Leave it to Toyota to fill the air of the 2016 New York International Auto Show with electricity ... literally.
The Japanese automaker, which entered the annual show claiming to be the "world's hybrid vehicle leader," is using part of its display this week in the Big Apple to unveil the 2017 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. The company consciously chose "Prime" as the model's name because it says it's the best equipped Prius to date.
Touting an estimated 120 or above miles per gallon equivalent, the Prime Prius touts greater battery capacity and an overall improved hybrid system. In fact, when in hybrid mode, the Prius Prime boasts a miles-per-gallon equivalent to or better than the Prius liftback. In addition, its electric range is two times the range of the previous Prius model, while being able to reach 84 miles per hour without leaving EV mode.
On the inside of the new vehicle, owners will find an 11.6-inch HD central multimedia screen, featuring standard navigation and a full-color head-up display.
The Prime Prius is also bolstered by Toyota's Safety Sense technology package, which bundles everything from a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection and automatic braking to a lane-departure alert with steering assist and full-speed dynamic radar cruise control with full-stop technology and automatic high beams. As an upgraded option, owners can even equip the vehicle with a blind spot monitor and rear cross traffic alert for additional peace of mind.
This rollout comes on the heels of the automaker announcing Monday that it will have standard automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on nearly all of its Toyota and Lexus models by the end of next year, beating the rest of the auto industry, which pooled together to promise the same by September 2022, to the punch.
"At Toyota, we are committed to creating better ways to move for everyone," Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota, said in the company's press release statement Monday. "High-level driver assist technologies can do more than help protect people in the event of a crash; they can help prevent some crashes from ever happening in the first place. We are proud to help lead this industry in standardizing these systems and bring automated braking to our customers sooner rather than later."
