Toyota Planning Prius Wagon, SUV
A lot can be said about Toyota’s hybrid flagship, the Prius. Heck, a lot already has been said about the odd, egg-shaped, fuel sipping little car. Love it or hate it, the Prius has been a sales success story, selling more units than all other hybrids combined while creating a cult of hypermilers and green geeks.
Looking to cash in on the success of the Prius, Toyota is reportedly planning to launch an entire line of Prius automobiles, perhaps even as its own sub-brand. The first contender for a new Prius badge is likely to be either a wagon or SUV, directly addressing the whole lack of cargo room on past Prius models.
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As Ford has already shown with its Escape, there is a strong market for hybrid SUV’s. Americans have a lot of crap to lug around, and while the Prius certainly sips fuel like its going out of style (and it is), even the much-improved 21 cubic feet of capacity on the 2010 Prius isn’t enough for many families. Soccer moms across the country might unite behind a Prius badged SUV, or even better, a station wagon.
Station wagons used to be all the rage; could the Prius name make them cool, best-sellers again? With car like qualities, but truck like cargo room, a wagon, in my mind, makes more sense for a hybrid than an SUV. Besides, there isn’t a hybrid wagon out there yet to my knowledge. A wagon would, of course, be heavier, but it could also carry additional batteries, increasing its electric-drive capacity. According to the report in Yomiuri, a high-circulation Japanese newspaper, Toyota execs are considering a lithium-ion battery pack, though in the past they have said they don’t believe lithium-ion batteries can be made affordable for the car buying public.
Toyota isn’t coming up with too many details right now, so we can only speculate on what it might look like. Perhaps a U.S.-spec Venza will be the basis? Or will they stretch out the Prius or Camry? Or will it be based on the Toyota Hybrid-X Concept from the Geneva Auto Show? I guess we just have to wait and see.
Source: Yomiuri via Green Car Advisor | Images: Toyota
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November 16th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Dang, that thing is ugly and still doesn’t have the clearance I need for dirt road living.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:45 pm
The terms station wagon, SUV, mini-van all blur. The terms are fabricated for marketing. They give consumers a way to think the are differentiating themselves.
There isn’t much difference between them. They are just large cars with a big door instead of a trunk. Maybe it’s time to stop letting the marketers lead us around by the nose.
My wife is a soccer mom. She has no problem hauling a bunch of smelly muddy soccer teens around in a Prius. We even take it camping. With a Thule on top it holds everything my Cherokee did and still gets 40 mpg going over mountain passes.
November 17th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Hope the SUV they mention is the Toyota ABAT. That light truck seems to be a good compromise for those of us that drive frequently on dirt roads, and looks like a sweet ride.
November 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
“dirtroad living”, don’t think thats what that car is meant for.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Old news.
& pretty concept, but why include features in a concept that are downright illegal most places (those blue headlights).
November 24th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
I agree with Russ.The current Prius holds much more than it looks. I just did a delivery to a customer and put 13 boxes inside. Each box was a case of tees(72) or sweat shirts(24). Could not put 1/2 of that in our BMW 325xi wagon. Prius holds just about 1/2 of our Suburban delivery/plow truck. Would love AWD here in northern VT.