Toyota Prius waits for the air to clear

Perhaps wisely, Toyota let the US Big Three have the limelight on Day One of the Detroit Show. Instead, it held back its most significant new launch until Day Two, when the wraps came off the third-generation Prius hybrid.

Toyota has pledged to add hybrid powertrains to every one of its model lines by the 2020s, but it looks like the “eco-icon” Prius will be around for some time to come. The new model has recognisable styling cues from the current Prius, but it's all-new, and features major performance, economy and aerodynamic enhancements over the old model.

Fuel economy has been boosted from 46mpg to 50mpg, while aerodynamic drag has been cut to a cD of just 0.25, which Toyota claims is the lowest of any production car.

It'll go on sale in the US and Japan in late Spring, with European sales later in the year. New Prius will be sold in 80 markets, nearly double the current number, said Bob Carter, Toyota group vice-president and general manager.

“Our global sales objective is 400,000 units per year by 2010, which will put Prius near the top of our best-selling vehicles around the world along with Camry and Corolla,” Carter said. Almost half of that total – 180,000 – will come from the US, where Prius-loyalty is extremely high. “More than 90% of current Prius owners say they intend to buy another Prius,” he added.

Other improvements include solar panels in the roof that can power a ventilation system to cool the interior when the car is parked on a hot day; and LED headlamps that use less battery power.

The powertrain is “90% new”, carter said, incorporating a beltless 98bhp 1.8-litre petrol engine that cruises at lower revs, coupled with smaller, lighter electric powertrain parts. And Carter confirmed that a plug-in hybrid Prius was likely. “Plug-in capability is possible without engineering a whole new system.”