The Toyota Prius and the All New Toyota Prius C Launch

Though I’m hardly a car enthusiast, I started getting car-savvy recently due to the company I keep. A few dear friends are car writers and petrol heads. The influx of invites to car launches since the beginning of the year had me no choice but to brush up on my automotive intelligence.

But I have personal interest in hybrid cars. Prior to the Honda Insight Bloggers’  Trip, “hybrid” was “electric car”. It’s environmentally friendly. That was all I knew it was.
The trip served as a very educational outing, with most clouded assumptions cleared & I went away much smarter and enlightened.
Since then, I have eyed the Lexus CT200 as the next car to test, since it won the 1st place in the Asian Auto Ambank Fuel Efficiency Awards 2011 in the Hybrids category, guzzling a mere 3.8l fuel/100km.
Sadly, I do not know of anyone that drives it. Obviously it’s high price tag didn’t make it affordable for the masses.

Fret not though, just yesterday UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd launched the 3rd Gen Toyota Prius (1st runner up at the Asian Auto Ambank Fuel Efficiency Awards 2011 in the Hybrids category @3.9l/100km) more affordably priced at RM139,900 and the ALL NEW Prius c at RM97,000.

Watch this video for the dramatic way both hybrids were first shown to the media yesterday.

The Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Prius c.

Is it just me or do you find these “grooves” cool as well? Must be some aerodynamic feature!

While I wasn’t as attracted to the Toyota Prius, though admittedly the facelift did enhance its exterior, the new Prius c was something else. It was sporty, compact and chic. Almost fahionable, if I’m allowed to call it that. The concept Prius c on display looked even better!

Sexy ass back!

The PRIUS c will enable more Malaysians to own a fuel-efficient, environment-friendly vehicle at an attractive price which is exempted from import duty and excise tax. This exemption has been offered by the government in support of Green Technology as well as promoting Malaysia as a regional hub for hybrid cars.

The convenient Smart Entry & Start System which makes it unnecessary for the driver to use a key to lock/unlock the doors or to activate the engine (it does not start running when the power switch is pressed) is standard in the PRIUS c.

For a compact car of its price, the interior were comfortable and the leg room spacious enough.

Toyota’s interior designers have provided a highly legible instrument panel that provides comprehensive information about the car’s operation without causing ‘information overload’. (It’s not exactly similar but the Honda Insight has an informative panel too – HERE )

The panel looks like this:

Most of the information is shown on a Multi Information Display (MID) within the recess of the instrument panel. The 3.5-inch full-colour TFT display has a number of different screens.
* Energy Monitor to show energy flows in real-time
* ECO Score allows the driver a fun way to keep track of fuel efficiency.

Fuel consumption records are also shown in a bar graph in 5-minute intervals so the driver can see how driving style and traffic conditions affect fuel economy, and adjust his or her driving style accordingly.

Ok, I guess I’ll understand it better when I’m driving one. These screens looks really colorful and informative!

Even the gear is a funky electric blue colour

The driver can alternate between 3 drive modes while on the move: Normal, ECO and EV mode.

* ECO mode reduces overall energy consumption by prioritizing fuel economy and altering throttle response as well as air-conditioner performance.
* EV model is available in certain conditions where just the electric motor is used; speeds of up to 45 km/h can be achieved in this mode which gives the noise-free experience of an electric vehicle.

There’s really a lot more to share about the Toyota Prius and PRIUS c but that would be too lengthy to fit into one post. If I do get a PRIUS c for a test drive, I’ll definitely share my review here!

The PRIUS c is available in 5 exterior vibrant hues that are unique and expressive.
The colours for PRIUS c are Silver Metallic, Lime White Pearl, Black Mica, Citrus Orange Mica Metallic and Super Red V. I personally love the Citrus Orange and Super Red V!

PS: The PRIUS c a 1.5-litre while the Prius is 1.8-litre.

As usual, leave me a comment if you have further queries. I have almost 30 pages of information on the Toyota Prius and the PRIUS c!