The 2012 version of the plug-in hybrid vehicle, Toyota Prius will be showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo that is scheduled to be held from January 7th to 11th 2012 at Pragati Maidan, Delhi. The 2012 Toyota Prius was first unveiled at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show held this year. According to the company, the 2012 Prius is the “greenest, most technically advanced Prius yet,”. The Prius has grown to become the world’s best selling hybrid vehicle and the third generation Prius has already sold more than 1 million units since its launch in 2010. The company has plans to launch 10 new hybrid models by the year 2015. On the exterior, the 2012 Prius gets a revised front bumper with an enlarged front grille, new clear lens headlamps featuring a new LED lamp configuration and daytime running lights on the bumper. Other visible changes include door mirrors that have a power folding function, the redesigned tail lamps and fresh alloy wheel options.
On the inside, the car gets a revised center console, the push start button colour has been changed to a hybrid blue hue, and the multi-information display has been improved with a 16 gradation-step Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) that is claimed to provide a clearer and more three-dimensional display. Toyota also claims that the sensorial quality of the Prius has been improved through a change of colour scheme from dark grey to black, the addition of silver inserts and new upholsteries. The car gets a host of features like Bluetooth, Rear-view camera, Automatic phone book access and audio streaming, iPod album cover display, A/C pop-up display, 11 speakers, 3D landmarks and city models,’Play More Like This’ music search, Advanced Voice Recognition and Text to speech functions.
Under the hood, the 2012 Prius remains unchanged with Toyota claiming a combined fuel economy of 3.9 lt/100 km in the European combined cycle, and CO2 emissions of 89 g/km. The 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid incorporates a lithium-ion battery to offer an EV driving range of approximately 14.3 miles (target figure). Beyond the electric driving range, it can be used as a conventional full hybrid with all the efficiency of a standard Prius, and fully recharged from a domestic source when convenient, in just an hour-and-a-half. The 2012 Prius plug0in hybrid will accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 10.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 kmph with the total HSD system in action. The new 2012 Prius weighs approximately 1,420kg. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid is only 50kg heavier than the regular Prius, and no heavier than any comparable diesel or petrol car in its segment.
