Featured 2016 Gen 4 Prius Reveal Set for September 8th

I can't wait to ACTUALLY see it, even if it's confirmed pictures from Vegas and Frankfurt.

I have to say, I hope it's NOT the above speculated photo.
That front end looks decidedly more like a Honda product than a Prius. Especially the headlights.

And I've always liked the distinct and oft hated, high roofline of The Prius, the bubble. That speculation seems to have the Prius much more mainstream, with a back-end heavy look.

Maybe I'm just forced into a bad dynamic. That is, as someone who actually always liked the look of The Gen 2.
Who likes the similarities and look of Gen 3.

As The Prius "mainstreams" more with each incarnation, and IMO blends in with the pack, I'm bound to be disappointed. But from Toyota's standpoint it probably means updating the look with each incarnation, which means making it look more and more like a just a regular hatch back.

Sometimes, vehicles I think I hate in pictures, I like much, much better when I see them in person. And vice versa.
So I suppose until I actual stand before the product itself, I'll reserve judgement. So disregard most of what I said.

 

Not a bad look. I am more interested in the specs and the features, and the interior. I love my Gen 3 but much prefer the interior design of the Gen 2 without the big center console. I also think my Gen 2 got better mileage, despite what the Gen 3 onboard computer calculates (my gen 2 computer was dead accurate on MPG, btw).

 

Thanks for keeping on top of this, Danny!

I sure hope it doesn't look like the car above. It looks like a cross between a Chevy and a Honda. Fugly!

 

I feel like every new prius keeps getting bigger and bigger. I prefer the small efficient cars that are well engineered. My Gen II is truly a perfect car for me.

I'm not too big on the Prius C either.

I can't wait to see the pictures from Vegas on September 8.

 

I'm so excited!! Please keep us all posted! I wish I could just see a teaser like a headlight or something

& if there is going to be a Prius Connection party like for the Gen.III, I better be invited! Looking at you, Danny!

 

Yes, very nice. Just 20 days to go...

 

Can't wait to see not just what it looks like, but it's specs and price as well.

I wonder if they're sticking with NiMH batteries, changing to lithium-ion, or some new battery recipe.

 

Finally, we now have a date.

 

Rumors that you might be able to purchase a Prius with a battery "choice".

 

Will we hear about the Plug in version at the same time?

 

Toyota to show off redesigned Prius hybrid
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY 12:28 p.m. EDT August 19, 2015
The vehicle's arrival comes during an abysmal stretch for hybrid vehicles, which are suffering in the wake of the dramatic collapse in oil prices.





Japanese automaker Toyota will reveal the redesigned version of its Prius hybrid at a media event in Las Vegas on Sept. 8.

Spokesman Scott Vazin confirmed the plans but did not provide any other details on the new styling or fuel economy of the world's most popular hybrid.

The vehicle's arrival comes during an abysmal stretch for hybrid vehicles, which are suffering in the wake of the dramatic collapse in oil prices. Cheap gasoline is fueling a surge for pickup trucks, sport-utility vehicles and crossovers.

Prius sales in the U.S. fell 15% during the first seven months of 2015, compared to the same period a year earlier.

Still, the Prius has accounted for 82% of all industry hybrid sales so far this year, according to Kelley Blue Book. Toyota has sold 108,073 units of the car in the U.S. That figure includes the Prius c, a smaller version of the hybrid, and the bigger Prius v.

The Prius lineup hasn't gotten a major overhaul in nearly seven years.

Industry observers will be watching the Sept. 8 announcement closely for any clues on the car's new fuel economy figure. The baseline 2015 Prius gets 50 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving, according to the EPA.

That compares to average industry fuel economy of 25.4 mpg in July, according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.




Article #2
Toyota Prepares to Unveil New Prius in Hopes of Reversing Sales Slump
by Paul A. Eisenstein



What goes up must come down, something even the world's most popular hybrid-electric vehicle has experienced in recent months. So, Toyota officials have reason to be excited as they prepare to reveal an all-new version of the Prius next month.

Like virtually all battery-based vehicles, sales of the Prius have been hit by low gas prices in recent months. Still, it remains the world's most popular hybrid - and one of the best sellers among all vehicles in the big California market.

The Toyota Prius hasn't had a major update in seven years, and early reports suggest the new one will grow longer, get a little more power, have better fuel economy and possible stretch its range in all-electric mode. Some reports indicate an optional lithium-ion battery may also become available on the 2016 Prius.

Toyota has sent out invitations for journalists to attend a preview of the fourth-generation in Las Vegas on Sept. 8.

The Prius was the world's first mass market hybrid when it debuted in Japan on December 10, 1997. The current model has been around since 2009, an unusually long stretch for Toyota.

It took three years for the compact vehicle to make it to the U.S. market, where it landed in showrooms shortly after the arrival of the original Honda Insight. Less radical than the competing two-seater, the Prius immediately found a much wider audience that it has maintained and built on around the world.

World's First Hybrid MegaYacht Launches

At times, the Prius has become the best-selling vehicle of all types in both Japan and in the green-minded California market. And industry sales data show it snapped up 82 percent of the U.S. hybrid segment's sales during the first seven months of 2015. But demand has taken a rare dip, nonetheless, Prius sales falling 15 percent during that period, year-over-year.


A Toyota Prius fuels up. MARK BLINCH / Reuters
Sales numbers for the Prius actually include a mix of vehicles in the so-called Prius "family," including a plug-in hybrid, the bigger Prius V and the subcompact Prius C.

As with the rest of the green car market, the Prius has been hit by cheap gasoline in recent months, as consumers shifted to larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles, especially SUVs, crossovers and pickups.

Toyota is hoping that the new model will give the Prius nameplate a recharge, among other things by boosting fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent, to a reported 55 miles per gallon.

The 2016 hybrid will get an updated version of the familiar Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system, and insiders say that is likely to include a larger, 1.8-liter gasoline engine that will bump power up from 134 to 150 horsepower. The new model will continue to link that engine and two electric motors through a CVT gearbox.

The new Prius also is expected to be slightly larger - in keeping with broader industry trends. And it will pick up on the mandate of CEO Akio Toyoda, who has called on his designers to put more "passion" in Toyota designs. New LED headlights and tail lamps are likely. To maximize range, Toyota is expected to reveal it has adopted new lightweight manufacturing techniques, including the use of more advanced steel alloys, aluminum, perhaps even some composite materials.

Move Over Prius: Hybrid Crossovers Roll Out at Chicago Auto Show

Meanwhile, the Prius is expected to get a more refined interior, a move meant to address one of the most frequent criticisms of the hybrid. There will almost certainly be more high-tech features, including an improved infotainment system and possibly a wireless cellphone charger.

There have been some reports suggesting Toyota may offer an optional lithium-ion battery pack as an upgrade in an effort to improve fuel economy and all-electric range. Toyota has been doggedly sticking with older nickel-metal hydride batteries, which it considers safer and more reliable, and it remains unclear if those reports are accurate.

Until now, lithium batteries have only been offered in the slow-selling Prius Plug-in Hybrid, recently pulled from U.S. showrooms. Whether that model will return with changes may be revealed in Las Vegas next month.

 

The bloat happens with nearly every vehicle model. The ones that don't get bigger are the exception.

 

Green Car Congress: Toyota targeting thermal efficiency of more than 45% for next-generation gasoline engines for hybrids
2011 article describing two engines for the Prius that were being developed. I bet the 2016 Prius will be concept #1, DI with longer stroke and cooled EGR. Not concept#2 which has a lean burn engine (Like Honda used to do (unless it's HCCI) and a turbo.

 

i'm prepared for something horrible looking, that way, it might at least be acceptable.

even if we don't, there should be a big hole where the 30 mile battery is going to go.

 

...remember this great technical presentation where Toyota discussed all the differences between Gen2 and Gen3? We'd love to see the same thing for Gen3 vs. Gen4.

 

I think a move too far away from their iconic shape is a mistake but pictures are really hard to tell if this is a step up or not.

 

I can't believe it's so soon!

 

2nd gen Prius is a little too small and has AWFUL driver's legroom.

I just brought home a new 16 ft. extension ladder (which is 100 inches long) in my 3rd gen. I wouldn't be surprised if that ladder would not fit in a 2nd gen.

All Toyota needs to do is iron out the interior with the 4th gen and a whole lot of people are going to think less about the 2nd gen.