New Zealand’s cheapest new plug-in
Toyota New Zealand has launched the cheapest new plug-in vehicle available on the market, with its Prius Prime model.
A single version is available at $48,490 driveway, $5500 less than the retail price of a Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrid.
Toyota claims a 63km range and a speed of up to 135km/h. The RightCar listing for the vehicle gives it a 1-litre per 100km, with a CO2 rating of just 22gms per km, against the fleet average for New Zealand.
Toyota staff indicated testing around Palmerston North showed that exceeding 50km of range in normal use is possible.
The battery is an 8.8kWh lithium ion unit, twice the size of the existing used import Prius plug-in. The charging lead is type two, and on a standard socket it will take 4.5 hours to charge, at a RightCar rated cost of 91 cents. Toyota offers a BYO cable public charging for around $600, and at 16 amps the car will fully charge in one hour and 50 minutes.
The battery features a warming system for optimum efficiency,
There are a range of drive modes, with the main electric setting being ‘EV City’ which works for maximum electric-only driving.
Specification levels are solid, with dual-zone air conditioning, satellite navigation, premium JBL stereo, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping system and road sign assist. There is one main option, a leather interior.
It features a gas-injection heat pump, which can heat the vehicle with warmth captured from the outside air.
While the drivetrain is similar to the standard Prius, it features a new one-way gear within the transaxle which allows the hybrid system generator to act as a second electric drive motor, increasing available electric-only power and reducing engine start up.
“This is the $150 a year car,” Toyota NZ general manager of product and new vehicles sales Neeraj Lala says.
“That’s the yearly running costs you’ll pay in New Zealand for the Prius Prime according to Energywise.
“We are quite confident with where this car is priced and its position in the market.”
Join the conversation (1)
Hi, I have just purchased a Toyota Prius Prime and initially charged it at home with the Toyota supplied charger.
However I was recently away from home a decided to charge my vehicle at one of the public charge points located in council car parks and operated by the chargenet company.
I was not impressed when I found out that the charge socket on my car was quite different to the plugs on the charge machine and it was not possible to use these machines to charge my vehicle.
Could I inquire as to how you managed to charge the test car as Toyota have now told me it is not possible and no mention was made of the $600 cable. Did this cable adapt to the Chargenet machines or was some other system used. I would appreciate any comments you could offer to resolve this dilemma.