FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4081168

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Toyota has revamped its plug-in hybrid with a longer cruising range and quicker charging.

The new Prius PHV also comes with solar panels and can be charged by plugging into a regular home electricity socket.

STORY-LINE:

This is Toyota's new Prius plug-in hybrid (PHV) which goes on sale in Japan today (Wednesday 15 Feb 2017).

The auto maker is hoping it will sell better than the first model from five years ago that officials acknowledged had flopped.

Sales in the U.S., where it's called Prius Prime, started late last year. It is set to launch in Europe and other countries in March.

Chairman of the Board of Directors at Toyota Motor Corporation, Takeshi Uchiyamada calls the PHV the future of eco cars.

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

A hybrid switches between a gas engine and an electric motor that is powered by that gas engine.

A plug-in hybrid can travel further as a pure electric vehicle, which is zero-emission, but needs recharging when its battery is spent.

The cruising range of the new plug-in as an electric vehicle is 68.2 kilometres (42.4 miles), about five times the earlier model's 26.4 kilometres (16.4 miles).

Deputy Chief Engineer of Toyota Motor Corporation, Shoichi Kaneko says the Prius PHV can also be charged using solar panels on the roof.

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

Toyota says the car can drive up to 6.1 kilometres per day on solar power generated power.

The car can be fully charged in two hours and 20 minutes, from a 200-volt outlet and in 14 hours at a 100-volt outlet. At a special charging machine, it reaches an 80 percent charge in just 20 minutes.

Toyota hopes to sell 2,500 PHV cars in Japan a month. It gave no overseas targets. It sold only 22,000 of the earlier PHVs.

The lacklustre sales contrast with Toyota's leadership in hybrid vehicles; it has sold 10 million globally since the first Prius went on sale in 1997.

Nearly half of the vehicles Toyota sells in Japan are hybrid models.

Tokyo – 15 February 2017

1. Close of the new Prius PHV being unveiled

2. Wide of Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation, on the stage

3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

4. Close of new Prius PHV

5. Wide of Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation, on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

7. Various of solar panel on the roof part of Prius PHV

8. Close of PHV sign

9. Various of plug in part on the side of the car

10. Close of Prius PHV sign

11. Various of Toyota managers and Japanese actresss who will front the TV ad for the Prius PHV

LEAD IN:

Toyota has revamped its plug-in hybrid with a longer cruising range and quicker charging.

The new Prius PHV also comes with solar panels and can be charged by plugging into a regular home electricity socket.

STORY-LINE:

This is Toyota's new Prius plug-in hybrid (PHV) which goes on sale in Japan today (Wednesday 15 Feb 2017).

The auto maker is hoping it will sell better than the first model from five years ago that officials acknowledged had flopped.

Sales in the U.S., where it's called Prius Prime, started late last year. It is set to launch in Europe and other countries in March.

Chairman of the Board of Directors at Toyota Motor Corporation, Takeshi Uchiyamada calls the PHV the future of eco cars.

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

A hybrid switches between a gas engine and an electric motor that is powered by that gas engine.

A plug-in hybrid can travel further as a pure electric vehicle, which is zero-emission, but needs recharging when its battery is spent.

The cruising range of the new plug-in as an electric vehicle is 68.2 kilometres (42.4 miles), about five times the earlier model's 26.4 kilometres (16.4 miles).

Deputy Chief Engineer of Toyota Motor Corporation, Shoichi Kaneko says the Prius PHV can also be charged using solar panels on the roof.

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

Toyota says the car can drive up to 6.1 kilometres per day on solar power generated power.

The car can be fully charged in two hours and 20 minutes, from a 200-volt outlet and in 14 hours at a 100-volt outlet. At a special charging machine, it reaches an 80 percent charge in just 20 minutes.

Toyota hopes to sell 2,500 PHV cars in Japan a month. It gave no overseas targets. It sold only 22,000 of the earlier PHVs.

The lacklustre sales contrast with Toyota's leadership in hybrid vehicles; it has sold 10 million globally since the first Prius went on sale in 1997.

Nearly half of the vehicles Toyota sells in Japan are hybrid models.

Tokyo – 15 February 2017

1. Close of the new Prius PHV being unveiled

2. Wide of Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation, on the stage

3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

4. Close of new Prius PHV

5. Wide of Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation, on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

7. Various of solar panel on the roof part of Prius PHV

8. Close of PHV sign

9. Various of plug in part on the side of the car

10. Close of Prius PHV sign

11. Various of Toyota managers and Japanese actresss who will front the TV ad for the Prius PHV

LEAD IN:

Toyota has revamped its plug-in hybrid with a longer cruising range and quicker charging.

The new Prius PHV also comes with solar panels and can be charged by plugging into a regular home electricity socket.

STORY-LINE:

This is Toyota's new Prius plug-in hybrid (PHV) which goes on sale in Japan today (Wednesday 15 Feb 2017).

The auto maker is hoping it will sell better than the first model from five years ago that officials acknowledged had flopped.

Sales in the U.S., where it's called Prius Prime, started late last year. It is set to launch in Europe and other countries in March.

Chairman of the Board of Directors at Toyota Motor Corporation, Takeshi Uchiyamada calls the PHV the future of eco cars.

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

A hybrid switches between a gas engine and an electric motor that is powered by that gas engine.

A plug-in hybrid can travel further as a pure electric vehicle, which is zero-emission, but needs recharging when its battery is spent.

The cruising range of the new plug-in as an electric vehicle is 68.2 kilometres (42.4 miles), about five times the earlier model's 26.4 kilometres (16.4 miles).

Deputy Chief Engineer of Toyota Motor Corporation, Shoichi Kaneko says the Prius PHV can also be charged using solar panels on the roof.

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

Toyota says the car can drive up to 6.1 kilometres per day on solar power generated power.

The car can be fully charged in two hours and 20 minutes, from a 200-volt outlet and in 14 hours at a 100-volt outlet. At a special charging machine, it reaches an 80 percent charge in just 20 minutes.

Toyota hopes to sell 2,500 PHV cars in Japan a month. It gave no overseas targets. It sold only 22,000 of the earlier PHVs.

The lacklustre sales contrast with Toyota's leadership in hybrid vehicles; it has sold 10 million globally since the first Prius went on sale in 1997.

Nearly half of the vehicles Toyota sells in Japan are hybrid models.

Tokyo – 15 February 2017

1. Close of the new Prius PHV being unveiled

2. Wide of Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation, on the stage

3. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Takeshi Uchiyamada, Chairman of the Board of directors, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"This is the key and core of the eco car and this is the car which should become the mainstream of the eco car from now on. What comes after the hybrid car? That will be PHV (plug in hybrid). This is Toyota's answer."

4. Close of new Prius PHV

5. Wide of Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation, on stage

6. SOUNDBITE (Japanese) Shoichi Kaneko, Deputy Chief Engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation:

"Finally, we converted solar energy to driving energy. We have made the option of a solar energy charging system available which will become a first for the mass production car."

7. Various of solar panel on the roof part of Prius PHV

8. Close of PHV sign

9. Various of plug in part on the side of the car

10. Close of Prius PHV sign

11. Various of Toyota managers and Japanese actresss who will front the TV ad for the Prius PHV

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4004137

A greater number of zero-emission vehicles are on display at this year's Frankfurt International Motor Show than in previous years.

Established manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota and BMW are showing off their environmentally-friendly models alongside start-ups like Taiwanese firm Thunder Power.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault Nissan, told The Associated Press that the technology in the transportation sector was ready to face the challenge of climate change.

The mood at the show has been buoyed by a 23-month streak of rising sales in Europe, coming off a terrible slump during the 2009 recession and the subsequent debt crisis among countries that use the euro currency.

European Union sales rose 8.2 percent in the first half of this year.

US sales are on pace to exceed 17 million vehicles for the first time since 2001.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4004137

A greater number of zero-emission vehicles are on display at this year's Frankfurt International Motor Show than in previous years.

Established manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota and BMW are showing off their environmentally-friendly models alongside start-ups like Taiwanese firm Thunder Power.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault Nissan, told The Associated Press that the technology in the transportation sector was ready to face the challenge of climate change.

The mood at the show has been buoyed by a 23-month streak of rising sales in Europe, coming off a terrible slump during the 2009 recession and the subsequent debt crisis among countries that use the euro currency.

European Union sales rose 8.2 percent in the first half of this year.

US sales are on pace to exceed 17 million vehicles for the first time since 2001.

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

1. Various of Frankfurt International Motor Show floor

2. Various of Nissan Leaf electric car and its charger

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, Renault-Nissan CEO:

"You know, the technology in order to face the challenge of climate change is ready. We have zero emission cars, we have very low emission technologies, we have everything which is needed to transform the transportation sector. Now, this being said, at the end of the day, the choice is for the consumers, to make these choices. For this, the consumer needs to be supported by the public sector."

4. Close up of inscription reading (English) 'Zero emission' on Nissan Leaf electric car

5 . SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, Renault-Nissan CEO:

"I am absolutely not worried on the fact that the electric cars are going to get cheaper, the autonomy is going to get better. But anyway, nothing replaces the fact that (the) infrastructure needs to be adapted for these kinds of technologies."

6. Various of vehicle manufactured by Taiwanese start-up Thunder Power

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 14 September 2015

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Hamlin, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive:

"I think that there's other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that could enter into the picture (of electric car producers) that would maybe speed-up the process (of greater selling of electric cars)."

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

8. Various of BMW I8 hybrid car

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 14 September 2015

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Hamlin, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive :

"I think in the US, the government is trying to push for kind of the lower emissions, so we have the push from the government. The populace again looks to price, because that is their major concern, so it depends on the price of the electric vehicle versus the cost of, you know, gasoline, or fuel. When you look at markets like China, electric vehicles are prevalent there, there are some on the market, there is companies, brands there that are pushing for electric vehicles."

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

10. Various of Toyota Mirai, hydrogen-fuelled sedan

A greater number of zero-emission vehicles are on display at this year's Frankfurt International Motor Show than in previous years.

Established manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota and BMW are showing off their environmentally-friendly models alongside start-ups like Taiwanese firm Thunder Power.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault Nissan, told The Associated Press that the technology in the transportation sector was ready to face the challenge of climate change.

The mood at the show has been buoyed by a 23-month streak of rising sales in Europe, coming off a terrible slump during the 2009 recession and the subsequent debt crisis among countries that use the euro currency.

European Union sales rose 8.2 percent in the first half of this year.

US sales are on pace to exceed 17 million vehicles for the first time since 2001.

A greater number of zero-emission vehicles are on display at this year's Frankfurt International Motor Show than in previous years.

Established manufacturers including Nissan, Toyota and BMW are showing off their environmentally-friendly models alongside start-ups like Taiwanese firm Thunder Power.

Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault Nissan, told The Associated Press that the technology in the transportation sector was ready to face the challenge of climate change.

The mood at the show has been buoyed by a 23-month streak of rising sales in Europe, coming off a terrible slump during the 2009 recession and the subsequent debt crisis among countries that use the euro currency.

European Union sales rose 8.2 percent in the first half of this year.

US sales are on pace to exceed 17 million vehicles for the first time since 2001.

AP TELEVISION

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

1. Wide of Frankfurt International Motor Show

2. Visitors at show ++SHORT SHOT++

3. Various of Nissan Leaf electric car and its charger

4. Set-up of Carlos Ghosn, Renault Nissan CEO

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, Renault Nissan CEO:

"You know, the technology in order to face the challenge of climate change is ready. We have zero emission cars, we have very low emission technologies, we have everything which is needed to transform the transportation sector. Now, this being said, at the end of the day, the choice is for the consumers, to make these choices. For this, the consumer needs to be supported by the public sector."

6. Close up of inscription reading (English) 'Zero emission' on Nissan Leaf electric car

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Carlos Ghosn, Renault Nissan CEO:

"I am absolutely not worried on the fact that the electric cars are going to get cheaper, the autonomy is going to get better. But anyway, nothing replaces the fact that (the) infrastructure needs to be adapted for these kinds of technologies."

8. BMW I3 electric car (left) and BMW I8 (right) hybrid car

9. Various of BMW I8 hybrid car

Frankfurt - 14 September 2015

10. Set-up of Kevin Hamlin, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Hamlin, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive:

"I think that there's other OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that could enter into the picture (of electric car producers) that would maybe speed-up the process (of greater selling of electric cars)."

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

12. Various of vehicle manufactured by Taiwanese start-up Thunder Power

13. Various of Toyota Mirai, hydrogen-fuelled sedan

Frankfurt - 14 September 2015

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin Hamlin, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive :

"I think in the US, the government is trying to push for kind of the lower emissions, so we have the push from the government. The populace again looks to price, because that is their major concern, so it depends on the price of the electric vehicle versus the cost of, you know, gasoline, or fuel. When you look at markets like China, electric vehicles are prevalent there, there are some on the market, there is companies, brands there that are pushing for electric vehicles."

Frankfurt - 15 September 2015

15. Various of Tesla Model S P90D electric car