Toyota shows new Prius hybrid with more power, range, style

TOKYO (AP) — The new Toyota gas-electric Prius hybrid not only comes with more power, acceleration, and driving range. It’s also more stylish in a sleek futuristic look.

Simon Humphries, senior general manager of Global Toyota design who showed the car in Tokyo on Wednesday, told that the company was still defying the skeptics who keep asking how much longer the Japanese automaker will stick with hybrids in a rapidly electrifying industry.

“Simply because the Prius is an eco-car within everyone’s reach. In order to achieve carbon neutrality, everyone in the world must participate. We need ecological solutions within reach of many. And it needs to start today, not tomorrow,” he told reporters.

The fifth-generation Prius hybrid models will open for sale this winter first in Japan than in the U.S. A plug-in version will reach the market next year, according to Toyota Motor Corp. Prices were not announced.

Electric cars release no emissions but need recharging. Some consumers are worried about running out of juice on the roads. A hybrid always has a gas engine as a backup.

Toyota has collectively sold more than 20.3 million hybrid vehicles, including Prius cars, in the world so far. The Prius, which means “pioneer” or “first” in Latin, has defined Toyota as a brand as much as its Lexus luxury models.

Still, Toyota has been criticized by environmentalists as dragging its feet on electrification, although some analysts say that’s a bit unfair given that other automakers also have few electric cars in their lineup, and many others have developed various hybrid models.

“The sale of more hybrid vehicles, including the Prius, drags us further into the climate crisis,” said Daniel Read of Greenpeace East Asia, based in Tokyo.

Read said electric vehicles and fuel-cell models were better solutions against climate change than hybrids.

By adding 50% to the battery range, which covers around 38 miles (61 kilometers), it can go far enough to cover the average U.S. driver’s commute and errands around town. The hybrid powertrain allows for road trips without worrying about a charging network that’s not yet complete, Brinley said.