On September 8, Toyota are going to give the fourth-generation Prius its grand debut in Las Vegas, NV. This will be the hybrid’s first complete revision to take place since 2009. AutoMotive News have stated that no details have been given at the moment as to when production may begin.
Despite Toyota not giving any information on the new hybrid, thanks to spy shots we already have a rough idea on what to expect. The vehicle’s exterior shape has been stretched more than the shape of the current model and is similar to that of the latest Chevrolet Volt. Many changes have been made to the car’s interior such as the gearshift is now located far lower on the dashboard and there is a new infotainment system. Below the vehicle’s body, a number of changes have been made leaning the fouth-generation Prius towards Toyot’s new TGNA platform. The underpinning is not as heavy and is more rigid allowing the hybrid to do 57.5 miles per gallon. Production is also less expensive due to shared parts.
Obviously there are plans for other versions of the model too. It has been suggested that there may be two versions. One version being a nickel-metal hydride battery and the other one being more economical with a lithium-ion unit. It’s also been speculated that the next-gen Prius Plug-in may provide 35 miles of fully electric driving range.
As green-car sales are dropping in the US, the new Prius is released at rather a difficult time. Throughout the whole month of July the entire hybrid’s range was down over 15 percent so the vehicle certainly has something to prove. The performance of the car will show us whetehr or not the one-time icon is still important.
