A few days ago, Toyota revealed the all new fifth generation Prius which will be available in 2023. At the moment, we have access to some specs which Toyota has released so far, with more detailed charging specs to be revealed at a separate event on the 5th December. However, for the first time since the car was introduced over 20 years ago, Toyota won’t be putting it on sale in the UK.
Toyota won’t be bringing the all new Prius to the UK due to demand issues. The company also said that the UK market is making a clear transition to SUVs.
“With our evolving UK product strategy and changing market conditions, we have taken the decision not to introduce the new generation Prius in the UK as the new model represents a very different proposition to its predecessor, alongside a clear shift in UK consumer demand towards more SUV style vehicles. This shift in UK market conditions has been reflected in Prius sales figures – there were 563 sales in 2021, in comparison to just under 18,000 hybrid Toyota C-HRs. Prius will continue to be sold in other European markets and will only be available as a plug-in version.”
Toyota speaking to Autocar magazine
When looking at the sales figures Toyota has revealed, it makes sense to not bother converting the car to RHD and then putting it on sale in the UK, just for a few hundred sales. The company did say that while it does recognise that taxi fleets and private hire users do buy/lease them, those customers can use the Corolla Touring Sports estate instead.
The new Prius won’t be offered as a traditional hybrid, instead as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) instead. Toyota has paired this with an upgraded drivetrain system, which consists of a 2.0-litre 147bhp engine and a 158bhp electric motor, which gives a total of 221bhp, more than 100bhp than seen before on the last generation car.
The battery here is a 13.6kWh pack, which enables the Prius to travel 58 miles in full EV mode. On the roof is a solar panel which is capable of providing 777 miles of EV driving per year.
Inside, Toyota has taken inspiration from other new models, with a similar design to the Mirai hydrogen car. The dash sits higher than the driver, with an easy to see display. Infotainment is a standard 7.0-inch screen and supports the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Toyota will reveal more information about he Prius in the coming months, with availability and pricing.
