Photo: Toyota
A high-ranking Toyota official has confirmed that the iconic Prius will get a fifth generation, while the hybrid powertrain is here to stay despite the EV revolution.
The first-generation Toyota Prius was launched in 1997 as the first mass-produced hybrid car. The nameplate is one of the oldest in Toyota’s stable and is still one of the best-selling hybrids worldwide, 24 years and four generations later. As the Japanese manufacturer kept on releasing a new Prius every six years, 2022 would be the time for a new generation, although Toyota has remained tight-lipped on the model’s future.
In a discussion with Autocar, Andrea Carlucci, Director of Marketing and Product Development at Toyota Motor Europe, confirmed that Prius will remain a key part of Toyota’s electrification plans, even while bZ range of battery-electric cars are out in the wild. As such, with Prius being an icon for the brand, it will retain a key role in the electrification plans at Toyota, which includes a wide range of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell-powered cars, besides the full electric bZ4X.
Carlucci avoided giving in more details about the future Prius, but Toyota already confirmed it is working on a new E3 architecture to accommodate electric, plug-in hybrid, and full-hybrid powertrains. The new platform will be using elements of the existing GA-C architecture, as well as of the incoming bZ platforms. Chances are this is the platform that the fifth generation Prius will be built on.
Another option is to just use the new hybrid powertrain launched along with the new Corolla Cross, with an updated engine and efficiency. After all, the Prius will not be here to stay for long, considering the ICE car sales ban in Europe starting from 2030. It is therefore not economically feasible to develop a brand-new platform for just one generation of cars.
Either way, the next Prius will most probably use a new type of battery, referred to as a “bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery.” This has already been introduced in the Toyota Aqua, sold in Japan. Its main advantages are greater output and improved efficiency of the hybrid system. The same battery will likely find its way across the rest of Toyota’s range of hybrid cars in the future.
In a discussion with Autocar, Andrea Carlucci, Director of Marketing and Product Development at Toyota Motor Europe, confirmed that Prius will remain a key part of Toyota’s electrification plans, even while bZ range of battery-electric cars are out in the wild. As such, with Prius being an icon for the brand, it will retain a key role in the electrification plans at Toyota, which includes a wide range of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell-powered cars, besides the full electric bZ4X.
Carlucci avoided giving in more details about the future Prius, but Toyota already confirmed it is working on a new E3 architecture to accommodate electric, plug-in hybrid, and full-hybrid powertrains. The new platform will be using elements of the existing GA-C architecture, as well as of the incoming bZ platforms. Chances are this is the platform that the fifth generation Prius will be built on.
Another option is to just use the new hybrid powertrain launched along with the new Corolla Cross, with an updated engine and efficiency. After all, the Prius will not be here to stay for long, considering the ICE car sales ban in Europe starting from 2030. It is therefore not economically feasible to develop a brand-new platform for just one generation of cars.
Either way, the next Prius will most probably use a new type of battery, referred to as a “bipolar nickel-metal hydride battery.” This has already been introduced in the Toyota Aqua, sold in Japan. Its main advantages are greater output and improved efficiency of the hybrid system. The same battery will likely find its way across the rest of Toyota’s range of hybrid cars in the future.
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