► New fifth-gen Toyota Prius revealed
► Prius axed from UK sale as demand slumps
► We salute the pioneering hybrid rule-breaker
The all-new fifth-generation Toyota Prius has made its world debut at the 2022 Los Angeles Auto Show – but if you’re admiring its svelte, more Europeanised style and fuel-supping tech, you’re in for a shock: the hybrid is being withdrawn from UK sale.
The surprise announcement draws to a close a quarter century of pioneering hybrids; the nameplate has become synonymous with petrol-electric powertrains since global launch back in 1997.
How prescient the economical Prius turned out to be, as the world belatedly plays catch-up with Toyota’s innovative hybrid powertrain. No wonder ‘Prius’ became shorthand for the genre.
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Why is Toyota axing the Prius in the UK?
The company registered just 563 Prius hybrids in Britain last year. They were mostly sold to minicab operators, not more lucrative retail customers. Compare that number to the 18,000 C-HR hybrid crossovers sold in 2021 and you begin to understand the challenge Toyota faces.
A spokesman told CAR: ‘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.
‘Since its introduction as our first hybrid model back in 2000, over the years we have launched a much greater selection of self-charging hybrids, covering all the main segments of the market meeting a much wider customer base. Acknowledging its popularity in the private hire market, we are still able to cater for operators who continue to require our reliable hybrid technology, with the UK-built Corolla Touring Sports estate.’
So the new, fifth-generation Toyota Prius will not come to the UK. Period. It will be sold in other European markets, where it will be offered as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) only.
The new 2023 Toyota Prius: the lowdown
The Prius is arguably one of Toyota’s most iconic models, but it’s now embattled by hybrid and PHEV rivals from all sides. So the new Mk5 Prius has had the kitchen sink thrown at it – from Toyota’s latest electrified powertrain and design cues from the bZ4x electric crossover to make its design less alienating.
It’s part of Toyota’s new design era, kicked off by a range of concept cars and the bZ4x EV, the company’s first EV. The wedge shape of the Prius remains intact, it’s 50mm taller with a 50mm longer wheelbase, and it’s 22mm wider than the last generation.
Inside, it’s full of design details and equipment shared with the bZ4x, too, including the small steering wheel and high-mounted driver display that’s meant to be viewed above the wheel, not through it (a little like Peugeot’s i-Cockpit design).
A large central touchscreen features, too. We’ll be sitting in the car at the LA show this week and will report back on interior quality, functionality and space.
Is the new Prius still an efficient fuel-miser?
More details about the powertrain will come in early December 2022, but Toyota says the new Prius PHEV has a 2.0-litre petrol engine and an e-motor making a combined 220bhp – punchy by Toyota’s usual standards. There’s also a new, bigger 13.6kWh battery pack which, Toyota promises, means a 50 per cent increase in e-range.
We will update this story once the full specs are released.
When is the new Prius going on sale?
The brand says the Prius PHEV will come to Europe in the spring of 2023. However, for the reasons stated above, this time Brits will not see the Prius on UK price lists.
Farwell, Prius. You were probably responsible for more technological change in the car industry than people give you credit for. No wonder the company has sold more than 15 million hybrid cars globally since the game-changing Prius first launched 25 years ago.
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