Toyota Prius in India

The Toyota Prius has sold more over the world than all other hybrids combined – it is surely a COOL car. Since the debut of the second generation Prius in 2003 (as a 2004 model), the midsize hatchback sedan has won many awards. Years later, the Prius continues to be a red-hot seller over the world.

Toyota Prius India

The Prius inspires great devotion from its drivers. Satisfaction rates, consistently at 98 percent, are unparalleled. The Prius drives like a charm, humming along silently in all-electric mode at low speeds and revving up its 110 combined gas-electric horsepower for a respectable 0-to-60 rate of 10.2 seconds.

Its stability control system makes it very safe. And the Prius has many cool features from keyless entry, a high-tech fuel use dash display, and a rear-view camera system to help you squeeze into a tight parking spot.

Toyota has confirmed that they are going to launch their Prius model in the Indian market in the coming months – in 2008. Rivals Honda has already become the first automaker in India to launch a hybrid. They recently launched the Honda Civic Hybrid here.

Toyota Prius Interior

Toyota Prius India

Toyota Motors said: “We are studying the Indian market to introduce our hybrid vehicle here. It would be brought here as a CBU, but at current levels of duty, it could cost anywhere between Rs 20-25 lakh,”

Toyota has received a number of enquiries for the Prius, especially from IT professionals, Toyoshima said. When asked about the company’s plans of setting up a small car manufacturing facility in India, he said: “We are still studying the fine details for setting up a small car plant in India and it will take some time before we decide anything.”

Japanese media had reported that Toyota Motor Corp was planning an investment of $330-420 million (about Rs 1,890 crore) for setting up a small car plant near its existing facility in Bangalore.

The Toyota Prius started its life in Japan, where it went on sale in 1997. The sales were not so great in Japan, but Toyota still went ahead with its plan to launch the Prius in U.S. markets. At first, the sales were small although the waiting list for each car was six months. Gradually, the sales also picked up, especially after the redesign of the vehicle in 2004. The Prius has been a very successful car for Toyota, from both technical and marketing standpoint.

At present, it is sold in more than 40 countries worldwide, the major markets being Japan and North America. Toyota and Honda are the two major hybrid vehicle manufacturers in the world today. More than a million Prius were sold by Toyota by May 2008. Honda is also preparing hybrid models of their famous cars - the Accord and Civic. The sales of the hybrid cars are predicted to go upwards, the main cause being the ever increasing prices of fuel.

Toyota Prius Energy Monitor

Toyota Prius India

The Prius is also sometimes referred to as series-parallel because of its capability to run on petrol as well electric power. It is a very advanced vehicle which uses latest state-of-the-art technology. For example, the computer that is present inside the Prius shuts off the engine automatically when the car is stopped, is reversing, or is descending hills/ slopes. This, inturn decreases the fuel consumption in normal city driving. The computer also decides when it should use the engine, motor or both to power the car and recharge the battery to maximize efficiency of the vehicle.

Many celebrities have also gone the hybrid way, with purchase of the Prius. Famous Hollywood stars like Julia Roberts and Leonardo Dicaprio are said to be proud owners of the Prius. It has also won many awards and prizes from some famous magazines, engineering and consumer groups as well.

Toyota Prius is a cool car, welcome to India !