Toyota Unveils New Prius Boasting 50 MPG

Automaker Hopes To Keep Prius The Top-Selling Hybrid On Market

(AP)  Toyota Motor Corp. is looking to keep the Prius in its spot as the top-selling hybrid in the U.S. with the next generation of the iconic fuel-sipper.

The highly anticipated 2010 Prius unveiled Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit gets an average of 50 miles to the gallon. That's a 4 mpg improvement over the current model, which already is the most fuel-efficient vehicle ranked by the Environmental Protection Agency.

"It's a core model for us," Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said in an interview before the Prius' unveiling. "It's a very, very important piece for us."

The third generation gas-electric Prius has a more aerodynamic design, but its exterior is easily recognizable as a Prius. Toyota says pricing will be released before the midsize sedan goes on sale in late spring.

Toyota Motor Corp. also will offer options such as a moonroof with solar panels to power the ventilation system.

"Since Prius was first introduced, the consumer demographic has shifted from an early adopter to a mainstream shopper," Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager, told reporters at a news conference.

"The Prius has evolved to meet the changing needs of this growing and diverse customer base."

Carter said the 2010 Prius will go on sale in the U.S. and Japan in late spring, followed shortly by Canada and other countries. The automaker hopes to sell 180,000 new Prius vehicles in the U.S. this year and its global sales goal is 400,000 units by 2010.

Automakers are using the Detroit auto show to spotlight more fuel efficient vehicles. The new Prius debuted a day after Honda unveiled its next-generation hybrid, the 2010 Insight, which will arrive in U.S. showrooms this April and is expected to compete head-on with the Prius.

Honda Motor Co. said the Insight will have a lower price than the Civic Hybrid, which has a base price of $23,650. The 2009 version of the Prius starts at $22,000.

Lentz said he expects the Insight will appeal to buyers focused on its low price, but Prius will draw drivers looking for a slightly larger vehicle and Toyota's technology.

Also Sunday, Toyota's Lexus luxury arm unveiled a new hybrid sedan called the HS250h, and Ford Motor Co. showed off the 2010 Fusion Hybrid that will get 41 city mpg and 36 mpg on highways. The Fusion was unveiled in November and goes on sale this spring.

The debuts come as hybrid sales have tumbled. Gas-electric cars sold briskly as gas prices peaked last summer but have since come down sharply as fuel prices collapsed to their lowest levels in six years. But Toyota says it expects gas prices to stabilize at a higher level, boosting long-term demand for hybrids.

Prius sales fell 45 percent in December, but Toyota says the new Prius will help increase demand for the car - including by current owners who want to upgrade.

Last month, Toyota said it was shelving its plans to build the Prius in Mississippi amid the industrywide downturn. Toyota's plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss., was scheduled to begin production in 2010, marking the first time the Prius would be built outside of Japan and China.

Toyota had invested $300 million in the plant before saying it was delaying production there indefinitely.

The new Prius is getting larger and more powerful 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. Toyota says the bigger engine helps improve fuel economy on the highway.

The optional solar-powered ventilation system uses an electrically powered air circulation fan that doesn't need the engine to work. It prevents the interior air temperature from rising while the vehicle is parked.

The ventilation system can be remotely operated, so drivers can adjust the interior temperature before getting inside. Toyota says this remote air conditioning system is an industry first.

[edward1975-2009]

Hey Detroit are you taking notes, this is called improvement, this is called innovation. While CEO''s from Detroit are flying around in their private jets, Japan is working on todays problems. Not running to Washington poor-handing, looking for a free handout because of their flawed way of doing business. Is it sinking in yet Detroit.

[centerfall94]

50mpg? THAT IS NOTHING !!! NOTHING!!!
go to www aptera com

THAT is something.

Unless a car is totally electric OR it gets over 300 (that''s right, three hundred) miles to the gallon, it''s a FAILURE and it is MEANINGLESS.

[timothyone-2009]

If Japan keeps this up we''ll have to use our military to bring democracy to the Japanese people. Again.

[Scooter68]

Centerfall94 - Meaningless - yeah right and so what do you drive bud?

By the way the Prius is on sale today when is your precious aptera hopefully going to be around. And what can it carry hmmm. Oh that''s right 2 people and maybe a few groceries.
By the way what fuel is burned to generate your electricity that charges your precious baby? Oh that''s right a your electricity comes primarily from a COAL fires plant.
All current and near furture electric cars sound nice bud but practical they aint except for about 5-10 percent of the population in this country. Oh that''s right you don''t care about the people who live outside of the big metropolitan areas.

[Scooter68]

repo_man_08 - Gov needs to put heavy taxes on the salaries of the Detroit CEO and execs with their 6 and 7 figure earnings from producing crapola cars and trucks.
People buy what works and Detroit hasn''t learned that yet.

[chetthor]

I wonder what the actual mpg will be. We own a 2008 Prius and have averaged 54.6 mpg for over 1 year.

As long as they can keep Wall street out of there business Toyota will be the #1 in customer satisfaction and economy.

[photogeezer]

Let''s see, a $4K battery down the road, $1,000 if your headlights go out, and a stubborn refusal by Toyota to square the car off and make a fuel efficient station wagon . . . Hyundai is coming out with a small wagon this year and VW already has the Jetta. For now, I''ll keep my Camry.

[clathrate]

Let''''s see, a $4K battery down the road, $1,000 if your headlights go out....
--------------------------

Posted by photogeezer

My mother has put 70k miles on her 2004 Prius and no battery needed...heck nothing needed yet except oil changes, not even a brake job!

And VW...shudder...talk about getting nickel and dimed to death! I''ll never again own a VW, they look great but are made from cheap junk.

[bhrater-2009]

No the US detroit car industry will survive (just)!
Of course they still have the wrong idea of the cars we need in the future. A pure electric car is actually no help for the global warming issue. Until we get out electrical energy form something other than Coal plants!
Fuel cell and Bio-Hybrids would be the best way to move, lets hope the auto industry with the help of the new administration can get it right this time!

[dimmu19]

Let''''s see, a $4K battery down the road, $1,000 if your headlights go out

----------------------------

The big myth spread around the whole conservative media. First off you have 100,000 mile factory warranty on the battery and I think less then 0.1% of the cars made have ever had a battery go bad before 150,000 miles

[mandalay-bay]

Is it not going to look like a cheese wedge this year? I refuse to drive that thing until they improve the body styling for god''s sake......

[ydpfqrw]

Since the electricity used for electric cars are generated with coal, why don''t we consider these as coal powered cars?

You are a generation late Toyota.

[incog-nito]

You are a generation late Toyota.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by baileycc at 05:31 PM : Jan 12, 2009

A generation late? I think not. It''s faraway the best-selling hybrid in America. The new model is more fuel-efficient AND more powerful AND still costs about the same as the old one.

[forasongca]

I''ve had my Prius for about a year and a half; love it! I''m currently getting just under 45 MPG; even when gas was $4-something a gallon, I was putting far fewer dollars into my tank less frequently than nearly anyone else. I bought when gas was around $2.50/gal, so I managed to get some choice and discounts. :) Wise shoppers will do that now, rather than waiting for the next oil price spike.

I don''t know why Toyota expects us to trade into a newer model; part of the point of buying a Toyota is that it will run for ten years and 200K miles with little more than scheduled maintenance and the usual stuff that wears out on a car - tires, brakes, etc.

[eclecticman1]

As a Prius owner, I am part of Consumer Report''s highest owner approval rating for cars. I, like over 95% of Prius owners, love it. I won''t be able to trade in for the new one, but I would push anyone to buy it. I just wish American car companies had built it.

[cheteunice]

ydpfqrw, Electricity can be produced bt many means other than coal--for example, wind, nuclear and water power.

[blog_fever2]

Much ado about nothing... our big 3 CEO''s have said the "Prius is a P.O.S." (you can fill in the blanks) They should have all be fired for incompetence so we could focus on taking back the industry.

[regats-2009]

Hate to tell ya every Toyota sold in the U.S. is made here so they are no longer an import.
Posted by demswin08 at 03:37 PM : Jan 12, 2009

Most Toyotas are made in the USA but the Prius is made in either Japan or China.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/prius-japan/

[mainedoggie]

=======
A generation late? I think not. It''''s faraway the best-selling hybrid in America. The new model is more fuel-efficient AND more powerful AND still costs about the same as the old one.

Posted by incog-nito
==================


And doing so didn''t require a BAILOUT. (It''s not a bailout, it''s a loan... blah, blah, blah)

[papasuenie]

I just bought a 2008 about 5000 miles ago, if I can trade for the 09 with not to big a $$ increase, I''ll be happy as pie. I''m on medicare and could draw SS, and have always bought USA, but today you have to earn loyalty with quality and value. US Auto makers-- WAKE UPt

[chipper777]

Fifty miles per gallon is still not that good! How about some rich fat cat producing the fuel to put the octane back into the fuel they removed years ago? They dilute the fuel and and then say great mileage won''t work! How about someone with power to force fuel companies to increase the octane, so cars will get 100-200 MPG. This is also why they went to fuel injected vehicles and fuel monitoring computers so you can not get the good mileage that the conventional carburater could get. Car companies and oil companies are toying with everyone. Then if you want good mileage rig you have to pay higher price again.

[andylance1]

Toyota puts GM to shame. GM is too little too late. When is GM going to wake up and get rid of that ugly bowtie emblem? It completely destroys the look of the new Camaro. It is possible that GM can be saved, but not with that ugly bowtie and not with Wagoner.

[fauxnewscom]

I suppose when cars get 100mpg, then gasoline will be $10 per gallon. The only way to beat the oil monopoly is with totally electric vehicles. More efficient batteries would put the "oil crisis" into the history books.

[wwudiver]

Such a joke- this was possible 70 years ago and exceeded 15years ago with small American cars. What waste of resources, time and press. CBS and toyota suck corporate schell ...

[downtowner97]

The VW Golf, Jetta and Beetle with the turbo diesel engine all get 50 mpg with better styling, longer range, and only one starting battery to maintain. The Prius batteries are the worst kind of toxic waste when they fail, and they are ridiculously expensive to maintain. The Volkswagens rate better in crash tests, and can be run on biodiesel, which is domestically made, and clean burning.

[b4ucmyi]

Yeah, who they gonna sell ''em to? Stack ''em up, baby, on top of the unsold SUVs. MORE BAILOUTS PLEASE!

[kutyadog1]

The Prius is the uglyest thing in the world. Plus, there is no room for 2 100lb dogs. Love my Honda that gets great gas milage.

[sleepyric]

if the government would give me a bailout, say $25K, I''d be happy to buy a new honda or prius! :O)

[walt1944-2009]

Thanks to 8 years of the soon-to-be Ex-Great Emperor Bush II, we will all be wearing homespun, using horse and buggies to get where we want to go, growing our own food in the back yard, using windmills to generate power, and heat our homes (those of us who will still have homes) with wood-burning stoves.

Meanwhile the former Great Emperor Bush II will be dinning in style together with the rich and powerful of Corporate America and scheming what else he can
S-C-R-E-W UP next!

The neocon Fascist Nazi Republican version of the "American Dream"!

SIG HEIL, YOU WON''T CATCH ME EATING PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY SANDWICHES!!!, BUSH!!!

[straightmate]

Yes, yes please buy more toyotas. That way we can give the Big 3 stooges more money a year or two from now when they back to congress whining that their *********'' won''t sell.

[ddaryl1]

..... Bush said, eight years ago, we could import 20% less foreign oil by drilling here. He was right but Democrats said no. In eight years Spineless Democrats have never even authored an energy bill, let alone try to get one passed. They have only Bittchedd at Bush. The only solution useless Democrats have ever come up with is live on a Communist Commune, smoke dope, have sexxx with everything and Drive a Segway. And now, the Godd and Messiah O%u2019Bama is backing away from every (used car salesman) promise he ever made to the Intellectual Elitist, America Hating Democrats who voted for him.

Posted by demslie2u2
------------------------------------------------------

Maybe... just maybe republicans would have actually won this election and not lost most of the their senatew and congress seats IF they had actually done something for ther Ameircan people.

You can hate democrats all you want but the people who voted for them were plenty sick and tired of the stupidity we recieved from conservative sothern white folk.

Democrats have been willing to do alot with energy, unfortunately unless its fossil fuels or nuclear republicans want nothing to do with it. Most Ameircans want solar, wind, NG and biofuel options, something republicans have toruble committing to at the levles in which we must commit...

[whitemale08]

All part of the transformation from a post-industrial-service-sector-debt-based economy to an even worse economy called ''export-driven'' economy.

This is the last stage for a country like the United States to come in under the fold of ''globalization''.

With the illegal Federal Reserve destroying the currency and Reagan-Friedmanites promoting ''union busting'' and ''low-wages'', soon our labor force will be ''competitive''.

With no one abe to retire because we''ve replaced pension funds with PONZI-light 401k programs, you now will have serfs both young and old working for next-to-nothing like in Asia and Africa.

With that sunny new prospect for a now dead financial system here in the states, Wall Street/City of London will shift focus on a budding middle-class in China so our new ''export driven'' economy can fuel China''s growth.

Don''t you just love globalization?

[ibzjem]

Be nice if they could make it look good. The Prius is uglier than 8 days of rain...

Posted by mortal3 at 04:28 PM : Jan 12, 2009

Nothing, I mean NOTHING, is as ugly as that stupid Pontiac Aztec SUV p.o.s.!!!!

[mnelsonix]

Don''''t you just love globalization?
Posted by whitemale08 at 10:27 AM
________
Nice job bro...and none of the usual partisan bickering. I don''t see an "Export Economy" per say, American workers just won''t work that hard.

[ibzjem]

Maybe if we had a tax on imports the USA companies wouldn''''t be asking for a bailout and they COULD build it.

Posted by repo_man_08 at 07:47 PM : Jan 12, 2009

Seriously, that''s a ridiculous idea. Why not instead force people to pay higher sales tax and property tax on their Hummers, Escalades, and Tahoes and such. Make anything that gets less than 25 mpg a luxury car and charge luxury taxes. Then there will be incentive to build better cars by the Big 3. I thought capitalism was based on competition, not forcing out competition so locals can reign.

[mnelsonix]

The premis that Hybrids and electric cars are "Green" is debatable. The batteries in hybrids are a bittch to dispose of. Electrics need to be charged with electricity generated from power plants, which are not "Green" for the most part.

It''s a nobel effort to use technology to clean up our earth, but technology is the root of the problem. I guess time will tell if technology is a solution to a technology caused problem.

[brianp55]

Let''s say the Toyota and GM both launch an electric car in 2010. Who would you purchase from?

[ken1dall]

Give me a Mustang GT any day.

[ibzjem]

Let''''s say the Toyota and GM both launch an electric car in 2010. Who would you purchase from?

Posted by brianp55 at 11:30 AM : Jan 13, 2009

Toyota 100 times over! The prius is now less than $25000 and that Volt thing (what ever it is and when ever it comes out if at all) is supposed to be $40000. Plus the track record speaks for itself.

[mahumphries]

Buy American...save jobs....be strong!!!

[ibzjem]

The premis that Hybrids and electric cars are "Green" is debatable. The batteries in hybrids are a bittch to dispose of. Electrics need to be charged with electricity generated from power plants, which are not "Green" for the most part.
Posted by mnelsonix at 10:53 AM : Jan 13, 2009

Yes it is debatable.
1. The batteries are recyclable and industries are gearing up for second uses and recycling of those batteries once spent by cars. the Prius has been manufactured lately to allow partial replacement of its battery pack. There is an abundance of Lithium for battery manufacturing and if we put half of the money spent on hydrogen cell research (a continually dangling carrot) into battery research we could solve these battery concerns and make better batteries for longer range cars.

2. Research has shown that charging cars would produce a fraction of the emissions (even from coal powered plants) than gasoline/oil does. Right now we have the capacity to support charging about 70% of the country''s cars. As we build the infrastructure to run electric cars we can improve upon that.

There are NO arguments not to produce electric cars. The BIG car and the BIG Oil companies have been trying to squash this research and technology for years.

[ibzjem]

Buy American...save jobs....be strong!!!

Posted by mahumphries at 11:45 AM : Jan 13, 2009

My wife bought a Toyota Corolla, built in OHIO by Americans sold by Americans and serviced by Americans. Honda builds cars in Ohio, KY, etc and so to others. A friend bought a Dodge Stealth several years ago built in Japan because it''s really a Mitsubishi. Ford Mustang has over 50% of its parts imported. The Ford Ranger is really a Mazda. The idea of an all American car is nonsense. What would you tell those Americans building/selling/servicing "foreign" cars?

[serf_1]

Posted by ibzjem at 11:53 AM

Part of what you say is correct, but even though those cars are built in America by Americans the profit still goes to another country. We are becoming cheap labor for other countries as our money loses value, and as this continues the USA will reach rock bottom.

[ibzjem]

Posted by Serf_1 at 12:58 PM : Jan 13, 2009

Ah maybe so. I''ve heard that argument before, but those companies ARE investing in America. Those profits are coming back here in many ways from land purchases and business developments (which leads to taxes being paid), loans, etc. The US and Japanese economy are well connected as are others.

It sounds like you might be speaking from a Union perspective. I''m fairly neutral on Unionized labor. I see good things and bad things about it. One doesn''t HAVE to be in a union to be employed. I''d bet most of the employees of Honda are grateful for their jobs too.

[serf_1]

Posted by ibzjem at 01:12 PM

I''m neither for or against Unions. As you said the money is coming back into our country, but at what cost? Other countries will eventually own us as we sell off our country piece by piece. Our sovereignty as a nation is at stake because of debt. I believe the whole global economy concept is fundamentally flawed. Manufacturing creates wealth. We can not simply be a services society selling goods and services to each other. Corporations are driving our country off a cliff and greed is at the wheel.

[daffy64]

Let''''s say the Toyota and GM both launch an electric car in 2010. Who would you purchase from?

--

Toyota.

[legacyabq]

Don''t knock the Chevy VOLT until you''ve checked it out..

It actually looks pretty nice!

Aesthetically and technology-wise....

[jxknowles]

I hope GM, Ford and Chrysler can pull their heads out of their backends fast enough to compete.

GM is now running these ridiculous ads with Howie Long (is there anyone with less credibility?) to shame men into buying a more macho pickup. Why not just f#rt away the bailout money instead of paying that fool?

Toyota again demonstrates why it''s on the right track. Count me among the faithful Toyota owners.

[jsd330]

My wife bought a toyota corrola built in ohio.

posted by ibzjem

you are totally wrong on two things. (1) there is no toyota plant in ohio. The only Japenese carmaker with a plant in ohio is honda. (2) the ranger is not a mazda, The ranger was built befor mazda entered the small truck market. Ford owns about 25% of mazda, they have a plant in Michigan called allied motors which is a joint partnership between ford and mazda.