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.

[ibzjem]

I''m not sure I understand the "natural gas is clean burning" idea. From Wikipedia: "Natural gas is often described as the cleanest fossil fuel, producing less carbon dioxide per joule delivered than either coal or oil.[15] However, in absolute terms it does contribute substantially to global emissions, and this contribution is projected to grow." They say the emissions is only 30% less than that of petroleum. It may be a partial solution, but can''t be the main targeted technology.

[thejackpine]

The first year for the Toyata Starlet in the United States was 1981, when Road & Track called it the %u201Ccommuter car for the 1980s.%u201D During its brief stay in the United States, the rear-wheel-drive, 1.3-liter-engine Starlet liftback was billed as %u201Ccheap to keep%u201D with stunning gas mileage (38/52) and strong reliability, especially for its price class; it included electronic ignition, a five-speed stick-shift, rack and pinion steering, comfortable seats, and good cargo capacity (23 cubic feet with rear seats folded) aided by a temporary spare; steel belted radials were standard along with power disc brakes. Its 1.3 liter engine helped it to get high mileage, while low weight kept it from being a %u201Cdog.%u201D

lifted from toyoland.com

[incog-nito]

Correction: ... but UNTIL they save people money...

[incog-nito]

It''s not at all difficult to produce a hybrid car that''s actually affordable. You don''t need to shoot for the moon. Shoot for a decent 35 mpg, instead of 50+ then charging a $10-15K premium for it. I mean, the GM all-electric EV1 can go 90 miles using LEAD-ACID batteries, and this is over a decade ago. Most hybrids are still too expensive and make no economic sense when you take the initial cost into account. It would take years to recoup the cost, sometimes long after people want to keep the car. As it is, most people who can afford hybrids probably don''t need the gas savings. It''s fine to be "green", but they actually save people money, hybrids will continue to be no more than "niche" vehicles .

[us_1776]

Forget natural gas, gasoline, diesel or any other type of combustion of fossil fuels. The whole idea is to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions completely while achieving energy independence. That means total electric vehicles powered by alternative energy sources such as wind and solar transmitted over an upgraded and modernized electric energy grid. And this is achievable in ten years if we put our mind to it.

Mercuty69, I agree with you about converting commercial vehicles and the like. It''s not practical to convert every car to natural gas, But I think it would be nice if the Big 3 started to offer them becuase it is so clean burning and where I live there are allot of filling station in Southern Cal. They dont have to re tool their factories because all conventional engines on the market can run on the stuff. It just requires a differenct fuel injection system. Electric cars are very simple to maintain, light weight, effecient and quiet and I think they are great. When all else fails. They will be the best thing. It''s just not reasonable to expect that electric cars will be readily available at costs that this country can afford any time in the near future. Thats why I like CNG. But I like electric too.

Americans have not been big purchasers of Diesel cars and American manufactures know that. Volkswagen has had their 1.8l tdi engine on the market for years as an option in several of its models including the Pissat, it get 45 miles per gallon average and its not a big seller because diesel engines are quite noisey and have a reputation of being durty. The new ones are clean enough to sell in California. We will probably see more diesels comming out soon to satisfy the Federal mandate to make cars get like 30+ miles per gallon by 2017. Get out your ear plugs. Diesel trucks have to turn off their engines to order at the drive through.

ibzjem, I think I can help with your theory. The reason the Big 3 set up shop in Europe is so they would not have pay the shipping costs to sell europeans the cars that they want. They acutally purchase smaller more effecient cars in vastly greater number than we do. We produce cars there for the same reason the japanese produce cars here. Its more affordable.

Mercury69, Please don''t make assumptions when trying to make your points. Here is a link about available resources of Natural Gas from the US Geoligic Survey. Geologists have known about for quite some time. There is tons of data published by public agencies. Here is one link.
http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=427


http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=427

[cbscrash072]

Ford sells the Fiesta in Europe with a diesel engine it does get up to 65 mpg on diesel. However most diesels are very easy to convert to veggie oil. Which apparently now we can make from algae. It probably won''t be available here because Diesel has a stigma to it. The gas version is due in a couple years. These things are flying of the shelfs in Europe. Most car models are off 30% from a year ago this things actually up. I can''t wait to see one. Unfortunately China will get them first.