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TOYOTA PRIUS PAVES THE WAY AHEAD

Key points


The world’s cleanest family car


65.7mpg combined fuel consumption with 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds


Prius is the world’s first and most successful hybrid power vehicle, more than 130,000 sold worldwide since 1997


New generation Prius launches ultra clean and efficient Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive


New Prius is D segment car with fuel economy to rival B segment diesels


Single body style – five-door, five-seat hatchback


104g/km CO2 emissions, band AA for Vehicle Excise Duty


Available in the UK in three grades – T3, T4 and T Spirit


All grades feature eight airbags, ABS, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Traction Control (E-TRC) and Vehicle Stability Control Plus (VSC+)


T4 models feature nine-speaker JBL premium audio with six-disc CD autochanger, cruise control and fog lamps


T Spirit models add Bluetooth® telephone interface and DVD-based full-map satellite navigation, with voice recognition and touch screen controls


Up to 16 functions, including audio, ventilation and communications controls, all positioned on the steering wheel for safer operation


Advanced electric air conditioning system causes no loss in performance or fuel efficiency


On sale in the UK 2 January


On the road prices are £17,495 for T3, £18,295 for T4 and £19,995 for T Spirit grade (all excluding £1,000 Powershift grant from Energy Savings Trust)


Insurance groups 7E (T3 and T4) and 8E (T Spirit)

SHORT STORY

Six years after the launch of the original Prius and with more than 130,000 examples sold worldwide, Toyota is unveiling an even more advanced version of the world’s most successful hybrid power car.

The second generation Prius is a blend of futuristic design and technology that delivers
D-segment levels of space, comfort and performance with B-Class economy to today’s motorists.

With its unique and advanced Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive®, the latest Prius is the cleanest car currently available to the motoring public and successfully demonstrates that being ‘green’ does not equate to dull performance or compromised packaging.

PERFORMANCE, ECONOMY AND LOW EMISSIONS

The new Toyota Prius can return a fuel consumption that is comparable to the best B-segment diesels. Production of CO2 and NOx is also radically low, while particulate matter emissions are non-existent. Figures for consumption are 65.7mpg for combined and 67.3mpg for extra-urban driving. In the urban cycle, Prius returns 56.5mpg, which beats every B-segment car on the market by a large margin. At the same time, this D-segment car can accelerate from nought to 62mph in less than 11 seconds.

The new Prius largely surpasses EURO IV emission standards. Hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxides emissions are respectively 80 and 87.5 per cent lower than required by EURO IV regulations for petrol engines. Furthermore, at a time when most diesel engines on the market don’t even comply with EURO IV, Prius NOx emissions are 96 per cent below the EURO IV level for diesel cars. In addition, Prius produces only 104g/km of CO2 exhaust emissions (on the combined cycle), and breaks the 100g/km barrier on the extra-urban cycle (99g/km).

The new hybrid system, making its debut in the Toyota Prius, is the first to be developed according to a revolutionary concept, Hybrid Synergy Drive®. Current generation hybrids rely on the petrol engine to produce peak performance, with the electric motor as an ancillary. Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive® gives the electric motor a more significant role and also focuses on stronger performance.

A more powerful 1.5-litre petrol engine works together with the smaller, more efficient electric motor to deliver performance that