Toyota Says Lower Gas Prices May Hurt Prius Sales in the U.S.

After having announced that they’ve sold a total of five million hybrids, almost two million of which in the U.S., Toyota now says that falling gas prices may affect sales of their green models in general, and the Prius family in particular. They were planning to sell some 250,000 examples Stateside this year, but the target may not be reached, and they may have to adjust their outlook accordingly –236,659 units were sold in 2012, so the figure is not out of reach. Read more »

Daihatsu Baptizes the Toyota Prius V the New Mebius in Japan

Daihatsu, the Japanese automaker controlled by Toyota, has released a rebadged version of the Prius V (sold as the Prius α in Japan) for the domestic market. Called the Daihatsu Mebius, it is the second Toyota hybrid model rebadged as a Daihatsu, following the Camry hybrid’s transformation into the Daihatsu Altis. Read more »

Ford Says C-MAX Hybrids Outsells Toyota Prius Plug-in and V in its First Full Month of Availability

Ford has taken yet another swipe at Toyota in the battle of the hybrids. The Blue Oval announced that in November, their first full month of availability, combined sales of its C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi Plug-in Hybrid in the U.S. reached 4,846 units beating the 4,456 deliveries of the Prius Plug-in and Prius V hybrids delivered by Toyota.

“The C-MAX hybrids are off to a great start and our dealers and customers, especially in California, cannot get enough of them early in the launch”, said Ford general marketing manager Dave Mondragon.

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MT Puts Ford’s Claims to the Test, Pits C-MAX Hybrid Against Toyota Prius V

The Toyota Prius is the best-selling hybrid in the world. Which is unsurprising, really, considering that it is currently in its third generation and its line-up has been expanded with both bigger and smaller variants.

It’s also squarely on the sights of Ford, which is constantly comparing its new C-MAX Hybrid against the Prius V, which is the minivan version of the series, be it in commercials or sales figures.

It has gone as far as saying that its own model is “better and more-fuel efficient” than the Prius V.

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Toyota Considers Changing Prius Design to Make it More Appealing

No matter how much you may save on fuel and tax incentives the state or the government might provide, for a certain number of buyers, design plays a major role when deciding on a new car. Hybrids and EVs, while futuristic, are far from being called beautiful – the $100K+ Fisker Karma excluded.

Apparently, Toyota feels the same way about its line of Prius hybrids. Therefore, despite being on track to set record sales, the Japanese carmaker is mulling whether to continue with the aerodynamic, wedge-shaped styling, which truth be told, has been around for a while, for the next generation models or try something completely new.

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Ford Takes Another Swipe at the Prius V with La Linea-Inspired Commercials for C-MAX

If you take a moment to check out Ford U.S.A.'s recent press releases on the new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, you will notice that the Blue Oval always finds some room to insert a reference or two…or three to Toyota's rivaling Prius V minivan, be that for its fuel economy numbers, pricing or features.

In Ford's latest release, the word "Prius" appears…15 times, but that's to be expected since the automaker is bumping the challenge to the next level by launching a new campaign to "establish C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid as better, more fuel-efficient hybrid alternatives to Toyota Prius V".

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Toyota's 7-Seater Prius+ MPV to Launch in the UK in July with Prices Starting from £26,195

Toyota has officially opened the order books for its new Prius+ in the UK ahead of the minivan's market launch on 9 July. There are two available equipment grades, the base T4 that is priced at £26,195 and the T Spirit that costs £29,495.

While it's based on the North American market five-seat Prius V, the European Prius+ features an additional third row of child-sized seats and a more efficient and compact set of lithium ion batteries that are positioned within the center console.

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