Report: The Entire Prius Line To Be Plug-In Hybrids Starting With The 2014 Model Year


Remember that plug-in Prius we drove for a bit? Yeah, Toyota is bringing that technology to more models. The Prius has long been the popular hybrid vehicle but cars like the Volt and Leaf are stealing a good deal of the public’s love thanks to their plug-in ability. It seems Toyota is looking to recapture some of its lost karma by shifting the entire Prius line to plug-in hybrids by the 2014 model year.

This comes by way of a short and sweet Reuters report that also states the plug-in feature will come standard and the models should sell at the current Prius’s rate. The big change comes as the automaker switches from NiMH to Li-ion batteries.

The Prius brand is set to explode in the coming years. Toyota previously detailed plans to introduce new models including the Prius v, which features a hatch and 50% more interior room than the current model.

A plug-in Prius isn’t really anything new. We had a chance to tool around town in a prototype for a week and found the experence as wonderful as it seems. The fuel economy was fantastic and the switch between the electric motor and gas engine seamless. The product edition should be refinded even more although the prototype was nearly perfect.

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