Toyota Debuts Verso and the New Pure Hybrid Prius

Verso MPV on display in Geneva

It's unveiling week for Toyota at the 2009 Geneva Auto show, as the Japanese manufacturer gives us the world premier of the Verso MPV and the European premiere of the Prius Hybrid. The two models are part of a total 13 models launch program that includes a total revision of the company's fleet, based on its newest technologies: Toyota Optimal Drive and Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The Verso MPV was developed by Toyota to mix the size of the MPV class with the dynamic driving of an everyday sedan. The car uses Toyota Optimal Drive technology and boasts 20 percent more engine power than it usually would have, while reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 12 percent.

Verso MPV comes in five different engine versions, both diesel and petrol powered. The Verso 2.0l D-4D seven seater for example puts out into the atmosphere 146g of CO2 every kilometer.

The other Toyota novelty, for the European market at least, is the Prius Hybrid. Ninety percent of the car's Hybrid Synergy Drive have been redesigned for the new version, resulting in a lighter, more compact, yet providing more power.

The new Toyota Prius boasts 16 percent more power and does so by using 14 percent less fuel. The average fuel consumption for the Prius is around 3.9l every one hundred kilometers, while CO2 emissions amount only to 89g/km.

The 2009 Geneva Auto Show also witnesses the manufacturer's Future Toyota Electric Vehicle (FT-EV), Toyota's Plug In Vehicle (PHV) and its Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle advanced (FCHV-adv). So that everyone is clear on what direction Toyota will steer its business over the years to come.