The New Prius Family

Toyota is expanding the Prius line and along with this they have started an advertising campaign around what is the plural of Prius. They have given the public the chance to vote for what they think the multiple Prius should be called. Over the next two years Toyota will release 3 new models that will wear the Prius badge.

The first new Prius model to be released will be the Prius V, which is being described as a family crossover. The Prius V will seat 5 passengers; but have 50% more space than the standard Prius. It will look more like a station wagon than the original Prius. This new model is scheduled to go on sale this summer.

The Prius c Concept vehicle was shown at the Detroit Auto Show and is slated to be released for sale in 2012. The Prius c is designed for city driving and its fuel efficiency is well beyond the 50 miles per gallon the current Prius gets. The sporty look of this vehicle was designed to draw younger consumers to the Prius line.

The Plug-In Prius has been talked about for awhile now. This Prius is designed to go 13 miles on electric power at speeds up to 60 miles per hour before it switches to gasoline. It is slated to be sold in early 2012. Toyota believes the Plug-In Prius will be a big success in California; where almost 30% of all new Prius are sold.

Toyota believes that consumers will respond well to the expanded Prius line and analysts agree. The standard Prius alone outsold the entire Acura and Infiniti brands last year. The Prius is an incredibly dominant vehicle. Toyota has continued to dominate the hybrid market; and though they are facing stiff competition, the expansion of the Prius line should help them maintain their hold on the hybrid market.

So, now that the Prius line is expanding what is the plural of Prius? Toyota's voting campaign gives the options of Prii, Priuses, Prium, Prien or Prius. The voting has been going on for about a month now and already Toyota has received over 47,000 votes on their Facebook fan page. Prii is currently first with 40% of the votes. Priuses comes in second with 27% followed by Prius, 15%; Prium, 11%; and Prien, 8%. The voting ends February 20th and Toyota promises to use the winning name in its official press releases about the Prius and its new family.

So why the sudden release of so many Prius family members? Toyota has an ambitious goal; to make Prius its top-selling line of vehicles by 2020. With the rising gas prices, the public's concern over the environment and the US governments increasing pressure on automakers to increase fuel efficiency the possibility of Toyota achieving this goal is very real. In 2010 Toyota sold about 150,000 Prius models in the US and was the number one selling vehicle in Japan. With an expansion of the Prius line there is no doubt that it could easily become the number one selling line of vehicles in the next 10 years.