Photo: Toyota
The next generation of Toyota’s most iconic car, the Prius, was due to arrive in early 2015. Well, not anymore, as the automaker’s engineers are delaying it for further “polishing”.
According to Automotive News’ report, Toyota has postponed the launch of the fourth generation Prius hybrid to December next year. Officials declined to comment on the matter, but sources close to the company said the engineers have to make sure the upcoming Prius model will boast maximum performance, further tweaking and testing being required.
The next Prius will be underpinned by Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA), a modular structure designed to be shared by many other cars in the lineup to increase quality and lower the production costs.
Prius 4 will be the first Toyota to use the new TNGA construction, which might explain why the company is delaying its launch - being an all new technology, Toyota needs to be careful not to screw up the hybrid’s reputation.
Along with the new platform, the next-gen Prius will also come with a thoroughly improved hybrid powertrain, comprising a more thermal efficient engine, revised electric motors and lighter high capacity batteries.
As with every Prius generation, the next model is expected to boast 10 mpg more over the last iteration, so a 60 mpg (3.9 l/100km) combined fuel consumption is what Toyota aims at. Tuning the hybrid system to work best on the new platform makes for another solid reason why the company has delayed the launch.
Don’t be sad though, we’ll still get a fresh green Toyota soon, the company currently preparing to put the FCV into production as soon as next spring. Using a hydrogen fuel cell, the new car will boast an autonomy of around 300 miles (483 km) and can be recharged in roughly 3 minutes.
The next Prius will be underpinned by Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA), a modular structure designed to be shared by many other cars in the lineup to increase quality and lower the production costs.
Prius 4 will be the first Toyota to use the new TNGA construction, which might explain why the company is delaying its launch - being an all new technology, Toyota needs to be careful not to screw up the hybrid’s reputation.
Along with the new platform, the next-gen Prius will also come with a thoroughly improved hybrid powertrain, comprising a more thermal efficient engine, revised electric motors and lighter high capacity batteries.
As with every Prius generation, the next model is expected to boast 10 mpg more over the last iteration, so a 60 mpg (3.9 l/100km) combined fuel consumption is what Toyota aims at. Tuning the hybrid system to work best on the new platform makes for another solid reason why the company has delayed the launch.
Don’t be sad though, we’ll still get a fresh green Toyota soon, the company currently preparing to put the FCV into production as soon as next spring. Using a hydrogen fuel cell, the new car will boast an autonomy of around 300 miles (483 km) and can be recharged in roughly 3 minutes.
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