Toyota Prius coupe Official Thread
Racer
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Lead Lap
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Just bring the Volta to production with a range of powertrain options from the Prius's 1.8L, the Camry's 2.4/2.5L to the RX450h's 3.5L! You already paid for the design Toyota. Why waste it?
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http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/244380/
Toyota is planning a Prius coupe to go head to head with the Honda CR-Z, Autocar can reveal.
The sleek, sporting hybrid is expected to be part of a Prius family, which would also include an MPV that could line up against a hybrid production version of the Honda Skydeck.
Honda is keen to regain its footing in the hybrid market and Toyota, which was understood to have ditched the idea of expanding the Prius range, has been urged to respond.
The Prius coupe would use the same 1.8-litre VVT-i hybrid powertrain and chassis as the hatch version, with 134bhp.
A more aerodynamic body and possible weight saving would bring slight improvements to the 10.4sec sprint to 60mph and 110mph top speed.
Toyota is planning a Prius coupe to go head to head with the Honda CR-Z, Autocar can reveal.
The sleek, sporting hybrid is expected to be part of a Prius family, which would also include an MPV that could line up against a hybrid production version of the Honda Skydeck.
Honda is keen to regain its footing in the hybrid market and Toyota, which was understood to have ditched the idea of expanding the Prius range, has been urged to respond.
The Prius coupe would use the same 1.8-litre VVT-i hybrid powertrain and chassis as the hatch version, with 134bhp.
A more aerodynamic body and possible weight saving would bring slight improvements to the 10.4sec sprint to 60mph and 110mph top speed.
Last edited by LexFather; Oct 27, 2009 at 09:02 PM.
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Toyota Prius Sports Coupe in Pipeline
^You can bet it's not going to look like that rendering.
Sounds like good news. Hopefully, it's true.
Sporty Variant Expected to Debut with Manual Transmission Option
Toyota has been hinting for years that it would be expanding its Prius model lineup, and the new Prius v we just took for a test drive is likely just the start of a bigger Prius family. Over the past two years, rumors of a minivan, a convertible, and even an SUV variant have been tossed about. But the one derivative of the bunch that has enthusiasts interested is the American-inspired Prius Sports Coupe project. Our source tells us that without the strong push for this car from Toyota's U.S. arm, this project wouldn't have made it past first base. What you see here is one artist's impression of how the Sports Coupe will look when it debuts in late 2014, the same year the next-generation Prius is expected to surface.
Our insider explains that with development of the Lexus LFA supercar scaling down, and R&D funds and personnel being re-routed, we can expect to see a proliferation of more fun-to-drive hybrid cars over the next three to five years. It seems part-time race car driver and full-time Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is having some influence on the automaker's car development program.
One of the highlights of this coupe will be the option of a manual transmission that Toyota is developing for hybrids at the Higashi-Fuji proving ground near Mt. Fuji. That manual gearbox will be bolted to the company's next-generation hybrid system with plug-in capability, a system that will be completely new and not inherited from the Prius. Our spies tell us that the sports coupe will employ a rear-drive platform and will incorporate the plug-in hybrid unit with lightweight Li-ion batteries that generate significantly more power than the current Prius, but maintain class-leading mileage and CO2 emissions.
This is just the beginning. Come 2015, our source tells us the company will officially roll out its long-rumored "Prius brand," from which we can expect all future Toyota hybrid models, as well as a hydrogen-powered sedan that reportedly is in development. And the flagship for the new brand will be the Sports Coupe.
Toyota has been hinting for years that it would be expanding its Prius model lineup, and the new Prius v we just took for a test drive is likely just the start of a bigger Prius family. Over the past two years, rumors of a minivan, a convertible, and even an SUV variant have been tossed about. But the one derivative of the bunch that has enthusiasts interested is the American-inspired Prius Sports Coupe project. Our source tells us that without the strong push for this car from Toyota's U.S. arm, this project wouldn't have made it past first base. What you see here is one artist's impression of how the Sports Coupe will look when it debuts in late 2014, the same year the next-generation Prius is expected to surface.
Our insider explains that with development of the Lexus LFA supercar scaling down, and R&D funds and personnel being re-routed, we can expect to see a proliferation of more fun-to-drive hybrid cars over the next three to five years. It seems part-time race car driver and full-time Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is having some influence on the automaker's car development program.
One of the highlights of this coupe will be the option of a manual transmission that Toyota is developing for hybrids at the Higashi-Fuji proving ground near Mt. Fuji. That manual gearbox will be bolted to the company's next-generation hybrid system with plug-in capability, a system that will be completely new and not inherited from the Prius. Our spies tell us that the sports coupe will employ a rear-drive platform and will incorporate the plug-in hybrid unit with lightweight Li-ion batteries that generate significantly more power than the current Prius, but maintain class-leading mileage and CO2 emissions.
This is just the beginning. Come 2015, our source tells us the company will officially roll out its long-rumored "Prius brand," from which we can expect all future Toyota hybrid models, as well as a hydrogen-powered sedan that reportedly is in development. And the flagship for the new brand will be the Sports Coupe.
^You can bet it's not going to look like that rendering.
Sounds like good news. Hopefully, it's true.