Ever since its launch in Japan in 1997, and international launch in 2001, the Toyota Prius has shown that a Hybrid vehicle is commercially viable. As of April 2006 Toyota has sold 504,700 Priuses around the globe. Although the shape is starting to look a little out dated, the Prius is still selling very strongly on the international and Australian markets. Nevertheless, Toyota has plans for the next generation Prius. One of the more interesting things I read recently was from Auto Express (a UK Motoring Magazine) who suggests that Toyota is going to bring out a Turbo Charged Prius!
I'll give you a few seconds to let that sink in, because really, it’s big big news! Why? Well, one of the main reasons that has stopped the Prius from gaining massive support has always been its rather, slow nature (and the price). With the next generation of the Prius running Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive II technology companied by the 1.8 Litre Turbo charged engine, one can only imagine the stir that the car will cause when it is officially released. Having a hybrid car that can do 4L/100km when driving conservatively while being able todo 0-100km/hr in ~5 seconds when needed, will pretty much sum up the sort of car that makes dreams come true. Can you imagine driving your SS commodore or XR8 falcon and getting beaten off the line by a Hybrid Prius? How embarrassing! Toyota continues to lead the rest of the world in viable Hybrid technology.
