Toyota Unveils Advanced Technologies in All-New Prius

The pistons and air intake ports have been revised for improved swirl within the cylinder, and exhaust gas recirculation volume has been increased to enhance combustion.

Electric vehicles and hybrids the world over are storing electrical charge in lithium-ion batteries, but not the Toyota Prius. The planetary gear arrangement in the reduction gear has been replaced with parallel gears, which further helps loss reduction. Toyota has made significant improvements in its new generation full hybrid powertrain, reducing losses, redesigning and relocating key components and reducing weight. The trunk capacity too remains at a respectable 502 litres and the auxiliary batteries have been moved from the trunk to the engine compartment.

Overall, the engine is smaller than before, and the transaxle is also shorter, with motor/generator units taking or delivering power through multiple axles, rather than the single, concentric axle of the third-generation model. A new double-wishbone rear suspension and lower center of gravity (in part a product of the new battery positioning) should help.

The forward field of vision has been expanded, Toyota says, by lowering the nose 70mm, and the rear of the bonnet has dropped 62mm.

The hybrid auto, built on Toyota’s new Toyota Global New Architecture platform, has 60% more torsional rigidity than the outgoing Prius thanks to laser-screw welding, structural adhesives and “uniquely shaped frame structures”, the automaker says.

After many years of using separate projectors for low and high-beam headlights, the new Prius has bi-LED headlight clusters that use one lens for both beams, giving the front end of the vehicle an uncomplicated Eurocentric look. Toyota also said software updates will improve acceleration feel. High-strength steel now comprises 19 percent of the Prius shell, up from three percent. Although the car’s height has been reduced, this is not at the cost of space; in fact an innovative ceiling design has increased headroom compared to previous models. Inside the vehicle buyers get a 4.2-inch display screen that shows fuel level and other data on the right side and the left side shows content the driver chooses using a switch on the steering wheel.

A new aircon system called Smart-flow detects which seats are occupied and adjusts ventilation and cooling accordingly, minimising airflow around empty seats and thus saving energy.

Following the initial reveal of the all-new 2016 Toyota Prius last month, the company has now released a few of the finer specifications.

The new Prius also marks the extension of the Toyota Safety Sense package of safety features with the addition of radar-governed Adaptive Cruise Control and a pedestrian recognition capability in the Pre-Collision System.