Eric Leong’s Radical 2015 Toyota Prius Design Study

As part of last year’s Toyota Design Internship, industrial designer Eric Leong produced this interesting take on the fourth-generation Toyota Prius for the year 2015.

By acknowledging that wind resistance is one of the key factors in improving vehicle economy, Leong’s Prius III hybrid is extremely slippery. Described by the designer as moving, “through [the wind], not into it”, this design study channels air over its surface through a series of vanes.

And there are some nice little design touches as well such as the wraparound glasshouse, one-piece windscreen and roof and the transparent wing mirror arms / turn indicators.

There’s something about this design study; it reminds me of ItalDesign’s concepts of the 1980s and 1990s. You can check out our gallery of images below or leave a comment if you wish.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Eric Leong

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Toyota Recalling 106,000 Prius Hybrids Globally Over Steering Wheel Issue

The newest Toyota recall affects approximately 106,000 Prius hybrids globally built from 2001 to 2003 for a fault with the electric power steering system. The Japanese automaker said the voluntary action affects around 52,000 Prius models sold in the United States.

“If the steering wheel is repeatedly and strongly turned to the full-lock position, there is a possibility the nuts securing the pinion shaft in the steering gear box assembly may become loose,” Toyota said in a statement. The company added that if the owner leaves the condition uncorrected, over time they will gradually notice significant increased steering effort when making a left turn.

Toyota said its dealers will install “improved nuts” that secure the pinion shaft at no charge, with the repair expected to take approximately 4 hours. Owners of the affected models in the U.S. will be notified by first class mail in early July, 2011.

In a separate action, Toyota’s US division also announced a recall for 34 Venza AWD and 16 Sienna AWD vehicles from the 2011MY to replace an insufficiently heat treated front right-hand driveshaft.

“Due to insufficient heat treatment, there is a possibility that the front right-hand driveshaft may break,” said Toyota adding that if this happens, engine power will not be transferred to the wheels and the vehicle will roll to a stop. This recall is expected to begin in June.

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Toyota Mulling a Larger Hybrid Minivan than the Prius V with Seating for Seven

The all-new Prius V five-seater minivan isn’t due to arrive in U.S. showrooms until this fall, yet Toyota is already looking into the development of a larger model capable of seating seven passengers as well as carrying their luggage, according to Bob Carter, Toyota Division general manager. The larger Prius won’t be based on the Japanese market Prius Alpha nor the European specification Prius+, both of which pack a retractable third row of seats into the Prius V’s cargo area.

Carter told Autoweek that while the company has not made a final decision yet, the concept of a true 7-seater Prius minivan for the North American market is “being seriously studied”. He added that the three-row Prius would have to be based on a dedicated platform and meet certain criteria such as feature an aerodynamic shape, be able to return at least 40mpg and have a strong value-price equation.

Another Toyota executive, corporate manager of product planning Ben Mitchell, confirmed that his team has put several proposals for new hybrid vehicles in different segments on the table, including that of a larger 7-seater Prius as well as hybrid versions of the Sienna minivan and Venza crossover.

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Toyota Sells One-Millionth Prius Hybrid in the States

The Toyota Prius, a car that is often credited for bringing hybrid-electric technology to the masses, has managed to rack up its one-millionth sale in the USA. The announcement comes shortly after Toyota achieved two more milestones that started with global Prius sales topping the two million mark in October 2010 and overall global Toyota hybrid sales passing three million last month.

“Since the Prius went on sale eleven years ago not a year has gone by when it hasn’t been the number one selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager.

“Prius has become synonymous with the word hybrid and as we see fuel prices starting to rise again, it has accounted for more than 60 percent of hybrid passenger car sales so far this year. Prius paved the way for hybrids and while it is still the hybrid leader in sales and fuel economy, I’m proud to say that since its introduction, 13 other auto brands have seen the benefits of hybrid technology and joined the hybrid market,” Carter concluded.

The first generation of the Prius was introduced in 1997 first in Japan and later on in the U.S. and other countries. The second generation came to fruition in 2003 and remained in production until 2009 when Toyota revealed the current, third iteration of its popular hybrid model.

Toyota claims that since its launch in the U.S. in 2000, the Prius has “saved American consumers more than an estimated 881 million gallons of gas, $2.19 billion in fuel costs, and 12.4 million tons of CO2 emissions” when compared to the average car.

At the Detroit Auto Show in January, Toyota introduced a new member to the Prius family, the Prius v minivan that will go on sale in the third quarter of the year. The company also plans to launch two more models in early 2012, the Prius c compact hybrid vehicle and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle.

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