Toyota Prius Plug-In Production To End In June; New One Coming Next YearToyota Prius Plug-In Production To End In June; New One Coming Next Year

A redesigned Toyota Prius hybrid is on the way, although it may not go on sale in the U.S. until next year.
When it does, it will likely be followed in due course by redesigned versions of the other Prius “family” vehicles–the Prius C subcompact and the Prius V tall wagon.
But in the case of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid–which is based on the highest-volume version, the Prius Liftback–you may not want to wait around for the new one.
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Production of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid will end next month, and with no set date for the launch of the next-generation, it could be a year or more before a new one hits showrooms.
Nathan Kokes–a marketing representative for Toyota’s Advanced Technology division–made the announcement on the Prius Chat forum (via Autoblog). Toyota’s reasoning was not explained.
Kokes only said that Toyota is “hard at work” developing the next-generation Prius Plug-In, and that there would be more information closer to the car’s launch date.
2015 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
In a subsequent post on the same forum thread, Kokes said Toyota has enough plug-in Prius models to sell “long after” the end of production.
There are reportedly about 1,100 Prius Plug-In Hybrids in stock at dealers, which represents about a three-month supply at the current sales rate.
Kokes also noted that the decision to cease production was not timed to any “external incentive, competitive product, or the upcoming Mirai [fuel-cell car] launch.”
Buyers who miss out on remaining 2015 models may be in for a long wait, and they’ll be confronted with a very different car when the 2016 Prius arrives.
2015 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid
While it will also be more efficient and feature for up-to-date tech, the next Prius is expected to emphasize style and roadholding more than the current 2010 design.
Styling is apparently considered so important that Toyota executives forced designers to start over from scratch at least once–delaying development by several months.
MORE: 2016 Toyota Prius Was Delayed Due To Redesign For Sportier Style (Dec 2014)
Toyota may use the redesign to differentiate the Prius Plug-In Hybrid visually from the standard model. Right now, they’re virtually identical.
Both versions will apparently be more extroverted, though, to appeal to a wider range of buyers.
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