Toyota Prius


The Toyota Prius ( is a car produced by Toyota since 1997 over five generations. The Prius has a hybrid drivetrain, which combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Initially offered as a subcompact four-door saloon, it has been produced only as a compact five-door liftback since 2003.
The Prius was developed by Toyota to be the "car for the 21st century"; it was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, first going on sale in Japan in 1997 at all four Toyota Japan dealership chains, and subsequently introduced worldwide in 2000.
In 2011, Toyota expanded the Prius family to include the Prius v, an MPV, and the Prius c, a subcompact hatchback. The production version of the Prius plug-in hybrid was released in 2012. The second generation of the plug-in variant, the Prius Prime, was released in the U.S. in November 2016. The Prius family totaled global cumulative sales of 6.1 million units in January 2017, representing 61% of the 10 million hybrids sold worldwide by Toyota since 1997. Toyota sells the Prius in over 90 markets, with Japan and the United States being its largest markets.

Etymology and terminology

is a Latin word meaning "first", "original", "superior" or "to go before".
In February 2011, Toyota USA asked the US public to decide on what the most proper plural form of Prius should be, with choices including Prien, Prii, Prium, Prius, or Priuses. The company announced on 20 February that "Prii" was the most popular choice, and the new official plural designation in the US.
In Latin prius is the neuter singular of the comparative form of an adjective with only comparative and superlative. As with all neuter words, the Latin plural is priora, but that brand name was used by the Lada Priora in 2007. Despite the "official" plural form used by Toyota USA, "Priuses" is widely used in English.
Beginning in September 2011, Toyota USA began using the following names to differentiate the original Prius from some newer members of the Prius family: the standard Prius became the Prius Liftback, the Prius v, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the Prius c.

First generation (XW10; 1997)

NHW10 (1997–2000)

In 1995, Toyota debuted a hybrid concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, with testing following a year later. The first Prius, model NHW10, went on sale on 10 December 1997. The first-generation Prius was available only in Japan.
The first-generation Prius, at its launch, became the world's first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid car. At its introduction in 1997, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award, and in 1998, it won the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference Car of the Year award in Japan.
Production commenced in December 1997 at the Takaoka plant in Toyota, Aichi, ending in February 2000 after cumulative production of 37,425 vehicles.
The NHW10 Prius styling originated from California designers, who were selected over competing designs from other Toyota design studios.

NHW11 (2000–2003)

The Prius NHW11 was the first Prius sold by Toyota outside of Japan, with sales in limited numbers beginning in the year 2000 in Asia, America, Europe and Australia. In the United States, the Prius was marketed between the smaller Corolla and the larger Camry, with a published retail price of. European sales began in September 2000. The official launch of the Prius in Australia occurred at the October 2001 Sydney Motor Show, although sales were slow until the NHW20 model arrived. Toyota sold about 123,000 first-generation Priuses.
Production of the NHW11 model commenced in May 2000 at the Motomachi plant in Toyota, Aichi, and continued until June 2003 after 33,411 NHW11 vehicles had been produced. The vehicle was the second mass-produced hybrid on the American market, after the two-seat Honda Insight.
The NHW11 Prius became more powerful partly to satisfy the higher speeds and longer distances that Americans drive. Electric power steering was standard equipment. While the larger Prius could seat five, its battery pack restricted cargo space. The Prius was offered in the US in three trim packages: Standard, Base, and Touring. The US EPA classified the car with an air pollution score of 3 out of 10 as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. Prius owners were eligible for up to a federal tax deduction from their gross income. Toyota executives stated that with the Prius NHW10 model, the company had been losing money on each Prius sold, and with the NHW11 it was now breaking even.

Second generation (XW20; 2003)

Presented at the April 2003 New York International Auto Show, for the 2004 US model year, the NHW20 Prius was a complete redesign. It became a compact liftback, sized between the Corolla and the Camry, with redistributed mechanical and interior space significantly increasing rear-seat legroom and luggage room. The second-generation Prius is more environmentally friendly than the previous model, and is longer than the previous version. Its more aerodynamic Kammback body balances length and wind resistance, resulting in a. The development effort, led by chief engineer Shigeyuki Hori, led to 530 patents for the vehicle.
Production commenced in August 2003 at the Tsutsumi plant in Toyota, Aichi, supplemented in October 2004 with the Fujimatsu plant at Kariya, Aichi.
The Prius uses an all-electric A/C compressor for cooling, an industry first. Combined with a smaller and lighter NiMH battery, the XW20 is more powerful and more efficient than the XW10. In the US, the battery pack of 2004 and later models is warrantied for or 10 years in states that have adopted the stricter California emissions control standards, and or 8 years elsewhere. The warranty for hybrid components is or 8 years.
It is classified as a SULEV and is certified by California Air Resources Board as an "Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle". In 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board rated the Prius as among the cleanest vehicles sold in the United States on the basis of smog-forming emissions.
From 2005 to 2009, the second-generation Prius had been built by FAW Toyota in the city of Changchun for the Chinese market. It was reported that a total of 2,152 Priuses were sold in 2006 and 414 in 2007. The relatively low sales were blamed on a high price, about higher than in Japan or the US, caused by high duties on imported parts. In an attempt to stem the drop in sales, Toyota cut the price of Prius by up to eight percent in March 2008. Toyota sold about 1,192,000-second-generation Priuses worldwide.

Third generation (XW30; 2009)

Toyota debuted the new Prius at the January 2009 North American International Auto Show, and sales began in Japan on 18 May 2009. Toyota cut the price of the Prius from to to better compete with the Honda Insight, leading some to wonder whether increased sales of the Prius might come at the expense of sales of other vehicles with higher margins. Competition from lower priced hybrids, such as the Honda Insight, also made it difficult for Toyota to capitalize on the Prius's success., Toyota has sold about 1,688,000 third-generation Priuses worldwide.
Among the new standard features of the Prius, Toyota introduced three user-selectable driving modes: EV mode for electric-only low-speed operation, Eco mode for best fuel efficiency, and Power mode for better performance. Optional features included the solar-PV roof panels to help cool the cabin interior in summer heat, Intelligent Parking Assist, Lane Keep Assist, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.
Its new body design features a reduced. This figure was disputed by General Motors which found the value for the model with 17-inch wheels to be around 0.30 based on tests in GM, Ford, and Chrysler wind tunnels. Car & Driver measured the third-generation Prius at 0.26 in a privately arranged five-way wind-tunnel test of comparable cars. An underbody rear fin helps stabilize the vehicle at higher speeds.
A new front-drive platform underpinned the car, although the wheelbase remained unchanged and overall length grew by a lone centimeter. Aluminium was employed in the bonnet, rear hatch, front axle and brake calipers. The new platform also includes an upgraded 1.8-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, producing 98 hp at 5,200 rpm.
The Prius uses a range of plant-derived ecological bioplastics, using wood or grass-derived cellulose instead of petroleum. The two principal crops used are kenaf and ramie. Kenaf is a member of the hibiscus family, a relative to cotton and okra; ramie, commonly known as China grass, is a member of the nettle family and one of the strongest natural fibres, with a density and absorbency comparable to flax. Toyota said this was a timely breakthrough for plant-based eco-plastics because 2009 was the United Nations' International Year of Natural Fibres, which spotlights kenaf and ramie among others.

Awards

At its introduction in 2009, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award for the second time. In December 2013, Consumer Reports named the Prius as the "Best Value", for the second year in a row.
A 2019 iSeeCars study ranked the Prius as the second longest-kept vehicle among U.S. drivers.

Fourth generation (XW50; 2015)

The fourth-generation Prius was first shown during September 2015 in Las Vegas, and was released for retail customers in Japan on 9 December 2015. The launch in the North American market occurred in January 2016, and February in Europe and the Middle East.
In August 2013, Toyota Managing Officer Satoshi Ogiso, who was chief engineer for the Prius line, announced some of the improvements and key features of the next generation Prius. This was the first generation of the Prius to use the Toyota New Global Architecture modular platform, which provides a lower center of gravity and increased structural rigidity. Ogiso also explained that the next-generation Prius plug-in hybrid, the Prius Prime, was developed in parallel with the standard Prius model. This variant became available in late 2016, featuring a reduced 4-seat capacity. In a mid-generation update, the 2020 Prius Prime restored the 5-seat capacity.
The 2018 model year Prius Eco ranked as the second-most-fuel-efficient petrol-powered car without plug-in capability available in the US that year, following the Hyundai Ioniq Blue hybrid.