Toyota is getting ready to recall some 270,000 third generation Priuses sold in the US since their introduction in May 2009. This US recall is expected to be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 09 2010 and is expected to be just a firmware update for the car’s computer. The firmware update is designed to address (more…)

As the news come in about yet another Toyota recall, this time involving the 2010 Prius (Japan only so far), it starts to look very much like the issue is not the mere 1.5″ long piece of metal pictured here. I honestly don’t know what is more embarrassing in terms of PR for Toyota: admit to improperly designing a pedal or letting a bug slip into the software that runs their vehicles. C’mon Toyota, a pedal that gets jammed? You guys can do better than that. (more…)

Conceived by famed Italian designer Giugiaro of ItalDesign, the Toyota Hybrid Priapus is not only an energy efficient sport car, but also a sizzling and sleek fast car that catches the eye of every sports car enthusiast. It contains a 3-liter V6 enhanced by dual front and rear electric motors. The Priapus is powered by a striking 408 hp Hybrid Synergy Drive. A conventional gas and electric hybrid, the Priapus lists at over $70,000. This hot roadster can accelerate from 0-60 mph in just over four seconds. As well, it provides about 30/mpg during usual driving practices. There is no comparison with this efficient sports car to the new 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid car in performance value.
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Not a big post, rather a Twitter-style update. Just to confirm that I saw the first 2010 Prius on the streets of Seattle, WA a week ago. There are still waiting lists galore at the dealers but this lucky guy (or gal) had probably been on the list long enough to get the first 2010 model. It was silver color – looks like the most popular color out there. And yes, it is a shame I did not have a camera with me

I am going to see the Third Gen Prius this weekend in NYC! Have been looking for it in Philly in Feb 2009 but I guess it has not been ready (or Philly Auto Show is not important enough – seems plausible ) The show is at the Javits Center, not too far from the Lincoln Tunnel – pretty convenient place.
Anyways, here is what Toyota promises to show beyond EPA-estimated 51MPG city / 48MPG highway gas mileage : (more…)

July 10, 2008

Toyota said today that it will start assembling its Prius hybrid car in the US. The assembly will take place at their brand new plant (currently under construction) in Blue Springs, Mississippi, just northwest of Tupelo. The production will start in late 2010. It is our hope that the plant will produce the new generation plug-in Prius (prototype of which is pictured here). Click here for more (more…)

Well, let’s see: a new color – Spectra Blue Mica, as pictured here. A new 5th generation DVD navigation – DVD update, not hardware from what I can tell.
2008 Prius has narrower wheels – 5.5 in vs. 6 in on a 2007 model. An attempt to make them even less rolling resistant? The specs show the same tires and so the profile is going to be a tad different.
Anything else? (more…)

This post is here just for fun. There is no high-tech stuff below. Not a single chunk!

In case you were not sure how spacious the trunk of a Toyota Prius is or how useful a Prius can be in gardening, here is the proof
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I was working on a larger post about Prius plug-in conversion kits (come back soon for it) and this mini-rant I wrote up for the post did not quite fit here, so I made a separate post for it.
Here is what the peculiarities are: (more…)

Toyota unveiled a new concept on the Geneva, Switzerland Auto Show on March 6, 2007. First thing that comes to mind: Does it look like Prius to you or what? I would guess Prius’s 0.26 aerodynamic drag coefficient is hard to beat which is going to dictate the shape of the future fuel saving cars. Let’s see what else is nice about the new hybrid:
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