The day has finally come, the popular and much loved Toyota Prius is now available to us Malaysians. The Prius made its debut in Malaysia a few hours ago at a media preview held at UMW Toyota Motor’s showroom in Subang Jaya.
The 3rd generation Prius was first launched in the United States and recently in Japan and Australia but the Prius was first launched back in 1997 as the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. In Japan, in spite of the soft economic conditions, the 3rd generation Prius has become the top seller with more than 31,000 units sold and more than 180,000 units booked.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Kuah Kock Peng, President of UMW Toyota Motor took the opportunity to thank the Malaysian government for the incentives given to hybrid vehicles. Mr. Kuah said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government for their support towards Hybrid technology vehicles. Without their support and incentives given to manufacturers, we would not be able to bring in the Prius to this country.”
This may be the first time the Prius is available to the mass public for purchase, but hybrid technology has been introduced to Malaysia for a while now. In 2003, UMW Toyota donated the 1st generation Prius to the National Science Centre to educate Malaysians about Toyota’s hybrid technology and has since been on display at various events around Malaysia to promote Hybrid technology and greener living.
The development of the new Prius took four and a half years and countless man-hours. The team was challenged to uphold the “Spirit of Innovation” and based on the concept of “Human Technology”, the new Prius has a point two-five coefficient of drag making it the world’s most aerodynamic production vehicle.
The new Prius features a host of state-of-the-art technologies. It’s powertrain may be the same as previous generations but is actually 90% new and features significant improvements over previous models. The technological advancement carries on under the hood as well with it’s beltless 1.8-liter, four-cylinder petrol engine that churns out 98hp. It runs at lower RPMs at highway speeds for a more relaxed drive, better fuel efficiency and improved uphill performance.
It is this under the hood advancements that sets the Prius apart from the rest of the hybrids on the market. Unlike most of its competitors, the Prius is an uncompromising hybrid, utilizing Hybrid Synergy Drive that is intelligent enough to run independently on either petrol or electric power or a combination of both.
The technology continues to the interior where the cockpit has been laid out to optimize the driver’s view and has two zones – the Command Zone and the Display Zone. Everything has been laid out so that there is ease of operation, reduced eye movement and the need to refocus the eyes while driving.
The Display Zone is the recessed area at the base of the windscreen and incorporates a Multi-Information Display that keeps the driver fully informed of the car’s operations. This area also has the Eco Drive Monitor which shows accelerator use and brake engagement, and the Energy Monitor which tells the driver whether the Hybrid Synergy Drive is operating on the electric motor, on the petrol engine or both. These two monitors assist the driver to achieve optimum fuel efficiency in different driving conditions. The driver will be informed of current fuel consumption and also see what the consumption has been like earlier.
In the Command Zone, which is divided between the centre console and steering wheel, all the controls and switches for the climate control and audio system are clearly marked for quick access. To minimise hand movements away from the steering wheel, ‘Touch Tracer’ switches have been provided. This feature is a world’s first and allows the driver to make adjustments to the audio system and climate control without taking the hands off the steering wheel. Four touch sensors on two circular pads send signals to the various systems and the operating mode is shown on the screen of the Display Zone.
Also available on the Prius is a Heads-Up Display (HUD) where information is projected onto the glass in front of the driver. While looking straight ahead, the driver will be able to see the vehicle speed and Hybrid Synergy Drive indicator as an image on the windscreen, enhancing safety. In addition to a manual setting, there is also a automatic display luminosity function which ensures that the images are visible in different lighting conditions.
The shift lever is positioned in its traditional position and though it resembles a conventional gear knob, the operation is done entirely by electronic signals (shift-by-wire). Therefore only a slight force is needed to make a selection and the lever then returns to a ‘home position’ for ease of subsequent operations.
As for the price of this amazing green machine, UMW Toyota has priced it at RM175,000 in Peninsular Malaysia inclusive of insurance for private registration. UMW Toyota targets to sell 100 units of the Prius this year. The order taking has already begun and the public launch starts on the 7th of August 2009 at all Toyota outlets nationwide.
Images From The Media Preview
Official Images of The 3rd Generation Prius
