Brussels, Belgium,
10
July
2012
|
18:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Prius+ 2012 DPL: Prius success to continue with expansion of Prius family

The Prius' unique Hybrid Synergy Drive® (HSD) powertrain established a major industry milestone in sustainable mobility, and its name, meaning 'to go before' in Latin, quickly became symbolic of a car that was launched even before environmental awareness became a mainstream social concern.

Hybrid Synergy Drive® has been specifically designed to be modular and adaptable to diverse energy sources. Its application in the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and Toyota's ongoing research into Electric Vehicles (EV) and Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV), offers the potential for even greater reductions in vehicle emissions in the immediate future.

Following Prius and the Auris Hybrid, the 2012 launch of the Yaris Hybrid has made Toyota's full hybrid technology available to an even broader customer base. The continued expansion of the company's full hybrid model range will see the launching of some 10 Toyota hybrids by 2015. Toyota aims to offer most of its European models with a Hybrid Synergy Drive® powertrain derivative as early as possible in the 2020s.

The 2012 Prius will become the first full hybrid vehicle available as a complete, stand-alone model range. Prius+ -the first full hybrid 7-seat vehicle to go on sale in Europe- is the second step of this expansion and will be joined by Prius Plug-in Hybrid later in 2012. Respective combined CO2 emissions of 89 g/km, 96 g/km and just 49 g/km represent unprecedented environmental credentials from an entire model range.

The three models will expand the Prius customer base and subsequent sales the Prius+ targeting growing European families who require the space and flexibility of a larger, seven-seat vehicle, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid appealing to a new group of environmentally conscientious early adopters.

Maintaining its environmental and technological leadership for over a decade, the multiple award-winning Prius is the world's best-selling hybrid with over 2.6 million units sold. Prius is now more popular than ever, and the third generation model, launched in 2009, has already sold over 1.27 million units. In the first quarter of 2012, Prius global sales outstripped those of the Corolla, making it the world's best-selling vehicle.

Since 1997, Toyota Motor Corporation has sold over 4 million full hybrid vehicles worldwide. This is more than any other manufacturer, and gives the company an unquestionable lead in the drive towards sustainable mobility. As concrete, tangible proof of HSD's environmental record, these sales have already contributed to an estimated reduction in automotive emissions of over 25 million tonnes of CO2.