In a move that was more expected than surprising given the success of the Prius over the years, Toyota launched the first addition to the Prius family, the V-branded minivan, and announced an upcoming compact hatchback, previewed by the Prius C concept study, at the 2011 Detroit Motor Show. The two models will join the regular Prius hatchback and its forthcoming plug-in version in the North American market.
The production Prius V seen in the videos after the jump, is a practical five-seat minivan based off the hatchback version of Toyota's popular hybrid model. It uses the same 1.8-litre petrol engine and Hybrid Synergy Drive tech offering 50% more luggage space than its smaller counterpart, while returning an estimated 42 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 40 mpg combined. The Prius V will go on sale in North America in late summer 2011 as a 2012 model year.
The new Toyota Vitz, or as we'll come to know it on both sides of the Atlantic, the third generation Yaris supermini, was unveiled Wednesday in Japan. Even though what you see pictured here is the Japanese domestic market (JDM) version, as was the case with the previous generations of the Vitz, we expect the European and North American Yaris to look more or less the same when it arrives in the market late next year.
Toyota's newcomer has grown 100mm in length and now measures 3,885mm long, but is 30mm lower while keeping the same width as its predecessor. The Japanese carmaker says numerous weight saving measures has shaved off 30kg or 66 pounds, with the car tipping the scales at 1,000kg or 2,204 pounds (depending on the model).
The exterior design of the new Yaris is more sculptured and edgier, borrowing numerous styling cues from the Prius as well as the recently introduced Verso-S, with Toyota claiming a coefficient drag value of 0.285. The Vitz will also be offered with a variety of styling kits and alloy wheel designs, all developed in-house by Toyota.
The subcompact model's interior has been redesigned from the ground up and is said to feature higher quality materials and more personalization options in terms of colors, trim and upholstery.
In Japan, the Vitz will be offered with three petrol engines with a displacement of 1.0-liters (69HP), 1.3-liters (95HP) and 1.5-liters (110HP), the latter powering the sportier RS model.
The 1.3-liter unit can be combined with four-wheel drive as well as with a start-stop system, in which case, fuel consumption drops to 3.8lt/100km or 62.3 mpg US.
The European range will also include a diesel model while Toyota is also planning to introduce a hybrid version of the Yaris within the next couple of years.
Having few things to do this weekend, I decided to crash a Toyota event. It was the 2010 Toyota Experience, which will eventually cover 17 Romanian cities and is meant to promote the Japanese manufacturer's European line-up, from the cute-and-cuddly iQ to the rough-and-tough Hilux truck and the more stylish Land Cruiser. Video after break.
Toyota chose a parking lot at a mall, very close to a main access road to the city, so that the ramp-activity could be seen by a lot of people. That's how we got there, after seeing a Hilux doing something that closely resembled rope dancing.
I'm not a fan of off-road driving, not because I don't like it, but because I'm bad at it. I managed to get a Range Rover stuck in 10 centimeters of water. Same outcome with a Defender... It seems I have that rare talent to get a vehicle stuck in a bucket of jam.
But there are drivers who make off-roading seem like it's the easiest thing in the world. Like the pilots in our video. Bear with us as the action gets more interesting after the 4 minute mark.
With a simple tweet on its Twitter page that said "Next member of the #Prius family (to be revealed at Detroit Auto Show) will be all-new model w/ more comfort, style and versatility", Toyota announced that the world premier of its highly anticipated Prius Minivan will take place at the forthcoming Detroit motor show in the second week of January, 2011.
The as-of-yet unnamed minivan will be the second Prius-badged hybrid in Toyota's range, while the company has already revealed plans to extend the Prius family with a third model that will be smaller than the current five-door liftback. Both the smaller and larger Prius-branded hybrid-electric vehicles are scheduled to go on sale in the States by 2013.
The Japanese firm recently teased the Prius minivan with a billboard picture located in Malibu, California. Now, we also have a video from the making of the billboard that you can check out below.
According to a Carscoop eye-witness that snagged a camouflaged prototype of the car in California a couple of weeks ago, the forthcoming hybrid minivan is roughly the same size as the Mazda5 MPV.
We'll keep you updated on any new developments as and when they happen.
