Frankfurt 2011: Prius+, the Prius for people who need more Prius

Prius+, a seven-seat MPV based on Toyota's remarkable full hybrid, makes its production car European debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. It goes on sale throughout Europe in the first half of 2012.

The Prius+ is the first car to offer European customers the versatility of seven seats combined with a full hybrid powertrain. Meeting the needs of a growing customer group -environmentally conscientious families in the need of more space- it broadens the appeal of Hybrid Synergy Drive®'s environmental credentials and advanced technology to the widest customer base yet.

The Prius+ is a new vehicle, designed from the ground up. Its exterior design hallmarks it as an evolution, rather than merely an elongated version, of the standard Prius.

The sleek, bold styling features an extended roofline with an integral, panoramic sunroof, retaining the iconic Prius triangle silhouette and giving the Prius+ a class leading Cd 0.28 drag coefficient.

The trapezoidal front incorporates sharp-edged headlamps, turbulence-minimising aero-corners and an enlarged lower grille. Distinctive rear styling is highlighted by a practical, top hinged tailgate, a roof spoiler to further improve air flow and intricate combination lamp clusters located as far outward as possible in order to maximize the luggage compartment opening.

As its name suggests, the Prius+ provides a significant increase in space and passenger accommodation. It is 155 mm longer than a standard Prius, 30 mm wider, and 85 mm higher, with a wheelbase extended by 80 mm, making it possible to accommodate adults in all 3 rows.

The dynamic architecture of an all new interior design features a strongly horizontal dashboard which encompasses the centre console, centre cluster and instrumentation in one flowing form. Combined with concave door trim and a well-defined centre space between console and cluster for connecting driver and front passenger, this creates an unprecedented sense of spaciousness. The openness of the interior is further enhanced by a large, resin panoramic sunroof. A first for a Toyota vehicle, this material in combination with an optimized construction is 40% lighter thanits glass equivalent and has a higher level of heat-resistance performance. The sunroof includes a door lock-linked automatic shade closing function to prevent cabin temperature from rising during parking in hot weather.

The innovative air conditioner control concentrates the most frequently used functions into a single dial. This provides intuitive operation and increases usability, while achieving a visually appealing, iconic design.

The new Toyota full hybrid's seven-seat format features three, independent, split/folding second row seats and a 50:50 split/folding third tier. Clear forward visibility for all occupants has been realized by raising the seating height of each row by 45mm over that in front, while maintaining ample head clearance and legroom in every row.

Even with seven passengers on board, the Prius+ provides 200 litres of cargo space. With the third seating row stowed, this figure rises to 505 litres. An 1,105 mm tailgate opening width, 95mm wider than that of the standard Prius, facilitates easy loading and unloading, and storage flexibility is enhanced through large 345 mm storage tray beneath

the luggage deck.

The adoption of third row seating has been made possible by the installation of a highly compact, space-saving lithium-ion battery pack within the vehicle centre console between the front seats, offering no compromise to the seven-seat passenger accommodation or loadspace of the MPV-style interior.

This is the first lithium-ion battery to be incorporated within a non-plug-in Toyota full hybrid.

The Prius+ showcases the latest generation of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive® powertrain, which employs a 1.8 litre 73 kW Atkinson cycle petrol engine and a powerful 60 kW electric motor. Total system power is 136 DIN hp, and the Prius+ will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 11.8 seconds and has a top speed of 170 km/h.

Its environmental performance enhanced by the Prius+'s class-leading aerodynamic performance and low weight, the full hybrid drive system returns both class-leading fuel economy and CO₂ emissions -4.3 l/100 km and 99 g/km respectively.

As in the standard Prius, the Prius+ features three 'on-demand' drive modes to increase the capabilities of the full hybrid powertrain: a EV mode allows for ultra-quiet running on electric motor power alone for up to two kilometres, resulting in zero fuel consumption and emissions. An ECO mode prioritizes fuel economy by dampening throttle response and limiting power consumption from the air conditioning system. And a POWER mode boosts system performance.

A Head-Up Display (HUD) and smart entry system are included as standard equipment while LED headlamps, Adaptive Cruise Control and Pre-Crash Safety systems are available. Just as in the Prius, customers are offered a range of advanced convenience and safety features to choose from.

As with every vehicle in the new Prius family, the Prius+ benefits from a unique range of touch-screen multimedia equipment. Toyota Touch is fitted as standard. Toyota Touch & Go Plus and Toyota Touch Pro navigation systems, and a JBL Matrix Premium Sound System featuring GreenEdge technology are available as options (see Prius Plug-in Hybrid Chapter for full details).

The Prius+ goes on sale throughout Europe in the first half of 2012, with expected sales targets of 18,000 units per annum.