“Even the Corolla is super fuel-efficient! What is the raison d’etre of Toyota’s Prius, the “”original”” hybrid car in the age of “”low fuel consumption””?
The world’s first mass-produced hybrid car “”Prius”” played a significant role
It will soon be 25 years since the debut of the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car, the Prius
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As hybrid cars have since become widely popular and “”fuel-efficient”” has become a commonplace value, we take a fresh look at the role played by the Prius, which is rumored to be undergoing a full model change.
Its greatness will “”go down in history! A look back at the Toyota “”Prius”” from its first generation.
The current Toyota Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car, was born in December 1997, and the current model, which debuted in 2015, is the fourth generation of the Prius, which already has a history of nearly 25 years!
Introduced in December 1997 with the catchphrase “”Just in time for the 21st century,”” Toyota’s first-generation Prius was the world’s first dedicated mass-production hybrid car.
At the time of its launch, it was not inexpensive at 2,150,000 yen, which was comparable to the 2,188,000 yen price of the Camry Gracia (2.2 liter), a 3-number class sedan sold at the same time.
Considering the cost of the complex hybrid system, however, this price tag could be considered a loss, and it may be said that Toyota’s willingness to cut its own throat in pricing led to the widespread use of hybrid vehicles today.
It was the third-generation Prius, introduced in 2009, that became a big hit. The government’s “”eco-car subsidy”” of the time also helped it to top the annual sales ranking for fiscal 2009.
The following year, the model sold an overwhelming 315,669 units (compared to 185,439 units for the Fit, which came in second), cementing its unwavering popularity.
By this time, the “”Aqua,”” a new compact hybrid-only car, was introduced in December 2011, and other models were also available in hybrid grades, so the image of hybrid cars as something special had been completely dispelled, and they had become a part of our daily lives. In this sense, the Prius has become an integral part of our daily lives.
In this sense, the role played by successive generations of the Prius was significant.
However, as of 2022, hybrid vehicles have become so commonplace that the value of the Prius has diminished.
Even the Corolla is super fuel-efficient! What is the raison d’etre of the Toyota Prius, the “”original”” hybrid car, in the age of the “”super fuel-efficient Corolla””?
The latest “”Corolla”” marks ultra-low fuel consumption of “”30.2km/L””, equivalent to Prius
Looking at the latest “”Corolla”” series, which underwent minor changes in October 2022, the hybrid sedan models “”HYBRID X”” and “”HYBRID G”” (2WD models) have achieved an astounding 30.2 km/L (WLTC mode) of fuel economy in the catalog.
This figure is close to the 30.8 km/L of the current Prius mass-market grade “”S,”” the original hybrid car.
The hybrid model of Toyota’s Corolla, which underwent partial improvement on October 3, 2022, now marks an ultra-low fuel consumption of 30.2 km/L, which is on par with Prius!
Indeed, the base grade “”E”” of the Prius is even more fuel efficient at 32.1km/L, but it is equipped with extremely simple specifications and is said to be a “”fuel efficiency special grade”” to achieve the record.
In terms of price, the Corolla Sedan HYBRID G is less expensive than the Prius S at 2,731,000 yen (including consumption tax, same below), while the Corolla Hybrid G is 2,570,000 yen.
If we are considering cosmetic performance, there is no doubt that the Corolla Hybrid has the advantage.
This may give the impression that the Prius has already become a “”wacon,”” but this is not the case.
To begin with, the current (4th generation) Prius was introduced in December 2015, almost 7 years ago.
The Corolla sedan, on the other hand, was fully remodeled into the current model in September 2019, just three full years after its debut.
It is no surprise that the later model has a better finish than the model that was sold until then.
The Corolla Hybrid was also developed by basically appropriating the Prius powertrain and the newly developed GA-C platform that was created when the fourth generation was introduced.
Without the current Prius, the Corolla Hybrid’s low fuel consumption would not have been easily achieved.
In other words, the Prius has always been a pioneering model that has been at the vanguard of hybrids of its time, and its advanced spirit, spirit of challenge, and pursuit of fuel efficiency and design will never fade away.
Even the Corolla is super fuel-efficient! What is the raison d’etre of the “”original”” hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, in the age of the “”ultra fuel-efficient”” Corolla?
Seven years after its debut! Will the Prius soon undergo a full model change?
The fourth-generation Prius, which debuted as the latest generation of hybrid cars, will soon be seven years old, and rumors of its next model are beginning to circulate.
In fact, a test car that appears to be the new Prius in camouflage has already been caught driving around Japan, and its image has become a hot topic on social networking sites.
It will soon be seven years since the debut of the Prius, and rumors of a full model change have been heard. As the original hybrid car, it is likely that its stance of being at the forefront of the times will continue.
Looking at the diffused silhouette of the new Prius (or so we think) test car, it is clear that it is clad in a sharp “”sporty coupe”” style with a low ride height, which seems to have low aerodynamic drag.
There is no doubt that this is not merely a fashionable or advanced design, but is also intended to enhance aerodynamic performance and further improve fuel economy.
Rumor has it that the new fifth-generation Prius will also further refine its high driving performance, which was highly acclaimed in the fourth-generation model.
However, as of the end of October 2022, when the author (Koichi Kofuna) wrote this article, there was still no information about the full model change of the new (5th generation) Prius from Toyota, and we are still waiting for the official announcement.
At any rate, it seems certain that the new Prius will once again become the leading model of hybrid cars.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)”
