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Milestone Accomplished: Toyota sells one million Prius hybrids in U.S.

Filed under: Hybrid, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Toyota

2011 Toyota Prius

2011 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

California Toyota dealers may or may not be running out of Priuses, but the hybrid is most certainly still popular. How else to explain the news that one million of the iconic fuel-mizers have been sold in the U.S., as Toyota just announced.

Back in mid-2008, the company said it had sold one million Priuses around the world, which was a big enough deal. To reach that landmark, it took around five years; the first Prius was introduced over a decade ago, but it was the second-generation Prius, introduced in 2003, that really sparked sales. It took Toyota only two more years to sell another million Priuses, and Toyota has sold over three million total hybrids as of October 2010. That sounds impressive, but Charlie Sheen got 3.4 million followers on Twitter in, like, a minute, so let’s keep things in perspective.

Gallery: 2011 Toyota Prius

2011 Toyota Prius

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Milestone Accomplished: Toyota sells one million Prius hybrids in U.S.

Milestone Accomplished: Toyota sells one million Prius hybrids in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Toyota Prius+ sips fuel with room for seven

Filed under: Hybrid, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Toyota

Toyota Prius+

2012 Toyota Prius+ – Click above for high-res image gallery

As the second size extension of the Toyota Prius family tree, the 2012 Prius+ adds a healthy dose of roominess to the well-known fuel-sipping hybrid equation, and it’s making its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There’s seating for seven occupants inside, but the multi-purpose vehicle shares a clear design language with Toyota’s standard-bearing Prius. What’s more, it manages a low 0.29 drag coefficient thanks to its extended roofline and carefully designed front fascia.

Equally as notable is the battery. This is the first lithium-ion battery pack to be incorporated within a non-plug-in Toyota full hybrid. Toyota has found enough room underneath the center console between the driver and the front passenger to fit the battery, which helps maximize interior space for occupants and their cargo.

As you would expect from a Prius, there are three drive modes: A zero-emission EV mode that relies on electric motor power alone, an ECO mode that maximizes efficiency and fuel economy and finally a somewhat ambitiously named POWER mode that is said to boost overall performance.

Toyota is saying that the Prius+ will be on sale in Europe in the first half of 2012, but it’s coming to the U.S. around the same time in the form of the Prius V, which we previously saw at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. Check out the complete press release after the break and be sure to check out our high-res image gallery of live photos below.

Gallery: Toyota Prius+ MPV: Geneva 2011

Toyota Prius+

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Toyota Prius+ sips fuel with room for seven

Geneva 2011: Toyota Prius+ sips fuel with room for seven originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota says plural of Prius is “Prii”

Filed under: Hybrid, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Toyota

Toyota Prius Family

The world can now rest easy. Toyota has officially embraced “Prii” as the plural of Prius. The Japanese automaker made the announcement over the weekend at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show after inviting the public at large to vote for the phrase that best fit the company’s new gaggle of hybrids. The voting kicked off on January 10th at the Detroit Auto Show, and while Priuses, Prius, Prium and Prien all surfaced as possibilities, Prii took home the majority of votes with 25 percent of the more than 1.8 million ballots cast.

To mark the occasion, Dictionary.com has updated its Prius listing with the appropriate word for more than one Prius hybrid.

Toyota has made it clear that the company intends to grow the Prius family in the near future with the addition of production versions of the seven-passenger Prius V and the more compact Prius C Concept. Now we just have to figure out what to call Prius drivers in polite society.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota says plural of Prius is “Prii”

Toyota says plural of Prius is “Prii” originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: James Lipton tries to find plural of Prius in Toyota ‘Wordliness’ series

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Toyota, Humor

James Lipton and William Shakespeare

James Lipton and guests work out the correct plural of Prius – Click above to watch video after the jump

Toyota is still working hard to find the plural for the word Prius. Joining in to lend a hand is James Lipton, host of Inside the Actor’s Studio. Lipton sits down with William Shakespeare, Randall the Octopus, MC Flossary, a group of cheerleaders and a spelling bee champion.

Each guest casts their vote for the correct plural of Prius and voting is still open on Toyota’s Prius Family site. Currently, Prii is leading strongly with 40 percent of the vote. Priuses sits in second with 27 percent while Prius, Prium and Prien bring up the rear. We still think a group of the hybrids should be called a smug of Prius, but that’s just us.

The winning word will be revealed on February 20th, 2011 but you still have time to cast your vote. Click past the jump to see what James Lipton and his guests think the correct choice should be.

[Source: Toyota, YouTube]

Continue reading Videos: James Lipton tries to find plural of Prius in Toyota ‘Wordliness’ series

Videos: James Lipton tries to find plural of Prius in Toyota ‘Wordliness’ series originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch

Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota, Electric

Zipcar Toyota Prius PHEV

Want some data sharing with your car sharing? On Thursday, Zipcar added eight Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to its car-sharing fleet. The plug-in Priuses, which are not available for purchase until 2012, will be accessible to Zipcar members in Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR. Zipcar’s newest additions are part of a broad pilot program aimed at assisting Toyota in obtaining real-world data prior to the plug-ins’ 2012 launch. On the flip side, Zipcar hopes to analyze the use of plug-in hybrids and assess the potential for a broader fleet rollout.

Back in 2009, Zipcar teamed up with the city of San Francisco to test a plug-in Prius. That car, which utilized a plug-in conversion kit provided by A123 Systems, offered up to 40 miles of pure electric range. The battery-only range of Toyota’s plug-in Prius is limited to 13 miles, but Scott Griffith, Zipcar’s chief executive officer, points out that “approximately one-third of our reservations are made for trips equaling less than 13 miles,” which implies that those jaunts could be made in a Prius PHEV without using a drop of gas, as long as there’s enough time to rechage between rentals.

Like all of the other hybrids in Zipcar’s fleet, the plug-in Prius can only be reserved by the hour, with sixty minutes of seat time costing approximately $7.00.

[Source: Zipcar]

Continue reading Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch

Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Toyota asks, what is the plural of Prius?

Filed under: Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Toyota

Prius goes plural video screenshot

The Prius goes plural – Click above to watch video after the jump

Toyota wants to change our view of the Prius. It’s no longer a singular car but now an entire family of vehicles. The standard Prius that we all know and love will soon be joined by the Prius V, Prius C and plug-in Prius. Clearly, Toyota isn’t just building new cars, it’s attempting to build a new word… and it needs your help.

What is the plural of Prius? That’s a question that has been asked ever since the little hybrid hatchback hit the market, and the truth is that even Toyota doesn’t exactly know… but they do have some suggestions. It might be Prii, Priuses, Prium, Prien or just Prius. You can head over to the Prius web site and vote for your favorite. Voting ends on February 20, and as of this posting, the early leader is Prii. However, our own Chris Paukert suggested that a grouping of Prii should be referred to as a smug, and the rest of us tend to agree.

Hop the jump to check out a video explaining Toyota’s conundrum… but don’t blame us when the song gets stuck in your head.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Toyota asks, what is the plural of Prius?

Video: Toyota asks, what is the plural of Prius? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius C Concept is higher efficiency in a smaller package

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota Prius C Concept

Toyota Prius C Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Toyota Prius V may be the newest production-ready addition to the automaker’s hybrid line, but the family of Prius vehicles will continue to grow in the coming years. Toyota gave us a preview of what to expect by showing the Prius C Concept at the Detroit Auto Show – a car that will come to life in the first half of 2012. Toyota promises that it will be the most fuel-efficient hybrid (that doesn’t need a plug) and will be the most “value-oriented hybrid” in the United States. You’ve been warned, Honda Insight.

It might look like a cartoon frog from certain angles, but what strikes us as odd is that the smaller C Concept keeps the Prius’ five-door design. We were originally tipped to believe this model would be a coupe or hatchback, but even so, we aren’t too put off by this five-door concept. It’s pretty cute, and once its concept-spec lines are toned down for actual production, we’re sure it’ll fit right in with the rest of the Prius clan.

Click past the jump for Toyota’s official words about the Prius C Concept and see it for yourself in the high-res gallery below.

Gallery: Toyota Prius C Concept: Detroit 2011

Toyota Prius C Concept

Gallery: Toyota Prius C Concept

Toyota Prius C Concept

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius C Concept is higher efficiency in a smaller package

Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius C Concept is higher efficiency in a smaller package originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Crossover, Hatchback, Toyota

2012 Toyota Prius V – Click above for the high-res image gallery

Nearly one million Prius Hybrids have been sold in the U.S. over the past decade, and with the third generation model sitting in every other politician and Hollywood starlet’s garage, its appeal is at an all-time high. In Toyota’s estimation it’s a great time for the Prius brand to expand and kicking things off is a new crossover with the kiddies in mind.

The 2012 Prius V is packing all the hybrid goodness of the standard Prius but with 34.3 cubic feet of space for your stuff, 38 inches of rear leg room and the fuel economy most vehicles can only dream of. The V is five inches longer and an inch wider than the O.G. Prius with the same 1.8-liter four cylinder hybrid power source, so it won’t match little brother’s 50 miles per gallon efficiency. Sill, the roomy MPV will net 42 miles per gallon in the city and an also lofty 38 mpg on the highway, or better than most anything on the road. The efficiency quotient is helped with a .29 drag coefficient and creative engineering feats like a resin panoramic moonroof that helps keep weight in check.

Technology will likely be improved as well, typified by Toyota’s Entune infotainment system that combines improved navigation, a rich interface, Bluetooth, and XM Satellite Radio. The Prius V hits dealer showrooms this summer but before you put down a deposit, hit the jump for the details and check the live gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Toyota Prius V: Detroit 2011

2012 Toyota Prius V

Gallery: 2012 Toyota Prius V

2012 Toyota Prius V

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume

Detroit 2011: Toyota Prius family adds a V for volume originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota: Prius exhaust less harmful than sheep emissions

Filed under: Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota Prius fart advertisement

Toyota Prius versus sheep – Click above to enlarge

The flatus of the Toyota Prius is less harmful than the flatus of a sheep. Who knew? Apparently, Toyota’s Israeli arm, that’s who.

As you can see from the advertisement above, the methane gas produced by livestock can indeed be worse for the environment (animal gas, including that from humans, is in fact a greenhouse gas) than the emissions from the ass end of an automobile, depending on what you’re trying to define – and that goes for any automobile, not just one that’s as popular in squeaky clean circles as the Prius hybrid.

We think this is a pretty funny and effective ad, though something tells us it might never see the light of day in the United States. Sadly.

[Source: Copyranter via Jalopnik]

Toyota: Prius exhaust less harmful than sheep emissions originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Toyota Prius Cozy is a total stitch

Filed under: Hybrid, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Toyota, Humor

Toyota Prius Cozy

Toyota warms up the Prius with a cozy – Click above to watch video after the jump

No matter what part of the country you live in, temperatures are probably a bit colder than you might like. Whether that’s 65 degrees in Arizona or negative numbers in the Midwest, it’s the time of year for extra layers. You know what else gets cold? Your car. To remedy this, Toyota decided to get a bunch of crochet pros together and have them knit a cozy… for a Prius.

We really can’t add anything else here… grab some cocoa, put on the holiday sweater your grandmother bought for you and hop the jump to view the clip.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Toyota Prius Cozy is a total stitch

Video: Toyota Prius Cozy is a total stitch originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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