It is very much a flexible way forward for Toyota as it looks to expand its hybrid model offerings across global markets. While the core Prius model – a hybrid pioneer and sub-brand leader – has a place in all major regions, the extension of the Prius family reveals some interesting differences according to Toyota’s assessment of regional market needs. Europe, for example, doesn’t get the smaller Prius c (c for compact; built on the Yaris platform and called Aqua in Japan). Instead, those who want a sub-Prius sized hybrid can choose between the European built hybrid derivatives of the Auris and Yaris.
Everyone, naturally, gets the opportunity to purchase the now launching Prius plug-in (Prince Albert of Monaco has just taken delivery of the first one specced for Europe) and the opportunity to charge up from the grid for a whole 15.5 miles of pure electric driving.
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And then we have the curious case of the Prius+. It’s based on a Prius hybrid (but is 135mm longer, 30mm wider and 85mm taller), but with a compact MPV body. From the side, it looks a little like a stretched Corolla Verso (Toyota maybe missed a trick in the mid-noughties by making it only a five-seater). In Europe, they’ve squeezed a third row in to Prius+ because the seven-seat configuration in a compact MPV seems to be the way to go. And the lithium-ion battery is craftily moved to the centre console to create the space for the third row at the rear of the car (the lithium-ion battery is also smaller than the alternative nickel-metal hydride battery).
In North America, however, land of the full-size minivan and soccer moms, Toyota has decided to go with a five-seat configuration called the Prius v, which comes with the cheaper nickel-metal hydride battery located at the rear of the vehicle’s platform. In Japan, both configurations are available (and called alpha), the lithium-ion battery fitted seven-seater being considerably more expensive than the five-seater.
Europe then, sees the ‘Prius family’ expanding this year to include the Prius+ and the Prius PHEV. And the Prius+ is most definitely not a volume grab by Toyota, and I’ll come back to that. It is, however, the first full hybrid seven-seat vehicle to be sold in the region. Toyota sees this model as something that will appeal to the discerning family estate user and talks of the ‘premium MPV buyer’. It is claimed, as ever, that the clever technologies employed in the vehicle bring performance and economy. And it is hard to argue with the low fuel consumption figures allied to a powertrain that can deliver reasonable performance for a car in this class (maximum system output of 134bhp/100kW; 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds and a top speed of 103mph (166km/h)).
The principal elements in Prius+ Hybrid Synergy Drive system are the familiar 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine, a powerful electric motor, a generator, the lithium-ion battery, a power control unit and a power split device. The engine and motor will work together or independently to maximise efficiency according to driving conditions and driver demands, Toyota says. There’s the seamless , electronic continuously variable transmission (impressive technology, but can whine under duress). And there’s the clever regenerative breaking that recovers kinetic energy otherwise lost as heat during braking. The standard Toyota hybrid set-up is basically pretty solid and well proven now.
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By GlobalDataWith the Prius+, plenty of thought has also been given to weight saving wherever possible. Materials play an important role. Aluminium content is relatively high and high tensile steel has shaved a considerable 22% off the weight of the B-pillar, Toyota claims. And speaking of weight management there is another clever innovation. An impressively large two-part panoramic roof is fitted as standard (measuring about two and a half times the size of that on the standard Prius). The panoramic roof is made of resin rather than glass and Toyota says that means that it weighs 40% less than if it were made of glass (resin also enables the two-part panoramic roof to be attached directly to the car’s bodywork, dispensing with the additional weight of a base structure needed for glass). The reduced weight will also help with lowering centre of gravity.
The expansive panoramic roof serves to underline the premium aspect to Prius+ that Toyota has strived for. There are other premium touches, too. All Prius+ models come with an easy-to-read head-up display. HUDs are getting greater market penetration, but they are still mainly the preserve of upscale brands and models.
And then there’s the intriguingly named ‘pitch and bounce control’ to give you a more comfortable ride. The boffins at Toyota have come up with a system that automatically adjusts electric motor torque in direct response to road surface conditions. Sensors and algorithms go to work to ensure that if you encounter some rough road conditions, the system will compensate to reduce the pitching motion of the car’s body. When the nose lifts, the Hybrid Synergy Drive system’s ECU momentarily reduces motor torque to compensate; when it dips, torque is added to compensate in a similar manner. Toyota says that although the adjustment of motor torque is measured in extremely small quantities, it has a ‘noticeable effect on ride and handing with the being more comfortable, through the perception of a flatter ride’. Also, it is claimed, steering feel around the centre line is improved through the tyres gaining better roadholding. Might be fun to put that to the test at a proving ground.
Fuel efficiency and low CO2 are obviously going to be key to this model’s appeal. Toyota says that the Prius+ will be capable of CO2 emissions as low as 49g/km. On the drive that we did in a surprisingly flat bit of eastern Austria and Slovakia borders, fuel consumption averaged 4.1L/100km (68.9mpg). That’s pretty respectable for a car of this size. A low CO2 rating will help it to appeal to company car users and Toyota also highlights fewer service items and five-year warranty as part of a package designed to offer value, peace of mind, but with that sense of premium.
Volume targets for sales of the Prius+ look modest. It will be a little in excess of 2,000 units annually in the UK market. In Europe, Toyota is hoping to sell around 13,000 units this year (the company says it has 4,000 orders already) and 20,000 units in 2013. Relatively affluent, environmentally conscious early adopters with young families and a penchant for ‘premium experiences’ will be in the market for one of these relatively sophisticated premium MPVs. As one Toyota official put it, there’s ‘no stigma’ to driving an MPV like the Prius+ (thus implying that the generic compact MPV segment isn’t exactly seen as the coolest these days; think station wagons/estates before premium brand sport wagons came along).
Hybrids have always seemed like a long game for Toyota, building market acceptance gradually since the ugly duckling Prius Mk1 of 1997. But Toyota has now sold more than 4m full hybrid vehicles and expects to grow that to 5m by 2013. In North America and Japan, a measure of success has clearly already come. Europe’s market, though, is a far more difficult one to crack. Diesels are entrenched as the powertrain of choice where larger utility vehicles are concerned. In this segment, there are plenty of diesel engined competitors on the market for well under the Prius+ entry price (in UK) of GBP26,000. But Toyota’s modest volume aims for the car look achievable and will likely constitute another important building block in the long-term strategy of gaining greater market acceptance and position for hybrids in Europe. A bit of scarcity will help to reinforce the near-premium proposition and help residuals. There’s also the point that this is an incremental addition to the Prius family range (can’t imagine there will be very much overlap with the standard Prius). Toyota market share will therefore rise as a result.
Indeed, Toyota is planning a steady increase in the number and variety of hybrid models with ten planned for introduction by 2015 and most of the European range to include hybrid derivatives by the early 2020s. As the global auto industry evolves and consolidates, Toyota’s leading hybrid expertise may come to be seen as an increasingly smart differentiator. BMW, for one, clearly sees value in working with Toyota in this area and, let’s face it, BMW is no technology slouch.
See also: PRODUCT EYE: Toyota forsakes Prius C for Yaris hybrid
