2016 Toyota Prius not fuel-saving but aggressive design and improved performance

Tuesday night saw the rebirth of the iconic Toyota Prius. The company unveiled the 2016 version of the hybrid car at an event in Las Vegas. The fourth generation of the vehicle was officially launched on Tuesday although it will go on sale in early 2016. The automaker revealed the new car by hoisting it in the sky through cables from the top of Linq Hotel.

The launch comes after the Prius sales in the U.S. showed a significant decline since 2010 even though the current generation was a success. The new model is “set to establish new benchmarks in fuel economy, emissions and efficiency”. It is thus aimed to improve the dipping sales especially in the U.S. In addition to this, the development of the new model is aimed to curb the competition from approaching Chevrolet Volt and electric 2107 Nissan Leaf.

The 2016 version looks jazzy with an edgy appearance, new-fangled shape and magnificently detailed design. It bears sharp cut lines and LED headlamps with light core hybrid components. Its body is expected to be lower than before with its back a little raised and the exterior design is going to be 2.4 inches longer and 0.8 inches wider. It seems like the company has focused excessively on the designing of the car.

This has been clearly depicted by the statement given by Shunsaku Kodama, the car’s chief designer, “We wanted to entice customers to see that the car is really good looking, that it strikes their eye.”

Toyota decided to oppose the conventional notion of making the mature cars more predictable and conservative as shown by Nissan and Chevrolet. Following its original notion, the Prius is going to be as fuel efficient as before. However, Toyota has not yet announced the coefficient of drag for the vehicle.

2016 Prius sports 10% better gas mileage up to 55 MPG compared to 51 MPG delivered by the current model along with other advancements. The car bears a four-cylinder internal-combustion engine with more energy density in batteries and thermal-efficiency ranging above 40 percent. There is wider cargo room and increased seating area. To enhance flexibility, the suspension is more receptive and the body more rigid. There are superior security features that will enable the driver to easily spot pedestrians and automatically twist the steering wheel to drift the car away. This model is the first to bear the Toyota Safety Sense system which also includes pre-collision braking and full-speed dynamic radar cruise control.

It is expected to cost less than $30,000 with better features than the last model. Nevertheless, the company might have to offer something much better than just fuel efficiency and reasonable price to survive the existent and upcoming competition from various automobile companies.

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  • Oh good. Now when you hold up everyone else on the road you can look like an even bigger tool.