Toyota introduces new Prius hybrids amid doubts about its EV plan. They will not abandon its trademark Prius hybrid anytime soon, despite spending billions on all-electric vehicles in response to accusations that it has not moved quickly enough into the burgeoning category.
Toyota introduces new Prius hybrids amid doubts about its EV plan
The carmaker presented updated models of the Prius hybrid and Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, late Tuesday. Both are classified as “electrified” automobiles rather than all-electric vehicles. They continue to use gasoline engines in conjunction with electric components to make the vehicles more fuel-efficient.
Toyota has not released US specifications for the 2023 Prius models, although the vehicles’ design is considerably different from the present models. The appearance is more sporty, less eccentric, and appears to be more aerodynamic. However, the overall silhouette is still distinguishable from a Prius.
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s electrification strategy includes moving forward with the Prius as other automakers pledge to go all-electric in the next years. The auto heir feels that EVs are not the only way for automakers to achieve carbon neutrality, which the firm intends to achieve by 2050.
Toyota’s senior manager of design Simon Humphries did not back down from previous criticism of the company’s ongoing ambitions to develop hybrids alongside battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, and other prospective technologies. “With the present emphasis on BEVs, it seems like hardly a day goes by without someone asking, ‘So, how long are you going to keep creating hybrids?’ “Well, let me preface this by saying that today I’m going to talk about Toyota’s new hybrid car,” Humphries stated during the live-streamed unveiling in Japan.
Toyota claims to have sold more than 20 million electrified vehicles globally since the Prius debuted in 1997. According to the firm, such sales saved 160 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of 5.5 million all-electric battery automobiles. Toyoda and other corporate executives have stated that all-electric vehicles aren’t realistic for many drivers, especially in the near future, because not all parts of the world will adopt EVs at the same rate due to vehicle costs and a lack of infrastructure.
Humphries repeated the company’s viewpoint, stating that the “Prius is an eco-car that everyone can afford.” To reach carbon neutrality, everyone on the planet must contribute.” “It’s a car for everyone, not just a select few.” That is its greatest strength, and the reason for its existence,” he explained.
The 2022 Prius starts at under $25,000 in the United States, which is far cheaper than the price of most all-electric vehicles and achieves up to an EPA-certified 56 MPG. The 2022 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid starts at about $29,000 and boasts a 133 MPGe, which accounts for the vehicle’s 25-mile all-electric range as well as the fuel efficiency of its gas-powered engine.
