Daily Auto News Report: Toyota Developing Hybrid Minivan
Daily Auto News
Minivans are wonderful. They can carry eight passengers in comfort, offer plenty of cargo space, and often perform very well in crash tests. They are rarely, however, as fuel-efficient as smaller cars. Toyota, however, may have a solution to that problem.
Autoblog reports, “It’s now looking increasingly likely that Toyota is getting ready to launch a new hybrid minivan that will wear the Prius nameplate.” The company has discussed using the Prius name to anchor an entire lineup of hybrid vehicles in the past – and it seems that a seven-passenger minivan could be the first in a series of new Toyota hybrids.
Reuters adds, “The new Prius minivan will offer a spacious interior and improved fuel economy, and will likely feature three rows of seats for carrying five to seven people.” Quoting a report in Japan’s Nikkei business daily, Reuters says the vehicle will be “competitively priced,” but offers no details.
The minivan, Autoblog reports, could be the first Toyota vehicle equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. Lithium-ion batteries, already used in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Hybrid, are lighter and smaller than the nickel-metal hydride batteries found in most of today’s hybrids.
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