Automotive Trends

      Toyota took great pains to remind us that it was the pioneer in the industry and proved its commitment to that segment by unveiling the production version of the Prius c. Toyota claims the ‘c’ stands for ‘city.’ The intent of the Prius c is to offer the most efficient and lowest priced member of the Prius family. With a starting price of under $19,000 the Prius c is actually less expensive than the original Prius that debuted more than 10 years ago. The ‘c’ promises an impressive 53 mpg in city driving and 46 mpg on the highway. We found this to be an attractive addition to the Prius lineup and hope that it may have more enticing driving dynamics than the sterile standard Prius. Unfortunately, acceleration doesn’t sound promising with the 1.5L four combining with the electric motor for a total of 99 hp. We were not so impressed with our first look at the interior plastics, but we should withold final judgment until we are able to drive one of these cars. 
      Showing further commitment to alternative propulsion Toyota debuted the NS4 Advance Plug-In Hybrid Concept. The NS4 was striking in that the exterior design looks like a compelling and thoughtful interpretation of a wind cheating five door hatchback, unlike the homely exterior of the current car that only a car-hating ultra-environmentalist could love. Chrome accents abound and the design is accented by a pointed front fascia. The NS4 is intended to be a next-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in system. It features such technology as cameras that replace the outside mirrors to reduce drag, Adaptive Driving Beam headlights to prevent glare to oncoming drivers and a Pre-Collision System with lane departure and collision avoidance technologies to predict collisions and apply the brakes. Though the NS4 was touted as being separate from the current Prius family of hybrids, we can’t help but wonder if this is actually a preview of the next generation Prius.

2013 Toyota Prius c
Photos by Jason Muxlow

2013 Toyota NS4 Concept
Photos by Jason Muxlow