Autos Car Design: Toyota Prius

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Selasa, 04 Oktober 2011

Video: The Making of Toyota's Prius Family People Person TV Spot

Where some see Toyota's "Prius Family People Person" commercial as the creepy stuff children's nightmares are made of, others see a piece of creative marketing.

After the wide release of the TV spot, Toyota published a behind-the-scenes video to show us how the advertising agency managed to create a 17-foot tall person and the surrounding areas seen in the commercial.

Regardless of what you think about the ad, it's definitely worth a look. Check it out for yourself in the video after the break.

Posted on 17.47 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 21 September 2011

New High-Occupancy-Vehicle Lane Rules May Boost Prius Plug-In Sales in California

The new Prius plug-in will be available in the US early next year and will cost $32,780 –or $8,500 more than the non-plug-in version of Toyota’s hybrid. That’s quite a remarkable price difference even if you include the $2,500 tax incentive and, for some, a deterrent in buying the plug-in hybrid.

However, as it turns out though, the State of California may have unintentionally helped Toyota sell more of its new plug-in hybrid model. That’s because two months ago, it changed the rules for High-Occupancy-Vehicle (H.O.V.) lanes, and specifically which single-passenger occupied models were allowed to use them.

Posted on 07.28 / 0 comments / Read More

Toyota Says New Prius Plug-in Hybrid will Cost Under £31,000 in Britain

After Toyota's U.S. arm came out with pricing details on the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid, the firm's British division is next in line to inform buyers what they're going to pay for the car when it goes on sale in Britain in the first half of 2012.

However, instead of giving a exact price tag, Toyota UK said the plug-in version of the Prius will "cost less than £31,000" before any government incentives, which can reduce the price to customer by up to £5,000, or under £26,000.

Posted on 05.56 / 0 comments / Read More

Senin, 19 September 2011

Toyota Introduces New Prius Family with a Bizarre Commercial [Video]

Coinciding with the announcement on pricing for the new 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid that will launch next spring and the new Prius V minivan that is set to go on sale this October, Toyota has unleashed a new campaign to promote the growing family of Prius models.

The new TV spot is named "People Person" and it was created by advertising agency, Saatchi & Saatchi.

Posted on 12.38 / 0 comments / Read More

Minggu, 18 September 2011

Toyota to Build Hybrid Drivetrains Outside of Japan in Four Years

Toyota has chosen to focus most of its resources on its hybrid models, and more specifically on the Prius “family” and Lexus lineup, in order to recover from this year’s earthquake and the subsequent, and quite substantial, decrease in global sales due to parts shortages.

Until now, Toyota manufactured all components of hybrid drivetrains, such as battery packs, electric motors and inverters only at its Japanese plants. The recent disaster has shown the vulnerability of the decision to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Posted on 07.47 / 0 comments / Read More

Jumat, 16 September 2011

Toyota Prices New 2012 Prius Plug-in from $32,760 and Prius V Minivan from $27,160

Toyota has released the full rundown on the pricing of the upcoming 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid and the five-passenger Prius V minivan.

The first-ever Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which combines the firm’s Hybrid Synergy Drive with a small lithium-ion battery to extend the electric-only driving range, starts at $32,000 not including a $760 processing and handling (DPH) fee that raises the price to $32,760, while the better equipped Advance trim model will have an MSRP of $39,525 or $40,285 with DPH.

Posted on 14.13 / 0 comments / Read More

Selasa, 13 September 2011

Facelifted 2012 Toyota Prius Quietly Makes World Premiere in Frankfurt

We're wrapping up the first press day of the 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt, but not before we bring you one final unveiling that flew under the radar for most of the event.

We're talking about the 2012 Toyota Prius facelift that made its world premiere in Germany today. The changes on Toyota's updated hybrid include minor tweaks to its exterior and interior design, and the introduction of a fresh assortment of multimedia systems.

Posted on 19.06 / 0 comments / Read More

Senin, 12 September 2011

Toyota Focuses Recovery Efforts on Prius Hybrid Family

The March 11 earthquake that shook Japan to its core had many collateral damages, one of which was vehicle manufacturing. For example, more than 650 of Toyota’s suppliers suffered great damages and halted production, forcing the Japanese automaker to reconsider its strategy.

Two weeks later, its management had reached the conclusion that it should focus its worldwide resources mainly on one model line. “We were rapidly burning through cash, so in order to survive this we prioritized the cars our customers wanted most” explained head of production Atsushi Niimi.

Posted on 15.40 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 07 September 2011

Britons Vote Ford Mustang as the World’s Manliest Car

Bluebeards Revenge is a UK brand of shaving cream and post-shave balm scientifically proven by Science™ [sic…] to reduce beard growth- or so it says on their webpage. The brand recently conducted an email poll of 1,835 Britons, asking them to rate the world’s “manliest” and “least manly” cars.

The results are in, and –drumbeat please- the winner is the Ford Mustang that was found to be the “manliest car on the planet” with a net total of 21% of the vote.

Runners up were the Aston Martin DB7 (15%), Range Rover (13%), Dodge Viper (11%) and Hummer H1 (10%). On the opposite end of the spectrum – the world’s “least manly” cars – were the Volkswagen Beetle (31%), Mazda Miata / MX-5 (20%), Ford Ka (11%), Toyota Prius (9%) and Nissan Cube (8%).

Posted on 16.14 / 0 comments / Read More

Jumat, 12 Agustus 2011

Toyota to Debut 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid with up to 107MPG at the Frankfurt Motor Show

The final production version of Toyota's long anticipated Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle –or PHEV for short- will make its first public appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show on the 15th of September.

The Japanese automaker has been field-testing the Prius PHEV for quite some time now, but starting from next Spring, it will go on sale in Europe as well as other markets including select dealerships in the U.S. with a nationwide launch to follow in 2013.

Posted on 14.33 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 10 Agustus 2011

Google Says Self-Driving Prius Crash was Caused by a Human and that it Wasn't the First [with New Video]

Last week, one of Google's Toyota Prius models equipped with the internet search giant's self-driving technology made headlines after it was involved in an accident near the company's Mountain View, California, Headquarters.

While we did report Google's side of the story that said a human was behind the steering wheel at the time of the crash, like many other sites, we also stated that it was the first recorded accident involving a self-driving Google car.

Turns out we were wrong about the crash being the first of its kind as Google spokesperson Jay Narrow contacted autoscardesign and told us that last year, one of the firm's cars "was once rear-ended while stopped at a traffic light".

Posted on 11.28 / 0 comments / Read More

Selasa, 09 Agustus 2011

[Updated] Google's Self-Driving Car Involved in California Accident

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated in the title that this was the first accident involving a Google self-driving car. The corrected version reflects a change only in the title of this article. We also posted an updated story on the incident that includes a new video and an official statement from a Google spokesperson. You can check it out by clicking this link.

Many companies are developing self-driving cars. The latest example is VW’s TAP (Temporary Auto Pilot) that was recently demonstrated on video.

Another earlier model is Google’s automated/driverless fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids developed with the help of the military’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) 2007 Urban Challenge winner, Chris Urmson and Anthony Levandowski, the maker of the world’s first autonomous motorcycle (again, for DARPA) – oh, and an self-driving pizza-delivery vehicle.

Posted on 07.12 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 03 Agustus 2011

Evatran Presents Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

Plug-in hybrids seem to be all the rage these days, from Chevrolet’s Volt to Nissan’s Leaf and the soon to be launched in the U.S. market, Toyota Prius Plug-In. And there are many more vehicles capable of running on electric power to follow.

However, their owners must not forget to charge them, usually overnight, or they’ll wake up next morning and discover they’ve run out of electric juice. In addition, they need to know their way around with the charging cords –not an easy task as any computer geek knows very well.

Posted on 06.41 / 0 comments / Read More

Kamis, 28 Juli 2011

Ad Watch: Not All Toyota Prius Drivers Are Goody Two Shoes, So Sayeth Steve Nash

NBA basketball player and point guard for the Phoenix Suns Steve Nash doesn’t take himself very seriously. He has starred in a handful of TV ads - including a few for Vitamin Water - where he generally takes the piss out of himself and the typical over-the-top sporting personalities we see so very often.

Now he’s staring in a couple of TV commercials for the third generation Toyota Prius where he proves that you don’t have to be a planet-conscious all-around-good-guy to drive the Japanese brand’s popular hybrid hatch.

Posted on 16.02 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 20 Juli 2011

Toyota to Use Prius Hybrids to Supply Household Appliances with Electricity!

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. In Japan’s case, the devastating earthquake in March and the subsequent damages to the country’s infrastructure put the spotlight on Toyota’s Estima Hybrid minivan that features a system allowing the supply of auxiliary electricity to power household appliances.

The minivan’s owners were extremely satisfied with the system, which effectively turns the hybrid system into an electric generator that runs on gasoline, claiming that it was invaluable during the extended blackouts in Japan.

Posted on 06.54 / 0 comments / Read More

Selasa, 12 Juli 2011

Union of Concerned Scientists Releases 2011 Hybrid Scorecard: Prius = Good, Touareg Hybrid = Bad

The Union of Concerned Scientist, a non-profit science advocacy group in the U.S., has released its second annual Hybrid Scorecard. The organisation criticised hybrid car manufacturers for not delivering on the technology’s promise, for placing performance above fuel efficiency and environmental benefit and burdening hybrids with features that put them out of the price range of average Americans.

A total of 34 hybrid vehicles from the 2011 to 2012 model year were tested for their fuel efficiency, environmental impact, value-for-money and their so-called “forced-feature premium”. The latter is features that don’t improve fuel efficiency but probably make the cars more appealing to money-conscious consumers.

Posted on 14.33 / 0 comments / Read More

Senin, 11 Juli 2011

CNN Says Toyota Prius Plug-in will Top Chevy Volt, 12 Months before the Former Goes On Sale

If you are a GM diehard or a Chevy Volt fanboy, I suggest you cover your ears and start humming loudly to yourselves. CNN Money recently featured an article from Fortune magazine’s Motorworld declaring the upcoming Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid a better buy and a better car than Chevy’s range-extended electric vehicle. Shock, gasp, horror, blasphemy etc.

To quote Motorworld senior editor Alex Taylor III: “[The Prius Plug-in is] more efficient and less expensive than the Volt, and Toyota actually stands the possibility of making a profit on it -- something General Motors concedes it can't do with the Volt.”

Posted on 10.04 / 0 comments / Read More

Jumat, 08 Juli 2011

Toyota Says Prius US Sales Will Outperform 2010 despite Earthquake Setback

In spite of the earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Japan last March and which deeply affected the country’s automobile production capabilities, Toyota remains confident that US sales of the Prius will outperform those of 2010.

The lack of inventory, with many dealers reporting as little as one day’s worth of Prius cars on their lots, led to a whopping 61% drop in July sales in the US, which is the lowest since 2004. And that’s significant because the US accounts for almost half of the all Prius models sold worldwide, which makes it Toyota’s most important market for its compact hybrid.

Posted on 10.56 / 0 comments / Read More

Kamis, 30 Juni 2011

Toyota Sports Up Prius with new PLUS Package from TRD

At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Toyota displayed a lightly modified version of the Prius Hybrid to inaugurate its new line of accessories under the PLUS moniker.

Now it’s time for the Japanese automaker to release the production version of its modestly sported up Prius with the commercial launch of the PLUS Performance Package that will be available for order in July in limited numbers.

The package features styling and performance upgrades, and is optionally available on all Prius models with pricing set at $3,699 for the Prius Two, Three, and Four trim levels and $2,999 for the Prius Five.

Posted on 09.27 / 0 comments / Read More

Rabu, 29 Juni 2011

Robocarpocalypse Begins: Nevada Asks DoT to Draw Up Legislation for Driverless Cars

I can’t remember if there were self-driving cars in the third Terminator movie, though frankly I can’t remember anything other than that red leather and vinyl outfit Kristanna Loken was wearing. What were we talking about? Oh, yes, the robocarpocalypse.

With the passing of Assembly Bill 511 in the Nevada Senate, the U.S. Department of Transport will now have to draw up rules governing autonomous vehicles on the state’s roads.

Posted on 13.24 / 0 comments / Read More