Toyota is beefing up the fuel-sipping Prius hybrid, adding more power and quicker acceleration to appeal to a wider range of car shoppers in an increasingly crowded market.
The car created – and dominated – the segment when it launched in the U.S. 22 years ago. But the world’s first production hybrid car has steadily lost ground to toptechtrends.com/2022/08/23/evs-reigned-during-monterey-car-week/”>new models from American, German, toptechtrends.com/2022/10/06/honda-doesnt-want-to-wait-until-2024-for-customers-to-buy-electric/”>Japanese and Korean automakers as it enters its fifth generation.
The 2023 Toyota Prius debuted Wednesday evening at the toptechtrends.com/2022/11/15/genesis-teases-its-ev-future-with-the-genesis-x-convertible/”>Los Angeles Auto Show with a sportier powertrain and curvier, low-slung silhouette to broaden its appeal to sports car customers who would not have considered a Prius in the past. However, the hybrid won’t become much greener: Toyota said the new model can deliver 57 mpg, similar to the outgoing Prius.
2023 Toyota Prius
Toyota said the new model features a lower roofline and wider rear for a more modern, athletic look.
The standard, front-wheel-drive model will now produce 194 horsepower, a 60% increase over the previous generation. The new hybrid can travel from 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds – slower than a sports car but still a 26% improvement over the previous Prius’ 9.8 second trip.
The power boost comes from the new hybrid’s larger engine and a smaller, lighter lithium-ion battery that increases output 15% over the previous generation’s nickel metal battery, according to Toyota.
Prius Prime
2023 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid Image credit: Toyota
A lower, longer and wider Prius Prime, the nameplate’s plug-in hybrid version, also debuted at the auto show Wednesday evening , boasting a 50% increase in its electric range.
That suggests that the new Prime will be able to travel roughly 37 miles on a fully charged battery before drawing power from its gas engine, compared with the outgoing model’s 25-mile range.
Toyota said it will announce pricing and delivery dates for the Prius hybrid later this year and for the Prius Prime early next year.
toptechtrends.com/2022/11/16/2023-toyota-prius-plays-up-power-not-fuel-economy/”>The new 2023 Toyota Prius plays up power, not fuel economy by toptechtrends.com/author/jaclyn-trop/”>Jaclyn Trop originally published on toptechtrends.com/”>TechCrunch
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