The darling of the environmentalist, the dream of every clean-air lover, the fantasy of every budget-driven mind, the hybrid from the stable of Japanese car maker Toyota is none other than the Toyota Prius. Environmentalists world over have fallen for its grace and respect for their concerns. With expectations running so high, along comes a far greater responsibility. And the master of such art is the auto giant Toyota. The car maker has pulled off a coup the world over and now is planning to add a van and a hatchback in the Prius family. Toyota Motors launched its new Prius C and V at Detroit. The C stand for City and the V stands for Van. The all new Prius V will be a tad bigger than the conventional Prius and it is touted to be a MPV whose production is expected to commence from the 2nd quarter of the year. The Prius C on the other hand will be a hatchback and is a tad smaller than the run-of-the-mill Prius. The latter is expected to go into commercial production by the mid of next year. The production will be based on a toned down version of the styling showcased at the motor show. In spite of being frugal, these cars are not meant to be sold in the Indian markets. Economical as they are in terms of fuel economy, the cars will cost an astronomical amount after duties levied on them.
