Next spring, the Prius c will join the Prius Family line up. The highly anticipated vehicle will be unveiled in January, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The subcompact hybrid will be joining the third-generation Prius Liftback hybrid, Prius v midsize hybrid, and Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and will help round out the Prius family by adding a more affordable option for younger drivers, particularly those who live in the city. Toyota will market the Prius c towards younger shoppers and focus on its fuel efficiency, technology and driving dynamics.
As a member of the Prius family, it would naturally be expected that the Prius c would be fuel efficient, but the subcompact is expected to surpass even those standards. With an expected fuel economy of 50 mpg, the Prius c will be a leader in its class and have the highest mpg of any non-plug-in vehicle. On top of that, the Prius c will be offered at a more affordable price.
Because its aimed towards younger drivers in urban settings, the Prius c will be a little sportier than other Prius models, making it a bit more fun to drive. Standard features on the Prius c are Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, steering-wheel audio, climate and telephone controls, and nine airbags.
Another feature is Toyota’s new multimedia system Entune, which is already available on the Camry, Prius v and Tacoma, and allows users to connect to apps that provide navigation, entertainment and information all from the vehicle’s console. Drivers can stream music, use voice recognition technology and utilize Entune’s text-to-speech capabilities.
The Prius c was first introduced at the North American International Auto show as a concept car, so it will be a fitting arena to unveil the production model next January. The c stands for “city-centric,” representing the Prius c’s target market. The subcompact Prius will use a 1.5L DOHC four-cylinder engine, and is about the size of the Yaris.
Source: Toyota Press Room