Prius paves the way

Sportier, athletic, with wider appeal -- that's the message Toyota is spruiking for its all-new Prius, now in pre-launch phase Down Under.

Boasting a new 1.8-litre petrol engine and more powerful but more compact electric drive system, the third-generation Prius was unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January (more here) and will be driven by the Australian motoring press in July, just in time for its debut in local showrooms.

It's designed to appeal to a wider demographic. More conventional proportions (within reason) and a modern but ultimately more conservative cockpit and cabin are the main visual cues, but the "ECO icon" [Ed: Toyota's words not ours] is also claimed to drive more like the conventional small-medium sized cars with which it competes.

Notwithstanding Toyota claims the car has spawned over 1000 patent applications worldwide, this is the generation of Prius aimed to take the nameplate to mainstream buyers. And most importantly, pave the way for the arrival in early 2010 of Toyota's mass-market hybrid -- the locally assembled Camry Hybrid.

The Carsales Network had a one-on-one 'walk through' of the new Prius this morning at Toyota Australia's Carringbah (NSW) headquarters. We'll stop short of calling it a test drive -- registration restrictions limited our 'drive' to a quick lap of the carpark. However, we were able to view two pre-production Prius 3s and were also chauffeured on a short road loop.

We can comment on the fact the steering seems firmer, along with the suspension, and in the urban environment, performance seems to have been boosted, as advertised. Though Toyota Australia is yet to confirm ADR fuel economy figures, it's "very confident" that the Euro cycle claim of 3.9L/100km combined will be matched locally. A selectable EV [electric vehicle] mode enables zero-emission electric drive when battery conditions allow.

The preview of the new Prius took place at Toyota's first Hybrid Hub -- an interactive display that will be rolled out to a number of locations around Australia. To date, the Hybrid Hub has largely been used to educate dealers and other Toyota affiliates. School groups have recently been added to the mix. As the hub is duplicated, these sorts of activities will be expanded.

Interestingly, it's not so much the Prius that's the star of the show, but rather Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive [HSD] system. It's a subtle difference, but one that underlines the wider role Prius 3 will play ahead of the Camry.

Toyota is not expected to splash large amounts of cash around in promoting the Prius, even though it has modestly larger sales numbers planned for the car. The Prius' launch will in effect be the hors d'oeuvres to the Camry main course.

Don't expect big Prius TVCs or billboards -- at least not for long.

Says one insider: "The focus is on Hybrid Synergy Drive [not Prius] which will carry us into Camry that will make that technology more mainstream. We don't want to say Prius is a niche market but Camry will take it [HSD] to that broader market."

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