Monday, November 10, 2008

Speculation about future Prius Coupe


Motortrend has published the article below, claiming that Toyota is currently working on a Prius Coupe. Toyota though, via Toyota Open Road blog, has already stated that no decision about a Prius brand has been made, no product has been identified, and there certainly has been no timetable established for the rollout of such a brand (read the full article here). Toyota might be working on a hybrid coupe car in order to compete with the upcoming Honda CR-Z, but it seems that it will not be related to Prius.


Article from Motortrend:

"Toyota is developing a range of Priuses that will include a small pickup based on the 2008 A-BAT concept and a sporty, 2+2 coupe to compete with Honda's upcoming CRZ hybrid coupe. The Prius coupe will have a lower roofline than that of the all-new 2010 Prius hatchback sedan launching this year and will share its powertrain.

The 2010 Prius sedan's battery technology is carried over from the 2004-2009 model, but its 1.5-liter engine may get a small bump in displacement or power output with no penalty in fuel economy. Since the 2+2 coupe will be significantly lighter than the hatchback sedan, having the same powertrain means it will be quicker and faster. Think 1984 Honda CRX with a standard Civic four-cylinder.

We still can't say whether the A-BAT pickup, expected as a production truck no earlier than calendar 2010, will be badged a Toyota or a Scion. Management has decided to return Scion to its original mission of offering only one generation of each model, which would limit the A-BAT's lifespan. A small hybrid pickup would go far in improving Toyota's Corporate Average Fuel Economy for trucks, so you can expect it would be around for more than one product lifecycle."

Source: Motortrend

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