Toyota Prius

The eco-friendly Prius is a technological marvel so hip it has a page on MySpace.

The day after the Oscars, newspapers are usually full of stories about frocks or sobbing actors. But in 2004 a new star hogged the front page: the Prius. Toyota’s energy-efficient hybrid car made headlines as Hollywood husband-and-wife team Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon stepped from the vehicle on to the red carpet. Since then various celebrities – Leonardo DiCaprio, Sheryl Crow and Google co-founder Sergey Brin to name but three – have driven these fashionable hatchbacks.

Toyota Prius, the first vehicle to offer a viable commercial alternative to the internal combustion engine since 1924, when a steam-powered model called the Stanley Steamer ran out of puff, was first introduced in Japan in 1997. And for Toyota, traditionally regarded as a reliable, risk averse company where process – epitomised by its legendarily efficient production system – normally triumphs  over trailblazing product, the fact that the Prius ever made it to market is a corporate miracle.

Using the Hybrid Synergy Drive, the Prius combines a petrol engine and electric motor for power, minimises emissions and is so fuel efficient that you can drive 600 miles on one tank. At that rate, even the most absent minded motorist would find it hard to lose their petrol cap. A process called ‘regenerative braking’ turns the kinetic energy generated when braking into electrical energy. This energy is then stored in the car’s battery. And this means the Prius emits up to 90% less smog-forming emissions than conventional cars.

Though the Prius’s glamorous debut made it seem like an overnight success, Mark Hall, Toyota’s UK marketing director, says the car was the fruit of 40 years of R&D. “In 1965 we started investigating the feasibility of using gas turbines to power an electric drive system for cars,” he says. “That led to us showcasing some futuristic thinking in the 1977 Sports 800 gas turbine hybrid. This imaginative approach to environmentalism created the concept that evolved into our Hybrid Synergy Drive.”

Plenty of car manufacturers had invested in hybrid technology but Toyota beat them to market by breaking with its own corporate culture in its determination to innovate.

When the Prius was launched, such a small volume of vehicles were produced that cynics said it was generating more column inches than actual sales. But production has quickened since Toyota introduced a second model in 2004. This vehicle was roomier, had better handling and used second-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. Other new features included a Smart Key for added security.

Hall says the evolution was absolutely essential: “Design is a key factor when consumers buy cars and the Prius is no exception. The first Prius, a saloon, was not particularly attractive. The second-generation car has much stronger styling, looks modern, technologically innovative and has grown from a saloon to a bigger hatchback.”

The model’s Hybrid Synergy Drive engine has won awards for offering the best fuel economy in its class. These – and an array of awards for the engine – have established the car’s credibility in a market where buyers can be sceptical of  ‘futuristic’ technology that might prove unreliable or rapidly depreciate in value.

Some environmentalists have questioned how eco-friendly the Prius really is. But in California, Florida and New York the vehicle is deemed green enough for it to be driven alone in car pool lanes. By April 2006 global sales of the car had topped 400,000. The launch has made Toyota market leader in hybrid cars, even as rivals introduce new competing technologies into their models. Toyota is introducing Hybrid Synergy Drive into more vehicles as part of a long-term plan to double the number of models with hybrid drivetrains. In 2007 the company will launch flex-fuel vehicles in Brazil that run entirely on ethanol.

Currently advertised as ‘Mean but green’, the Prius has made its mark in history. It’s not every car that earns the ultimate 21st-century pop cultural accolade of having its own page on MySpace.

Article first published in Design Council Magazine, Issue 1, Winter 2006

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