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Plug-in Prius is careful step forward for Toyota
Jet black and low-slung, even sitting still it seemed to be on the prowl; a mix of muscle, sex and, with its darkened slits of windows, menace.
In another section of the Canadian International AutoShow, Toyota's plug-in Prius rotated slowly on a turntable. Wrapped in the same plastic skin that turns TTC streetcars into rumbling billboards – in this case, a white and blue proclamation of the "Prius plug-in partnership" – it seemed more science experiment than must-have set of wheels.
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In keeping with North American tradition, GM went visceral. Toyota opted for a prim combination of gee-whiz technology and doing right for the environment.
This is not about the relative quality of two cars we might see on our roads in a year or two. Nor is it about their comparative looks: The Volt is certainly gorgeous. But the plug-in Prius is virtually identical to its conventional hybrid sibling which, unwrapped, is also a thing of beauty. I drove a brilliant red one for a week last summer and it turned many heads.
But the differences are also about more than marketing strategies.
If these were baseball teams, the Volt would be swinging for the fence, while the Prius bunts a runner into scoring position.
A desperate General Motors needed to leap into the Volt to prove it has a future. Toyota's plug-in is a careful step by a company that, notwithstanding its recent spate of recalls, has a strong reputation for forward thinking and technological prowess.
So GM claims the Volt will go 60 kilometres on electric power alone. And it's the only plug-in hybrid, to date, that will rely on an electric motor to power its wheels all the time: The gasoline engine will generate electricity for the battery and, the company says, burn just 1 litre per 100 kilometres of operation.
The Prius uses the more conventional set-up, with separate electric and gasoline driving systems. Its stated all-electric range is just 20 kilometres, but Toyota is cautious about that and its fuel-economy scores. More than any other company I've encountered, it acknowledges that electric distance varies dramatically according to weather, terrain, load and driving habits.
While the Volt's numbers and technology are splashier, Toyota's message is more practical.
The Prius's shorter all-electric range will accommodate most commutes while allowing for a smaller battery pack, says Toyota Canada spokesperson JP Gagnon. That will not only cut the price but also make the car lighter and, therefore, more efficient when the gasoline engine kicks in.
In addition, while GM says it will take eight hours to charge the Volt on a standard 120-volt outlet or "as little as three hours" at 240 volts, Toyota claims equivalent times of three and 1.5 hours.
"Our approach is to balance between electric range and keeping the cost low enough to appeal to the market," Gagnon says. "You don't want to over-engineer the vehicle and run up the cost. Our goal is to have the largest environmental impact so we want to sell as many as possible."
The Volt aims to be noticed. The Prius is a quiet evolution.
At the auto show, two guys stood beside the Volt – actually, an empty display shell. One said: "This thing will never make it."
Over at the Prius, a father started explaining to his young son why the car had a long, black cord. "Who cares," the boy interrupted, and dashed away to climb into a shiny blue truck.
The Prius doesn't face scepticism. It might, though, have an excitement deficit.
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