Driving a Prius delivered a new kind of satisfaction, based on a new set of values. It was a car enriched with advanced features, in tune with global issues that assumed greater importance every year. It provided an affordable transportation solution that earlier all-electric cars did not, as it was able to use existing infrastructure without concerns for recharging or range limitations.
Today, the Prius has become a mainstream vehicle. It is an icon for the company that speaks to our leadership in the area of sustainable mobility.
Refining The System
Each generation of the Prius has moved the bar higher. When the first-generation compact Prius was launched in 2000, buyers got 97 combined horsepower and were told to expect combined city/highway fuel consumption of about 4.5L/100km. Ten years later, the midsize Prius has 134 horsepower and delivers fuel consumption of just 3.8L/100 combined.
Improvements have been continuous. Compared to the original car in 2000, the 2010 Prius is bigger, faster and even cleaner. With over 1,000 patents covering innovations in the current 2010 model like the solar powered ventilation system, the Prius’ continues to be seen as a harbinger of future trends and technologies.
As time went on, the media gained a better understanding of Prius. The editors of Motor Trend magazine, in naming the Prius “2004 Car of the Year,” were “thoroughly impressed with the Prius as not only a technological marvel, but as a truly liveable sedan.” The Car Connection described it as “Nothing less than the world’s most sophisticated powertrain ever delivered to ordinary customers.” Highly visible celebrities became owners, helping make Prius an aspirational eco-car.
In The Beginning…
The development of the original Prius, like sending a man to the moon, was a daring project with many breakthroughs and discouraging setbacks. What started as a conceptual exercise between a few planners and engineers ultimately became an intently focused, determined corporate priority. Creating the vehicle that became the Prius was accomplished in a relatively short amount of time through use of computer models to design and prove ideas. By minimizing the use of prototypes, Toyota engineers changed the way cars are designed and built.
 |
| 2005 Toyota Prius (Photo: Toyota) |
Today, the Prius has become a mainstream vehicle. It is an icon for the company that speaks to our leadership in the area of sustainable mobility.
Refining The System
Each generation of the Prius has moved the bar higher. When the first-generation compact Prius was launched in 2000, buyers got 97 combined horsepower and were told to expect combined city/highway fuel consumption of about 4.5L/100km. Ten years later, the midsize Prius has 134 horsepower and delivers fuel consumption of just 3.8L/100 combined.
Improvements have been continuous. Compared to the original car in 2000, the 2010 Prius is bigger, faster and even cleaner. With over 1,000 patents covering innovations in the current 2010 model like the solar powered ventilation system, the Prius’ continues to be seen as a harbinger of future trends and technologies.
As time went on, the media gained a better understanding of Prius. The editors of Motor Trend magazine, in naming the Prius “2004 Car of the Year,” were “thoroughly impressed with the Prius as not only a technological marvel, but as a truly liveable sedan.” The Car Connection described it as “Nothing less than the world’s most sophisticated powertrain ever delivered to ordinary customers.” Highly visible celebrities became owners, helping make Prius an aspirational eco-car.
In The Beginning…
The development of the original Prius, like sending a man to the moon, was a daring project with many breakthroughs and discouraging setbacks. What started as a conceptual exercise between a few planners and engineers ultimately became an intently focused, determined corporate priority. Creating the vehicle that became the Prius was accomplished in a relatively short amount of time through use of computer models to design and prove ideas. By minimizing the use of prototypes, Toyota engineers changed the way cars are designed and built.
 |
| 2010 Toyota Prius (Photo: Toyota) |