It will no longer be sold as a conventional hybrid, but only as a Plug-in hybrid.
In 1997 Toyota launched the first Prius, the first fully hybrid model with the aim of putting a radically ecological car on the road, a car capable of minimizing CO2 emissions and consuming little fuel. So, under the hood, a gasoline engine and an electric one worked in unison. We start the Toyota Prius 2023 test, only as a plug-in hybrid and 223 CV.
After these beginnings, it took a long time until the second generation of the Prius appeared. It was in 2002, a car that was especially successful in the United States, specifically among Hollywood high society: Natalie Portman, Leonardo di Caprio, Orlando Bloom, Claudia Schiffer… they all fell in love with this car, because of its ecological concept, and because The hybrid system had already established itself as something reliable and an alternative to diesel, which was never accepted in that country.
And after that the third generation arrived, which in this case convinced taxi drivers from all over Europe, also from our country. The reason? This model was especially economical: very low consumption and a battery that recharges itself, and ultimately a perfected hybrid system. And we come to the fourth generation. And at this point, Toyota had realized that the design of the three previous models left something to be desired, and this was, at last, an attractive car. In fact, with the first two generations I wondered what Toyota designers had smoked to conceive something like that.
The reason, of course, was its excellent aerodynamic coefficient: only 0.24, an exceptional figure 25 years ago. And finally we come to the current generation: number five, just launched by Toyota. I present to you the new Prius, which changes greatly. It’s a totally different car, to the point that an AUTOBILD colleague said that the front reminds him of Lamborghini, and the rear reminds him of Ferrari.
It still exaggerates, but what is clear is that this car has a very sporty design. Toyota says that it was not their priority, but that the new Prius was an even more efficient car. A novelty: it will no longer be sold as a conventional hybrid, but only as a Plug-in hybrid. This means that under the hood it still has a combustion engine, a two-liter with 151 CV, and another electric motor with 163 CV, which gives a system power of 223 CV in total. This, by the way, does sound sporty.