The new version of Toyota's hybrid has 50 per cent more power, MichaelMcAleer reports.
Toyota has launched its new more design-conscious version of the hybrid Prius. Thankfully it features much more advanced styling than its predecessor.
The new- look Prius is the second hybrid to come out of Toyota's stable this year, with Lexus due to offer a hybrid version of its RX300 SUV.
The new Prius has a 50 per cent more powerful 50-kilowatt drive-motor operating at up to 500 volts. This increased voltage and power is enabled by a newly adopted high-voltage power converter.
The generator has a higher peak operating speed which increases electric-mode operation in slow-and-go situations. Improved low-end torque from the drive motor gives a significant boost in acceleration performance.
The Hybrid Synergy Drive is expected to increase fuel efficiency in the new Prius by 15 per cent.
Overall, Toyota claims the new Prius will offer 68 bhp from its electric motor and 78 bhp from its petrol motor.
The name Prius is Latin for "ahead of its time" and it certainly lives up to its name in terms of sales, particularly in Ireland.
While more than 110,000 examples have been sold worldwide, making it the most successful hybrid vehicle on the planet, sales of the current model have been sluggish to say the least with only two sold last year and 36 since its launch at the end 2000, despite the recent arrival to the owners' club of stars such as Leonardo Di Caprio who is reported to have three of them.
Other celebrity owners include Cameron Diaz, Ted Danson, Jeff Goldblum, David Duchovny and Jane Fonda.
For less starstruck Irish motorists the real attraction of owning a Prius will come not just from the low fuel consumption and the feeling of moral superiority to other polluting motorists. There is a tax rebate of about €3,000 on Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) for owners. However, the full price must be paid and the rebate claimed back through the income tax.