Toyota Gives The Prius A Full Refresh To Speed Into The Future

Toyota’s Prius is getting its first major redesign since its launch in 1997. The Prius is often noted as the car that sparked the hybrid and EV era in the automotive industry and remained a genuinely iconic vehicle.
 
The new Prius and Prius Prime take on a sleek contemporary look that gives the vehicle a futuristic edge. The hybrid’s headlights have been revamped to feature a shoehorned design that sits on top of a reworked bezel-framed grill. The car’s ride height has also been lifted to accommodate 19” wheels.

Toyota has introduced an ‘Island Architecture’ inside the Prius, which features a fresh new driver module and a floating infotainment system.
 
Under the hood, the Prius is powered by a 148-horsepower hybrid 2.0-liter engine and a 120kW transaxle front motor. In addition, its newly improved 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery has boosted its performance metrics to provide 50% more range than the current model.

Outside of this, Toyota is offering different customizations for the car, including optional solar cells attached to the roof and the choice between a battery electric vehicle version and a fuel cell electric variant.

Pricing for the vehicle will only be announced in 2023 when it is ready to hit the market. After that, it will first be released in Japan, followed by North America, Europe, and other countries.

 
 
 
[via HiConsumption and Reuters, images via Toyota]