Toyota Delays Production of Next Prius by Six Months
The new, more efficient Toyota Prius is being held back from production because the company isn’t happy with its improvements in fuel economy yet.
Previously, the company aimed to start production in the spring, but the initial test run of vehicles is being held back until November, Automotive News reports. The next-generation Prius is aiming to improve fuel efficiency by at least 10 percent, which is the same margin that the comapny reached for on the outgoing third-generation Prius.
SEE ALSO: 2014 Toyota Prius C Review
Toyota’s upcoming hybrid will be based on “TNGA,” the company’s new scalable platform set to underpin many of its models worldwide. That is one of several changes headed for the the company’s next fuel-sipper. The cars will use a new gasoline engine with thermal efficiency above 40 percent, beating the current model’s 38.5 rate.
Beyond making the Prius more efficient, Toyota also plans to make its new hybrid system compatible with a wider range of engines that will allow it to offer more hybrid models.
Discuss this story at our Toyota Prius forum
[Source: Automotive News]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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