Toyota Motor Corporation announces the launch of the redesigned Prius PHV in Japan, and sales will begin at all Toyota, Toyopet, Toyota Corolla and Netz dealers nationwide on February 15.
Toyota has been working on enhancing its product lineup significantly and is positioning plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHVs) as the pillar of next-generation environmental vehicles after hybrid vehicles (HVs).
With the new Prius PHV, Toyota has greatly advanced on the environmental performance that is characteristic of the Prius lineup, along with the powerful and smooth drive which is an attribute of an electric vehicle (EV).
Futuristic advanced equipment has been added and charging convenience greatly improved, thus evolving the new Prius PHV into a prime vehicle.
During short-distance drives, such as daily commuting and shopping trips, a plug-in hybrid operates as an electric vehicle (EV) and does not consume any gasoline. At the same time, it can be driven over long distances as a hybrid vehicle (HV) even after the battery charge is depleted. Toyota positions PHVs as the core vehicle segment in the company’s Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050―where the goal is to achieve a society in which cars, people and the environment co-exist harmoniously – and plans to continue strengthening this product line.
In January 2012, Toyota launched the Prius PHV with the goal of promoting vehicle electrification. To date, sales of the Prius PHV have totalled approximately 22,000 units in Japan, and approximately 75,000 units worldwide, including the U.S. and Europe.
