Toyota was the first carmaker to mass-produce a hybrid vehicle through the Prius brand. When the first full hybrid electric mid-size sedan came out in North American markets in 2000, it was rated as among the cleanest vehicles sold in the US based on smog-forming emissions.
The Prius actually went on sale first in its home country in Japan in 1997, before making it to other markets three years later. Today, the vehicle is sold in over 90 countries, with Japan and the US as its largest markets.
The 2016 Toyota Prius is the fourth iteration of the brand and comes with a dramatic design as well as improved efficiency for the full hybrid engine and other variants.
Officially launched in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 8, the 2016 Prius will make it to the dealerships in March next year.
The latest hybrid vehicle from Toyota will continue the company’s legacy for efficient and environment-friendly vehicles, which the Prius has established since in broke ground into the market 18 years ago. The brand, in fact, continues to reign supreme over all other hybrid vehicles today, cites Yahoo! Finance.
First time ever for a Japanese carmaker
The launching of the 2016 Toyota Prius in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 8 was both historic and surprising.
It was historic in the sense that it was the first ever that a Japanese carmaker launched a vehicle in the Sin City. It was surprising because nobody expected that from Toyota.
But many motoring experts believe that the decision of Toyota to unravel a 2016 Prius in Las Vegas has something to do with the plans of Tesla Motors to launch its Model X also on the same month.
However, the launching event in Las Vegas on September 8 was a media-only affair so it is possible that Toyota was planning a bigger roll-out event before the end of the year.
A great underpinning
Toyota has just released the pricing details for the different models of its 2016 Prius, which is based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TGNA) modular platform.
The platform will underpin a number of other future models and enable the 2016 Toyota Prius to offer a low center of gravity for improved handling as well as increased space, details Fleetworld of UK.
Accordingly, the new iteration of the iconic hybrid vehicle will come with enhancements to the hybrid powertrain as well as changes to the 97-brake horsepower (bhp) 1.8-liter VVT-I petrol engine and 71 bhp electric motor.
Because of the engine enhancement, Toyota is actually claiming that the 2016 Prius will deliver 18% improvement in emissions and fuel consumption.
The design of the 2016 Toyota Prius has also caught the attention of a great number of dealers because of its shift from the simply odd profile of the older Priuses to an edgier look.
Bill Fay, general manager of Toyota Division in the US, said that he believes that the company got the whole hybrid package in order now. He states that the 2016 Prius will not just exude its appeal for one or two purchase considerations but to a much broader spectrum of the market, given the fact that fuel has become more affordable now.
The base model of the Prius will have the staple nickel-metal-hydride battery pack while the premium model might house a lithium-ion battery. The vehicle will also come with an all-wheel drive option.
It is evident that a new Prius is forthcoming because the current range of the Toyota Prius hybrid cars has received significant discounts to keep its sales up as the lineup ages and gas prices drop.
Accordingly the Toyota Prius V in San Francisco is getting a regional discount of as much as $4,000, which is far higher than the $2,750 price cut offered by the Japanese carmaker on the vehicle in July.
The overall discount includes a $2,500 rebate and a $1,500 bonus offer for buyers in San Francisco and its environs.
The rebates in most other regions remain largely unchanged, particularly the $1,500 discount in Los Angeles, where there is a huge demand for the hybrid vehicle.