Toyota Prius News
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It was small, unassuming, almost a shrinking violet, really. The first-generation Toyota Prius hybrid -- launched in the U.S. in 2001 -- was the first five-seat family car to offer hybrid-electric drive and unimaginably high gas mileage. Twelve years after its initial launch, the Prius family has grown to include four distinct models: the Prius Liftback, Prius V wagon, Prius C subcompact, and Prius Plug-in Hybrid. But is the car which started it all -- the original Prius -- still a good car to buy used today? To find out, we spent a week with a first-generation Prius on an extended test drive...
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All-New 2016 Toyota Prius: What We Know So Far
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...
John Voelcker -
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 -
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, with 389,932 units hitting the streets globally. That's impressive by anyone's standards, but it must have rival Honda wondering exactly how it could have got its Insight so wrong. The Insight is by no means a bad car, but its 22,440 global sales in 2012 is just one seventeenth the number of Prius sold...
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5 Million Toyota Hybrids Sold, Near 2 Million Of Them In U.S.
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...
John Voelcker -
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 -
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 storm, we reported on one individual who used his Toyota Prius as a generator to power items in his house. Now, another is selling kits to enable any Prius owner to do the same--perhaps giving them days of extra power should a storm like Sandy ever strike again. ConVerdant Vehicles, LLC. already sells...
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Right Electric Range For A Plug-In Hybrid: Is Lower Better?
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...
John Voelcker -
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 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 intermediate extension shafts, and could cause a reduction in steering response. Toyota says that even in such circumstances, the vehicle will remain safe to drive. There have been no accidents or fatalities as a result of the issue, and only a handful of cases have been reported. The recall affects...
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Using A Hybrid For Emergency Power: Tough Choice
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...
Antony Ingram -
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