Wilde Toyota

For Prius, Cutting-Edge Cool is Hot New Norm


To go before. To go beyond. In its third generation, Prius builds on its eco-techno base to provide more power, more mpg and more futuristic features.

Take, for example, the optional solar moonroof that helps keep drivers from losing their cool. While the car is parked, solar panels power a ventilation fan that reduces the tempurature inside. As owners approach their car, they can tamp down the temp even more by flipping on the A/C with an available key fob.

It's the kind of option that should appeal to the technologically savvy as well as the simply sweaty. In other words, the broad customer base that Prius needs to remain the best-selling hybrid in the world.

Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager Bob Carter helped introduce the 2010 Prius at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Jan. 12.

"The features and performance of the new midsize Prius are superior to anything we have ever built," Carter said. "And along with building a better car, we will make it available in more places. We plan to sell this new Prius in 80 countries worldwide, nearly twice as many as today."

The new model arrives in U.S. showrooms this spring, equipped with a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine that pumps up performance. The car zips from zero to 60 mph in 9.8 seconds in internal testing, compared to 10.9 seconds for its predecessor.


Fuel efficiency also improves, thanks to advances in design and technology. An aurodynamic stretched silhouette, along with underbody covers, minimizes air resistance, reducing the drag coefficient from .26 to .25. A new exhaust heat collection system uses engine coolant to extract exhaust heat, improving engine warm-up time and increasing start-up fuel economy.

A redesigned gas tank not only simplifies the fueling system byt also sheds weight. In fact, the entire hybrid system weighs less.

As a result of the changes, the new Prius is expected to get an EPA-estimated combined rating of 50 miles per gallon, four more than the current generation.

Size also shifts. While exterior dimensions are comparable to the current model, the interior is more spacious, thanks to a smaller battery control module and other space savers. The cargo area cradles three golf bags instead of two. Of course, Prius' propensity for "green" goes well beyond a golf green. Plant-derived "Ecological Plastics" are used in seat cushion foam, trim and scuff plates. Then there's the new cool exhaust recirculation system that cycles some exhaust gas back into the engine, reducing certain emissions. It's another potent pairing of eco and techno that should help Prius clean up in the expanding Hybrid vehicle market.

Wilde Toyota Scion is proud to be bringing the all new 2010 model Prius to our customers in the spring of 2009.