Prius wins Green Innovation Award
Nov 27, 2009 By Toyota Australia.
The Fairfax media group has presented Toyota's fuel-efficient third-generation
Prius with its first two major Australian awards.
Nine of Australia's most senior motoring journalists have voted Prius as the winner of a prestigious Green Innovation Award, as well as People's Choice Award.
The awards, presented by Fairfax Drive national motoring editor Toby Hagon acknowledges the environmental credentials of the latest Prius, which was launched in Australia in July.
The People's Choice Award was voted by readers of the Fairfax Drive online and newspaper publications
Judges said Prius was an innovative and practical family car that continued to set a benchmark for fuel-efficient motoring.
They said Toyota was instrumental in developing hybrid technology and making it popular - to the point where most major carmakers are now following suit.
The judges also commented that, despite its critics, Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology makes a sizeable step towards more efficient motoring.
This is a factor that is becoming more relevant every day, they said.
As a result, Prius has developed over the years into a practical, innovative family car.
Toyota Australia's manager of hybrid sales and fleet strategy Vic Johnston accepted the awards, saying the iconic Prius now has more mainstream acceptance.
He says new-generation Prius has reinvented the transition of passenger cars from conventional power to hybrid delivery.
Toyota's view is that the success and acceptance of Prius is based on a greater understanding of the compelling need to save fuel and reduce the impact of motoring on the environment.
The award comes as Toyota Australia gears up for a significant boost in hybrid sales with the upcoming launch of Hybrid Camry .
Camry sedans, powered by an efficient petrol engine working in tandem with a powerful electric motor, will arrive in Toyota showrooms in February 2010.
It will make history as the first hybrid car to be produced in Australia - and it will set a new benchmark for fuel-efficiency among locally built cars.
Last month, new Prius won its first major international award, being named Japanese Car of the Year.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association says Prius has been Japan's best-selling car in each of the past six months.
It reached an all-time high of 31,758 sales in September, accounting for better than one-in-10 of all automobile sales in Japan.
Combined power from the 1.8-litre petrol engine and electric motor in Prius has been improved to 100kW.
That represents a gain of 21 per cent. At the same time, fuel economy has been improved more than 11 per cent to just 3.9 litres per 100km*.
Significantly, Prius emits just 89 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre - the lowest of any vehicle in Australia.
Toyota has now delivered more than 1.5 million Prius globally including 14,000 in Australia.
*Fuel consumption and emissions will vary depending on driving conditions/style, vehicle conditions and options/accessories. Source of fuel consumption and emissions data: ADR 81/02 combined cycle.
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