Toyota Announces Auris Hybrid for European Market, Sales to Start in Mid-2010

Toyota has confirmed plans to launch a full-hybrid version of its Golf-sized Auris hatchback for the European market in mid-2010. According to the Japanese firm, the Auris Hybrid will be built at its UK-based facility in Burnaston, Derbyshire. The company did not release any technical information but chances are that the Auris will make use of a similar, if not the same, hybrid drivetrain system to the new Prius that combines a 1.8-liter gasoline engine with two electric motors.

"With today's announcement, Toyota has taken a significant step forward in ensuring that full hybrids become more accessible to a wider range of customers," said Tadashi Arashima, CEO and President of Toyota Europe. "Such efforts are crucial if we are to see more low-carbon vehicles on European roads," he added.

In other words, it's safe to assume that the Auris Hybrid will be priced much lower than the Prius, giving Honda's newly introduced Insight Hybrid a run for its money.

The Auris is Toyota's proposal in the all-important for the European market C-segment rivaling the likes of the Volkswagen Golf, Renault Megane, Ford Focus and Opel Astra. It was launched into the European market in the Spring of 2007 replacing the three- and five-door hatchback variants of the Corolla. Since then, it has sold over 370,000 units across the continent.

The Auris is offered with various powertrains in Europe including the newly introduced 101HP 1.33-liter gasoline engine that returns 5.8lt/100km or 40.6mpg US in the European cycle and a range-topping 2.2-liter turbo diesel with 175HP for the sporty Auris SR180 (pictured here) that returns an average of 6.0lt/100km or 39.2mpg.

Honda's Insight Sales May Fall 30 Percent Short of its 2009 U.S. Sales Target

Blame the ongoing recession along with the fairly low gasoline prices at the pumps and strong competition from Toyota's revamped Prius hybrid, but Honda's execs are quite pessimistic about the prospects of the Insight meeting its 2009 U.S. market sales target of around 90,000 units. "Given some dramatic change in things, I don't think we'll get to 90,000. At 50,000 to 60,000, we will be just fine," American Honda Motor Executive Vice President John Mendel told Bloomberg news.

For its first year on the market, Honda has projected worldwide sales of around 200,000 units for its new dedicated hybrid model, with nearly half of those sales coming from the North American market. Despite the gloomy outlook in the U.S., Reuters reported that a spokesman in Tokyo said there has been no change in Honda's sales forecast for 2009.

In Japan, the Insight climbed to the top spot of the sales chart in April with 10,481 units but fell to third place in May with 8,859 cars after the domestic launch of the new Toyota Prius that finished first with 10,915 units registered.

Via: Reuters

Toyota Revs up Production of new Prius to Meet Increased Demand in Japan

Higher-than-expected demand in Japan has 'forced' Toyota to ramp up production of its third-generation Prius Hybrid. Toyota spokesman Hideaki Homma, told Bloomberg news that the company has increased production to 50,000 Prius hybrids a month at its Tsutsumi factory and Toyota Auto Body Co.'s Fujimatsu plant. The spokesman did not reveal how many units of the Prius were built before revving up production.

The 2010 Prius was the No. 1 selling vehicle in Japan for May, taking the top spot in the domestic market for the first time ever. According to Homma, as of June 5, Toyota has received more than 140,000 Prius orders in Japan alone.

Via: Bloomberg

New Toyota Prius Hybrid Tops May Sales in Japan

Toyota's latest generation Prius hybrid made it to the No. 1 spot in the Japanese sales chart in May with 10,915 units registered. According to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association, the Prius hybrid's 2009 May sales increased more than five-fold from the same month a year ago. The new hybrid model from Toyota overtook Honda's lower-priced Insight hybrid that fell to third place in May with 8,183 units after taking the first spot in April. Honda's Fit (Jazz) subcompact hatch came in second in May with 8,859 units sold. This is the second time in Japan's history that a hybrid model tops the sales chart.

Via: AP

Toyota UK Keeps 2010 Prius III Prices at the Same Levels as the Prius II, Starts from £18,370

Prompted by the declining car market and the fact that Honda Insight is already significantly cheaper than the Prius II in the UK (the Insight starts from £15,490), Toyota's British arm decided to play it safe and keep prices for the third generation Prius at the same levels as the outgoing second-gen model. Pricing for the new Prius has been carried over unchanged from the current model for the entry-level T3 and the range topping T Spirit versions that cost £18,370 and £21,210 respectively, while the price of the in-between T4 model has risen by £835, to £19,990. Furthermore, equipment specifications on all three model have been improved.

For example, the entry-level T3 gains head-up display, projecting key vehicle data on to the windscreen in the driver's eyeline, 'touch tracer' multi-function control on the steering wheel, smart entry & start, driver's knee airbag, heated door mirrors and fog lamps.

The T4 benefits from the addition of 17-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth, eight-speaker audio system and rain-sensing wipers while the T Spirits now features a HDD (hard disk drive) navigation system and music library and an improved intelligent park assist with rear parking camera.

The new Prius III will begin to arrive in UK dealerships towards the end of July - beginning of August.

Satirical Video Clip: Pimping in my Prius Hybrid

The name of this satirical rap video is actually "In My Prius" and it's the creative work of the folks over from "Casual Mafia". A nicely done, side-splitting music clip that will certainly cheer you up. Click, click, click below to watch the vid, vid, vid, video.

Via: Autobloggreen

Toyota Outfits the New 2010 Prius Hybrid with Modellista Aero Kits

Only a day after the official Japanese market launch of the third-generation Prius and Toyota has already revealed a full lineup of bodykits and tuning accessories for its hybrid model that will be sold by the firm's in-house tuner, Modellista. Though somewhat less aggressively styled than Mugen's respective offerings for the Honda Insight, Modellista's lineup includes three different aero kits. The first is called Aero Tourer S and it consists of a new front fascia with a unique grille that brings to mind the Insight Concept, side skirts and a rear apron.

For those that want something less flashy, Modellista offers the Version 1 and Version 2 bodykits that include front and rear aprons, and side skirts. All kits can be complemented by new alloy wheels in two different designs, a sport suspension that lowers the ride height, chromed exterior mirror caps and various accessories for the Prius III's interior.

As with most Modellista products, the Prius III kits are reserved only for Japanese customers - that is unless you find a way to import them.

Source: Toyota , Via: Le Blog Auto

Toyota Launches Cut-Price Version of Second-Gen Prius in Japan

Honda's aggressively priced Insight Hybrid has forced Toyota to keep selling the second generation Prius Hybrid, at least in Japan. Along with the domestic launch of the new, 2010 Prius, Toyota today announced the release of a low-price version of the previous generation model, aimed mainly at fleet customers. Called Prius EX, the new model is priced in Japan from 1,890,000 yen (approx US$19,700 or €14,500) which is 160,000 yen (around US$1,670 or €1,250) less than the entry-level 2010 Prius that starts from 2,050,000 yen.

The EX is available in Japan in three colors (Super White II, Silver Metallic and Black) with a gray interior, and features the same basic safety and comfort elements of the "G" and "S" grades that it replaces, such as dual-stage airbags up front and an electric inverter-controlled automatic air-conditioning system with humidity sensor. However, other items like hubcaps and front fog lights have been removed from the hybrid's standard equipment list. Toyota said that total monthly sales target for the Prius EX is 2,000 units compared to 10,000 units of the new 2010 Prius.

British Army Recruits 50 Toyota Prius Hybrids

Even though it would have been rather cool to see an army of Priuses in military camouflage, the fleet of 50 Toyota hybrids obtained by the British Army are to used for administrative purposes. They belong to the army's so-called "White Fleet", branch of Headquarters Land Forces that manages the army's 6,600 non-deployable administrative vehicles. The fleet of the fifty second-generation Prius Hybrid replaces 50 Vauxhall Vectras. The army's goal is to drive down CO2 emissions of its non-operational cars.

Honda Insight Hybrid Outselling Toyota Prius in the UK

Honda's all-new Insight hybrid is off to good start in Britain having sold 229 units since it went on sale in the market on April 4, 2009. That's compared to 198 units of the current generation Prius - always according to Honda's data. Besides the fact that the Insight is a newer model than the Prius (the third-gen Prius will be arriving on British shores in July 2009), another benefiting factor for Honda's hybrid is that it is priced significantly lower than Toyota's hybrid.

In the UK, the Honda Insight starts from £15,490 (US$22,900) on-the-road whereas the second-generation Prius begins from £18,370 (US$27,100). The Japanese automaker said that it expects to sell around 7,000 Insights in the UK this year while the annual global sales target is in the region of 200,000 units.

Rumorville: Toyota Readying Sporty Prius GT?

According to the Japanese grapevine, Toyota is developing a sporty, or rather a sportier, version of the new 2010 Prius Hybrid that will initially be available in the Land of the Rising Sun beginning from next year. Provided that the information is true, it remains to be seen if the so-called Prius GT will feature any mechanical and electronic upgrades or if Toyota will be content with a bodykit and maybe a lowered sport suspension as seen in the computer generated image above that was created by the folks over at Japan's Best Car magazine.

The CGI depicts the Toyota Prius GT with a more aggressively designed front bumper that features larger air vents and a lip spoiler along with side skirts and a set of multispoke alloy wheels wrapped in chunkier, low profile tires.

Via: Best Car

2010 Toyota Prius Priced from $21,000 to $27,270 in the U.S.

The all-new 2010 Toyota Prius will go on sale in the U.S. in late May carrying a base sticker price of $22,000 (plus $750 for delivery and handling), or the same exact price as the entry-level version of the outgoing 2009MY Prius. However, Toyota announced that later in the year, it will launch a stripped-down base model of the Prius that will be priced even lower, at $21,000 MSRP. The Japanese automaker did not disclose details on the basic version's standard equipment.

The third-generation model of Toyota's popular hybrid car will be available with a total of five trim levels, the most expensive being the so-called 'V' spec model at $27,270 MSRP. For more details on the 2010 Prius plus a huge gallery with more than 100 high-resolution photos, click here.

	Standard Equipment	MSRP
Prius I	To be released at a later date	$21,000
Prius II	1.8-liter Atkinson cycle engine	$22,000
	P195/65 R15 all-season tires with alloy wheels & covers
	Smart Key (driver's door) and Push Button start
	EV, Eco, and Power modes
	Multi-Informational Display with energy monitor and fuel consumption history
	AM/FM/MP3 CD player with six speakers and satellite radio capability and auxiliary audio jack
	Cruise control
	STAR Safety System and active front headrest
	Seven airbags including driver knee airbag
	Four-wheel disc brakes
	Tilt/telescopic steering wheel with audio and HVAC
	Controls with Touch Tracer Display
	Six-way adjustable driver seat
	Auto up/down on all windows
	Color-keyed foldable power heated side mirrors
Prius III	In addition to Prius II features:	$23,000
	JBL AM/FM/MP3 six-disc CD changer with eight speakers
	Integrated satellite radio capability
	Hands-free phone capability via Bluetooth® wireless technology
Prius IV	In addition to Prius III features:	$25,800
	Three-door Smart Key system
	Leather-trimmed interior
	Heated front seats with driver lumbar support
	Driver and front passenger water repellant windows
	Plasmacluster™ ionizer
	Auto dimming mirror with HomeLink®
Prius V	In addition to Prius IV features:	$27,270
	17-inch alloy wheels and P215/45 R17 tires
	LED headlamps with auto leveling and washers
	Integrated foglamps

Toyota Prius Minivan Proposal Makes Total Sense

If there was ever a totally plausible speculative rendering, then this is it. Created by the CGI-loving crew from Japan's Best Car magazine, this computer generated image depicts a proposal for a Toyota Prius Minivan (MPV) based on the latest generation of the automaker's family-sized hybrid model. Although Toyota has not announced any plans for a new variant of the Prius, it's no secret that the Japanese firm wants to extend its lineup of hybrid vehicles in the very near future.

Creating a minivan version of the Prius would make plenty of sense as due to its size, it could find a place in the car maker on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in Japan. What do you think?

Pic Via: Best Car

Ten Design Proposals for a Futuristic Toyota Prius

While fooling around on IED's (Istituto Europeo di Design) official website we stumbled upon an interesting project with ten proposals for the Toyota Prius of the no so far-away future created by the students of the Transportation Design Course of IED Turin in 2007. Even though the students were supposed to design the Prius of 2010-2015, the resulting hybrid vehicles look more like the Prius of 2035, but then again, artistic minds do have the tendency to drift away in time...

Source: IED