Toyota Prius C: The cheap hybrid concept
Wny not offer a plug-in option on every Prius?
Just too far ahead of the game?
When you’re on top, everybody wants to bring you down. Thus, it would be easy to take Toyota’s NAIAS hybrid debuts today for granted, especially since neither hybrid even came with a plug. Still, while plug-in vehicles suck up all the alternative hype these days, study after study indicates that conventional hybrid cars will outsell plug-in vehicles for years, even decades, to come.
That could make the Toyota Prius C – or “city centric” concept one of the most important alternative vehicle offerings in years – even though it doesn’t come with a plug.
Not only will the Prius C offer the best fuel economy of any Toyota hybrid when it hits showrooms in early 2012, it will also offer the lowest price. Couple that with most aggressive styling in the Prius family thus far and the C hybrid concept could quietly become one of Toyota’s top selling hybrid vehicles.
No, the Prius C isn’t some potentially game changing moon shoot. Instead, the Prius C is the same kind of boring, conventional thinking typical of Toyota – slow, steady, constant progress. Inevitably, those interested in a Prius C might be interested in a plug-in vehicle, but only when extremely cost-effective. In the interim, a much cheaper hybrid with outstanding fuel economy might be the perfect option.
Ultimately, Toyota doesn’t need to rewrite the hybrid book, it just needs to figure out how to get more consumers into their hybrids to help scale down hybrid costs. Adding hybrid technology to a cheaper, more fuel efficient and exciting package makes a lot of sense towards that goal. The Prius C hybrid concept might not be the most buzzworthy concept in recent years, but it’ll still give Toyota a nice jump in hybrid sales.
[...] = '';} } Reduce your Carbon Footprint with Online Training – go green!Toyota Prius C: The cheap hybrid concept – Hybrid Cars and Plug-in Vehicles – Hybridcarblogfunction getTubePressBaseUrl(){return [...]
This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
Ron, I don’t mean slow and steady as a bad thing, it’s a good thing. In my opinion that’s the essence of kaizen.
In terms of slow and steady progress, Toyota developed the Prius largely as a way to start laying the foundation for its fuel cell vehicles. Numerous fuel cell related patents, in addition to hybrid and EV patents have been achieved because of the Prius even though Toyota knew NiMH hybrids, even hybrids for that matter, weren’t the big picture.
That’s why the rest of the auto industry dumped hybrids. They weren’t a big enough step forward. They wanted a total game changer now and that’s it.
Toyota on the other hand took a much more methodical path forward. That’s what I mean. It’s not a criticism at all.
HUH?? Boring, conventional thinking? The Prius was a gamechanger. Back in 1999–12 years ago–Toyota released the Prius, a vehicle that integrated an array of technologies–hybrid powertrain, regenerative braking, aerodynamics, and a powerful Nickel-Cadmium powercell, all integrated seamlessly with advanced software–to squeeze every last MPG from each gallon of gas. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUV CRAZE. Back in the 90s, there was ZERO demand for hybrids. Toyota was gutsy for pouring all this tech into a dorky little vehicle, which it lost money on for the first 5 or 6 years of production. Not sure, then, why you say Toyota is about slow, steady progress. The Prius was a game-changer in the late 90s and for years afterword, forcing other manufacturers to follow suit. It wasn’t until a few months ago(!) that any domestic maker put out a dedicated hybrid electric. Kudos to Toyota for NOT following the pack.
But the Insight did its best on highway, Bob. I think that Insight would still achieve a lower city fuel economy rating than the current Prius based on the EPA’s new tests. Additionally, this vehicle will seat 4, whereas that original Insight only seated two.
Anyway, I’ve heard early estimates of 55 mpg combined.
If they can match the MPG of the Honda Insight 1.0 I’m in. That has been the gold standard no has been able to go back and reach. Was it a one time only thing? I’m expecting progress, not excuses or trading it for “sporty” styling.
I just hope the design of this concept stays mostly the same through production. I also think it would be good to add a plug-in option to this car as well. In fact, why not an EV option as well?
The higher MPGs for lower price is a great selling point. I would now choose this over the Ford Max-c Hybrid or whatever it’s called.
[...] at Detroit’s Auto Show were a bit of a bust. However, after thinking about it for a while, the Prius Concept C has started to resonate. Since it’s all about scaling down costs, it’s all about sales. And the cheapest, most [...]