toyota: prius+ at geneva motor show 2011

the toyota ‘prius+’ concept car

along with the ‘2012 prius c’ concept, toyota has debuted its ‘prius+’ vehicle at geneva motor show 2011. incidentally, the addition to the now-sizable ‘prius’ family comes in well-timed conjunction with the company’s announcement of ‘prii’ as the plural of ‘prius’, as determined by a web vote involving 1.8 million users.

offering the best fuel economy of any seven-seater vehicle, the ‘prius+’ features three drive modes: a zero-emission fully electronic mode, split ‘eco’ mode, and ‘power’ mode, described as boosting overall performance. the car is the first non-plug-in hybrid of the company to use a lithium-ion battery pack, which sits beneath the floor. ‘prius+’ is reputed to attain a fuel efficiency better than 2.6L per 100km (90mpg).

3/4 rear view

three rows of folding seats provide equally ready capacity for the transport of people and cargo. the second row features three independent, split-folding seats, while the third row splits 50:50 as needed.

while the vehicle retains the general aesthetic of the ‘prius’ line, its lower grille is enlarged, and vertical ‘aero corners’ along its front to improve aerodynamic efficiency for the larger body, achieving a 0.29 drag coefficient. a complete panoramic sunroof merges into a top-hinged tailgate at the car’s rear.

side view

the ‘prius+’ is scheduled for release in europe in the first half of 2012. at present it is expected that only the 5-seater ‘prius v’ will be available in north america, but toyota has not specifically addressed whether perhaps the larger ‘prius +’ will eventually be brought there as well.

the vehicle on display at geneva motor show 2011 image courtesy of autoblog