I have been complaining about the lack of a small hybrid car for the last decade. Not that I’m into hybrid cars but to me it makes more sense to put a hybrid system in a small fuel efficient car and make it even more efficient instead of big heavy Escalade hybrids. Toyota has just introduced such a vehicle and it’s called the Prius C or Aqua in the Japanese market. Now we just need a small hybrid car like this but with a diesel engine.
The Toyota Prius C is just a bit bigger than the all-new Yaris and it does seem to borrow some design cues from its little brother. The Prius C will be powered by a 1.5 liter gasoline engine and a lightweight compact hybrid system. Toyota hasn’t released official power figures but according to leaked brochures, the Japanese version of the compact hybrid will extract 74 horsepower and 82 pound-feet of torque from the gasoline engine while the electric motor will produce 61 HP and 125 lb-ft of torque. According to Toyota, the US model will be able to achieve over 50 mpg in city driving, highest city mpg of any non-plug-in vehicle.
The Toyota Aqua will be presented at the Tokyo Motor Show at the end of November while the Prius C will be shown at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show in January. Sales of the car will begin in the spring; Toyota hasn’t released starting prices but did say the Prius C will be offered at an attractive price.
Toyota Prius C Video
[source: Toyota]
