Story today on a Malaysian car website: Toyota says that an improved version of its Aqua hybrid (JDM name for the Prius c) that will go on sale next week in Japan will reclaim the fuel-efficiency crown back from Honda’s Jazz Hybrid. They eked out an extra 1.6 km/l by reducing frictional resistance in the engine and improving motor control.The new Aqua lineup will be priced from 1.7 million yen, just 10,000 yen higher than the current car. The Japan Times also reported that Toyota will begin selling a sports model of the Aqua for 2.22 million yen from next month.
Minor system enhancements along the way are always nice to see. It certainly is a welcome change from the old school perception too. Remember the days when any revision to the design following rollout was given the stigma of having been delivered with a defect? The competition would spin any update as a shortcoming being fix. But now with software updates on our phones becoming routine, the thought of continuous improvement is coming an expectation. Heck, even the idea of plugging in at night isn't a big deal anymore.
Damn the SUV and the convertible are the most looking right now, damn hope go to the States both Prius.
There's a press release here: TOYOTA、アクアを一部改良し、燃費性能で世界トップ<sup>*1</sup>の37.0km/L<sup>*2</sup>を実現 | ニュース Google Translate isn't playing friendly with me at the moment, but it mentions the 1.6 km/L improvement up to 37.0 km/L, which is 2.82 down to 2.70 l/100km or 83.3 up to 87.0 MPG. Remember this is based on the Japanese JC08 standards, which appear to be the world's most unrealistic. I read it as a very very small incremental improvement. It also mentions adjustments to the suspension and additional sound insulation. They are also adding an additional colour to the line up - a metallic purple (with Google translating the Japanese name as "deep amethyst mica"), as pictured on the press release. It also mentions something about changing the colour of the speedometer display, but the Google translation is difficult to follow.
This image of the new purple colour from the press release probably deserves to be posted directly. It looks a little too feminine to me for me to want to own one, but I do like it. It's bold, but not brash. It'd be an interesting colour to see in real life in different lighting. Will be interesting to see if the colour makes it outside Japan. As for timing for the updates... who knows. Does anyone know if the JDM Aqua and Prius c are made on the same production line?
Looks like Habinero (orange) is no longer a color choice, its been replaced by the rust color, any confirmation on this?
I get the impression that none of the existing colours have changed. It's most likely just that presentation of it - all the colours look less vibrant in that palette and remember that Habenero looks quite different in different lighting conditions. The "Cool Metallic Soda" (8V7) colour in Japan is different from the light blue called "Summer Rain Metallic" in the US or "Aqua" in Australia and elsewhere (774), but as far as I know that's the only different one, along with Yellow (5A3) that we don't get. 4V7 - "Habenero" in the US, "Sunrise" here and "Citrus Orange Mica Metallic" in Japan should still be the same colour... they haven't mentioned anything about changing it, only adding a new one.
Hope those are just concept rails, that filled in look is terrible, too fakey SUVish. Otherwise the rest of the concept looks pretty solid, love the body style and those rims.
Depends on where in the world you live. If I stay off the expressway, don't run the AC, normal Japan hilly driving at normal Japan speeds nets me pretty close to JC08. In fact, a 250km round trip I did yesterday showed 40.2 km/l, or 94.5 mpg at an average of 39 km/hr. Completely depends on where and how you drive. Stuck in traffic, you aren't getting it. Driving along at 100km/h, you aren't getting it. JC08 is pretty much based on the average Japan drive cycle. Remember there are people in Japan who get close to 100 mpg with the Gen II. The drive cycle fits these cars. G's Version
I think that Habenero is the best colour closely followed by the White. All the above pics are amazing. You seem to have a wider choice of colours in the US, unless I have been unlucky and not seen one in the UK - yet!!
