Featured Toyota Launches Alphard and Vellfire PHEV Models in Japan

Vellfire sounds ominously close to something else.

base model 5,100,000 yen converts to $32,130 USD fwiw.

 

A plug-in minivan . Well that's just great. One for me but not for thie. And what's wrong with labeling it by their current minivan moniker?
Oh ... From that first name?
I thought they were naming it after Batman's butler

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Could they have made an uglier vehicle?

 

Wow!
40 mpg and 45 miles on a full charge - in a van!
Just outstanding.
Being a van aficionado, I would love to have one of these.

Thank you for posting this article.

Update:
Double Wow!
"Charging time is approximately 38 minutes (for approximately 80% of a full charge)"

My current PHEV takes 2.5 hours on a Level 2 charger to fully charge to go 26 miles. This new van can charge to 40 miles range in 38 minutes.

 

I’m interested once we learn how the control laws work in cold weather and driver assist. Those were my biggest gripes with the Prime.

Bob Wilson

 

Chauffeuring your VIP guests to and from their work in peace and tranquillity. Or running migrant workers up the valley to farms; these vans can do it all.

 

Wonder if the popularity of the plugin pacifica had anything to do w/ lighting a fire under Toyota's feet to hybridize a minivan.
50km on the WLTC .... isn't that ~31miles epa? presuming WLTC is as much as 20% overly generous.
That'd make sense as the hyPacifica EPA/EV range is -33mi.
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Pacifica van, too poor performance. VW van, too fat. But I am reminded that Toyota never brought the Estima to North America. The Prius V was tempting and a great taxi.

Bob Wilson

 

When I last checked on bringing in an Estima, the paperwork was too daunting. I'll wait for Toyota to run out of customers and decide to sell all of their products to any customer. By then, the worst aspects last seen in my 2017 Prius Prime will be resolved.

Meanwhile, I'll have to struggle on with:

• 2019 Model 3 - 144,000 miles, ~210 miles EV range, and Full Self Driving (FSD)
• 2017 BMW i3-REx - 77,000 miles, 106 mi EV, and 37 MPG at 70 mph on mid-grade gas

FYI, I may replace the Tesla in late March if I can get a good deal. In the meanwhile, it continues to fully meet my expectations and FSD has turned out to be pretty good ... not perfect but then I'm running HW 3.0 and the recent Teslas run HW 4.0.

Bob Wilson

 

Turns out, the 'unobtainum' Zeekr Mix appears to be a much better solution. Right-sized for me:

Bob Wilson

 

Wasn't that right hand drive only? Yes that's okay if you're delivering mail

Wasn't the Previa pretty much the same thing? Last I read was in about a year it's supposed to be hybridized.
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I'd be interested but I'd want to know more about the cargo area, the entry height, the charging standard supported, etc.

 

That's sans plug. The PHEV is double that. In part, because it is available only in the top trim.

EPA range will be 30 to 40 miles.

That charge time is by DC charging. Likely CHAdeMO, as that is the dominant standard in Japan. The gen4 Prius PHV was equipped with it. Other PHEVs have DC charging too. The Outlander PHEV is the only model to have such in the US. The rest opt to skip on it for here, since our gas prices are so low in comparison.

 

Doesn't Volvo also have 1 or 2 DC capable SUV models? Supposedly the 2025 Dodge Ramcharger pickup is DC capable - unless they scuttle it due to financial problems they seem to be having.