SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
LENGTH: 3:05
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US – 16 November 2022
1. Various of the new 2023 Prius models at their unveiling
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US – 17 November 2022
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Hogard, Toyota Product Communications:
"Some of the highlights in terms of that redesign is obviously the new sporty exterior. It's a nice, sleek package, a little lower in terms of the roofline, a little wider towards the rear, put on 19-inch wheels and it gives it at least a little bit of a performance feel for a Prius. Kind of a surprising design."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US– 16 November 2022
3. Various of people looking at the new 2023 Prius models
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US – 17 November 2022
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Paul Hogard, Toyota Product Communications:
"More horsepower on the Prius hybrid model this time around - 196 horsepower. And then on the Prius prime, we're going to increase the range. It's going to get you a 50 percent more pure EV range for zero-emission driving on that plug-in model."
5. A display at the LA Auto Show for the new Prius models
ASSOCIATED PRESS
London, UK - 18 November 2022
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Holder, editor, Autocar: ++VIDEO CALL++
"It's absolutely true that Toyota has moved into full electrification slower than some of its rivals. It (Toyota) would argue very strongly that that's a deliberate move about using the world's battery resources to their best effect. Better to get them in lots of cars where they're used in their entire capacity every single day than having these large electric vehicles that can go hundreds of miles but perhaps don't drive hundreds of miles every single day. But the market has moved. Toyota is reflecting that to some degree with this Prius, but more so with this onslaught of electric vehicles that it does have coming between now and the middle of the decade, when it really will catch up with its rivals."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US – 17 November 2022
7. Visitors check out the new Prius models
ASSOCIATED PRESS
London, UK - 18 November 2022
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Holder, editor, Autocar: ++VIDEO CALL++
"I think Toyota's always been caught between two sides on design. Some people have criticised it for building bland refrigerators on wheels. Some people have criticised it for going too far when it's trying to counteract that by creating these quite challenging shapes. I think the Prius needed to stand out. You have to remember it was a standard bearer and a trailblazer for the hybrid technology. It needed to look different in order for people to understand that underneath it was different. I think what we have now is a much more grown-up version of that design. It's evolved now into a car that is a mass market vehicle achieving really the electric goals of many of its competitors."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Angeles, California, US – 17 November 2022
9. A visitor looks at the Prius Prime model
10. Various of signs for the LA Auto Show
LEADIN:
Japanese car maker Toyota has unveiled its latest flagship Prius hybrid car at the L.A. Auto Show.
The 2023 model is the first major redesign of the car -- which features important performance improvements.
The new Toyota Prius hybrid-electric not only comes with more power, acceleration and driving range.
It's also more stylish, scrapping the rather stodgy angular body for a sleekly futuristic look.
The car was unveiled in both Los Angeles, California, and Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday (16 November 2022).
"Some of the highlights in terms of that redesign is obviously the new sporty exterior. It's a nice, sleek package, a little lower in terms of the roofline, a little wider towards the rear, put on 19-inch wheels and it gives it at least a little bit of a performance feel for a Prius. Kind of a surprising design," says Paul Hogard, Toyota Product Communications.
The fifth-generation Prius hybrid models will go on sale this winter first in Japan then the U.S.
A plug-in version will hit the market next year, according to Toyota Motor Corp. Prices were not announced.
The automaker swapped an older nickel-metal-hydride battery for a smaller, lighter lithium-ion battery that puts out 15 percent more energy.
The engine grows from 1.8 litres to 2, and the horsepower rises from 121 to above 190. As a result, zero to 60 mph (97 kilometres per hour) acceleration drops from over 10 seconds to around 7 seconds depending on the Prius version.
"More horsepower on the Prius hybrid model this time around - 196 horsepower. And then on the Prius prime, we're going to increase the range. It's going to get you a 50% more pure EV range for zero-emission driving on that plug-in model," says Hogard.
The Prius, which first went on sale in 1997, switches back and forth between a petrol engine and electric motor to deliver a cleaner drive than the models with regular combustion engines.
Toyota estimates the 2023 Prius will get 57 mpg in combined city and highway driving, calling it the most efficient Prius ever.
Electric cars are zero-emissions but need recharging. Some consumers are worried about running out of juice on the roads. A hybrid always has the combustion engine as backup.
But Toyota's reluctance to release a fully electric Prius has been criticised by environmentalists.
"It's absolutely true that Toyota has moved into full electrification slower than some of its rivals," says Jim Holder, editor, Autocar.
"It would argue very strongly that that's a deliberate move about using the world's battery resources to their best effect. Better to get them in lots of cars where they're used in their entire capacity every single day than having these large electric vehicles that can go hundreds of miles but perhaps don't drive hundreds of miles every single day. But the market has moved. Toyota is reflecting that to some degree with this Prius, but more so with this onslaught of electric vehicles that it does have coming between now and the middle of the decade, when it really will catch up with its rivals."
Toyota has cumulatively sold more than 20.3 million hybrid vehicles, including Prius cars, around the world so far.
The Prius, which means "pioneer" or "first" in Latin, has defined Toyota as a brand as much as its Lexus luxury models.
The 2023 model marks the first major redesign of the model.
"I think Toyota's always been caught between two sides on design," says Holder.
"Some people have criticised it for building bland refrigerators on wheels. Some people have criticised it for going too far when it's trying to counteract that by creating these quite challenging shapes. I think the Prius needed to stand out. You have to remember it was a standard bearer and a trailblazer for the hybrid technology. It needed to look different in order for people to understand that underneath it was different. I think what we have now is a much more grown-up version of that design. It's evolved now into a car that is a mass market vehicle achieving really the electric goals of many of its competitors."
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