2015 Toyota Prius

[Motor]

2015 Toyota Prius Will Be Lighter, More Slippery

Just the Facts:
-The fourth-generation Toyota Prius, due around 2015, will be made of lighter materials, with a more slippery shape, and will ride on tires with lower rolling resistance — efforts all aimed at boosting the fuel economy of the world's best-selling hybrid car.
-The current 2012 Prius, which dates to 2009, is rated by the EPA at 51 mpg in city driving and 48 mpg on the highway, with an estimated range between fill-ups of 526 miles.
-Toyota has sold more than 2.6 million copies since the Prius was launched in Japan in 1997.

The fourth-generation Toyota Prius, due around 2015, will be made of lighter materials, with a more slippery shape, and will ride on tires with lower rolling resistance — efforts all aimed at boosting the fuel economy of the world's best-selling hybrid car, a company source tells Inside Line.

The 2012 Toyota Prius is rated by the EPA at 51 mpg in city driving and 48 mpg on the highway, with an estimated range between fill-ups of 526 miles.

The challenge of achieving better fuel economy with the next-generation Prius car is greater than for the last because many of the easier energy-saving wins have already been realized.

But the company has identified tire rolling resistance as a key area of potential, and is collaborating with tire makers to achieve gains. Aerodynamic improvements are the second priority, followed by weight savings.

The same source reveals that Toyota considered making the body of the second-generation Prius from aluminum, but scrapped the idea because of the high investment cost and concerns that production volumes would not be high enough to offset them.