From Prius ProductionYou may already associate the 2010 Toyota Prius with flowers, courtesy of its "Harmony Between Man, Nature, and Machine" ad campaign, complete with human flowers in the "Harmony" TV spot. Now Toyota has taken flower power one step further, creating two new species specifically to help reduce the...
John Voelcker -
The annual event known as "SEMA" (for Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Assocation) has grown from its simple trade show origins into a global extravaganza bigger than most auto shows. Imagine the hugest Kustom Kar event you can possibly conjure. On steroids. In Vegas. SEMA is now a mandatory stop for every large automaker. This year Toyota brought several show cars, including a pair of Prius customs. They even threw in a little Latin naming, for spice. Aerius for display, Aemulus for driving The first of the pair, the Prius Aerius (Latin for "belonging to the air"), is for display only...
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How To Improve Fuel Economy? Raise Gasoline Taxes, Say ExecutivesAuto executives know how to get U.S. drivers to save a whole lot more gasoline: Raise the price of gas, to at least $4 a gallon. That was the message at the recent Reuters Autos Summit in Detroit this week. The simplest way to get U.S. drivers into cars with higher gas mileage is economic: Make it...
John Voelcker -
DailyTech Reviewer Spends Week With 2010 Toyota Prius, Loves ItContinuing our series on 2010 Toyota Prius reviews from around the web, this week we turn to Jason Mick of TechDaily. He spent an entire week with a 2010 Prius V, the most upmarket trim level, and loved it. Mick isn't entirely new to AllAboutPrius.com. In late August, we reported on his...
John Voelcker -
Most Popular Prius Posts for October: Floor Mat RecallIt's the end of October, but we'll spare you the lame Halloween jokes and dive directly into the most popular posts of the month on AllAboutPrius.com. Just like the month before, only two of September's most popular posts reappeared: the 2010 Toyota Prius Reference Guide (by now the year's...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius Coupe May Be In The WorksBritish motor magazine Autocar reports that Toyota is working on a sporting coupe version of its Prius as a direct competitor to the sporty Honda CR-Z. Although it was formerly thought that Toyota had rejected the idea of expanding the Prius range, Honda's ongoing struggle to claw back more...
Jon Vandervelde -
Coupe To Join Expanded Prius Lineup, Perhaps Even MinivanIt's long been the dream of Toyota's U.S. arm that the company would add additional body styles to the Prius line. And Toyota finally gave the nod to that idea earlier this year. Now, details are starting to emerge on the new models that will join the all-new, third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius...
John Voelcker -
The Prius Is At the Top of the Hybrid Food Chain
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Toyota Prius To Add Coupe In 2011 To Target 2011 Honda CR-ZBuilding on the success of the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid, which is close to sold out due to worldwide demand, Toyota is planning to add additional body styles to the Prius line. Now, the first details of those cars have emerged, and one new model will apparently be a two-door coupe that targets the...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Combats Prius Factory Emissions With Flower PowerToyota City, Japan, smells pretty sweet these days according to a report by Richard Blackburn at drive.com.au. Japan's largest automaker has developed two new flower species to help offset CO2 emitted by the Prius factory there. The leaves of one of the flowers, based on the cherry sage, absorb...
Robert Scardino -
What Happens When a Tesla, Prius and Touareg Join Together?A Collision That Either Raises Roadster Safety Questions Or Dismisses Them
Jonathan McGrew -
GreenCarReports: 2009 Tokyo Motor Show CoverageIt's a sad thing when an auto show loses its exhibitors, and this was a tough year for Tokyo. Foreign automakers shunned the show--unless you count England's Lotus--so the biannual event had pretty much only Japanese products on display. Despite the downsizing, green cars abounded, ranging from new...
John Voelcker -
2010 Prius Beats 2010 Fusion Hybrid in Detroit News ShowdownEvery so often, we like to take a look at what other reviewers have said about the 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid. So we were excited to hear that the Detroit News, from the bowels of Big Three territory, was doing a hybrid showdown comparison test. The paper rated eight mass-priced hybrids, leaving out...
John Voelcker -
Here's a frightening scene from the streets of Denmark submitted to Autopia by reader, Lars H. A Tesla Roadster was involved in a three-way crash with a Volkswagen Touareg and a Toyota Prius earlier this week. Apparently the Roadster was stopped behind the Touareg when the Prius rear-ended the Roadster, pushing it under the SUV. According to an email sent to Autopia by Tesla spokeswoman, Rachel Konrad, the owner of the Roadster was not driving or in the car at the time of the crash. The driver escaped with only minor bruises and as one commenter noted, the Roadster's passenger compartment...
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Plug-In Advocates Target Toyota Over Climate Change, But Why?Here at GreenCarReports.com, sometimes we get e-mails that make us scratch our heads. For instance, why would advocacy group Plug In America target Toyota, which offers the popular 2010 Prius? Why would it slam the world's undisputed leader in hybrid-car development, the company that made...
John Voelcker -
Inhabitat Lists Top 5 Modified GreenmobilesDo you ever wish your car came in an electric version? Do you find yourself daydreaming about bio-diesel conversions? If so, the bloggers at Inhabitat have assembled a list of vehicles to inspire you. The so-called "Top 5 Pimped-Out Eco Rides" range from a Hummer H1 stretch-limo to a 1985 Chevy S10...
Robert Scardino -
2010 Gas Mileage Ratings Released, Hybrids Take Top SlotsGasoline may be averaging around $2.50 a gallon right now, but gas mileage remains an important factor in choosing a new car. Now the EPA has released 2010 fuel efficiency figures for all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. Hybrids from Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, and Toyota...
John Voelcker -
Best Fuel Efficiency in the U.S.: 2010 Toyota Prius, at 50 MPGWell, now it's official. The 2010 Toyota Prius offers the best gas mileage of any new car sold in the U.S. for the upcoming 2010 model year, with a blended EPA rating of 50 miles per gallon. The 2010 Prius had actually been rated at 50 mpg back in March, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency...
John Voelcker -
Volvo To Sell Both Diesel And Plug-In Hybrid Models In U.S.Volvo has long nurtured its reputation for some of the safest cars on the roads, but now the automaker plans to add some green to its safety. The company will add both clean diesels and plug-in hybrids to its U.S. lineup to meet new, more stringent fuel economy rules. The company has long offered...
John Voelcker