With the fifth seat, the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be more functional, which could improve sales a little bit
The European division of Toyota announced today that the 2019 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (aka Toyota Prime) has improved the passenger capacity from 4 to 5 seats.
The 5th seat was announced in the U.S. earlier this year.
“The New Prius Plug-in Hybrid has much improved functionality, now includes seating for 5 passengers, changing from the rear two-seat configuration to a third middle seat, whilst delivering high levels of comfort.”
The other changes are improved interior, new exterior color metallic black color‘ galaxy black’ and new 17’’ alloy wheels:
“In addition to improvements to the seating capacity, the New Prius Plug-in Hybrid levelled-up the trim execution with all black interior accents replacing the white accents. The use of a new fabric also offers a higher sensory quality feel to the interior.
Besides all to these interior improvements, the exterior has been upgraded. The new Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be available in a new metallic black colour ‘galaxy black’ and new 17’’ alloy wheels will now be offered as an option.”
There is no word about changes to batteries, all-electric range or performance. Toyota says that the Prius Plug-In has 45 km (28 miles) of all-electric range (EPA says 40 km / 25 miles).
Toyota sold only 1,100 Prius Plug-In in Europe during the first half of 2019, which represents 0.2% of overall volume, dominated by conventional hybrids.
New Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid full of high-tech and now with 5-seats.
- Heritage of technical innovation and leadership that spans more than 20 years
- 2019 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid , has improved the passenger capacity from 4 to 5 seats
- Addition of a metallic black exterior colour and 17” alloy wheels
The Toyota Prius is the world’s original hybrid car, with a heritage of leadership in high-tech innovation that spans more than 20 years.
The Plug-in version offers customers with two cars in one; a sophisticated full hybrid powertrain achieving ultra-low emissions of 1,3 l/100km and 28g/km CO2 (WLTP cycle) while at the same time offering a real, all-electric EV driving experience with an EV range up to 45 km in real-life with a max EV speed of 135 km/h.
The ultra-low emissions and specific EV driving capabilities of the Prius Plug-in comes from cutting-edge technologies unique in Toyota’s model line-up. The Prius Plug-in is equipped with a heat pump, which utilises heat from the air outside of the car, resulting in an increased level of efficiency compared to traditional heaters which generate heat from the engine or to power electric heaters.
In addition, during charging, the battery warming system will warm the cells to an efficient working temperature, this ensures that both battery power and efficiency are maintained at a sufficient level to minimise the impact of cold weather on EV driving range.
Finally, the large solar panel, which generates electricity to charge the hybrid system battery still remains unique in the segment. Depending on weather conditions, solar charging can increase the EV driving range by up to 5 km per day, equating to some 1,000 km of all-electric driving per annum <200 days/year>. Since its launch in Sep ‘16, over 1,700 Prius Plug-in hybrid have been sold with solar panel, which now represents roughly 1,700,000 km per annum generated by the sun.
The New Prius Plug-in Hybrid has much improved functionality, now includes seating for 5 passengers, changing from the rear two-seat configuration to a third middle seat, whilst delivering high levels of comfort.
In addition to improvements to the seating capacity, the New Prius Plug-in Hybrid levelled-up the trim execution with all black interior accents replacing the white accents. The use of a new fabric also offers a higher sensory quality feel to the interior.
Besides all to these interior improvements, the exterior has been upgraded. The new Prius Plug-in Hybrid will be available in a new metallic black colour ‘galaxy black’ and new 17’’ alloy wheels will now be offered as an option.