A few months ago 2nd Green Revolution brought news of Toyota Prius’ 50 mile per gallon designation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the blog Auto Tantra, the third generation Prius, which has a base price of $22,000 (US), debuted Monday in Japan. South African website Motoring claims that “Toyota has rolled out a cheaper, revamped Prius in a bid to boost sagging sales and maintain its lead in fuel-sipping hybrids against growing competition from rival Honda.” Honda debuted the less expensive Honda Insight in March, a redesigned version of the Japanese car makers’ first hybrid offering. The Insight, which sells for less than $20,000 (US) for the basic model, is credited for the drop in the price of the Prius.

According to Motoring, Toyota “hopes to sell 10,000 a month of the third-generation Prius in Japan. . . . Toyota has sold more than 1.25-million Priuses since [its] launch in 1997 to make it the world’s most popular hybrid.” Marketwatch reported Monday that “a senior executive with Toyota Motor Corp[oration] said the auto maker’s April sales orders in Japan climbed 20% from a year earlier.” The excitement behind the Prius may have subsided from the apex just a few years back, but this news from Toyota suggests that fuel efficient cars may hold the key to a recovery in the auto industry. In addition to its increased mile per gallon rating, the third generation Prius III and IV (the two middle tier Prius models) have an optional Solar Roof Package. According to Toyota’s website, the solar package “uses an electric fan to draw outside air into, through, and out of the cabin once the inside temperature reaches 68 degrees Fahrenheit [2o degrees Celsius]. It will lower the cabin temperature to near the outside ambient temperature to help make the cabin more comfortable when reentering the vehicle.” This feature helps reduce energy consumption by cooling the car with auxiliary, solar power. In addition, the Prius uses LED lights and halogen head lamps to further decrease the energy demand of the vehicle.

As mentioned yesterday, President Obama has called for increased fuel efficiency standards. The technological advancements and efficiency improvements of the Toyota Prius represent the possibilities that abound. Hybrids like the Prius will pay an integral role in accomplishing the president’s goal of 35mpg by 2016.

- Eric Wilson

[image source: Toyota.com]