In November 2022, Toyota surprised the motoring world with the fifth generation of the Toyota Prius. The Japanese broke with what was known until then: the best-known hybrid in the C segment ceased to be an inexpressive car to become a powerful plug-in hybrid. Months later the spell has been broken, at least in Spain: the new Toyota Prius 2023 will not be sold In our country.
The fifth generation of the Toyota Priusmark a before and after in its history of more than two decades because, on this occasion, it is committed to a radically different design: more daring and sporty. It increases the technological endowment that it makes available to the driver and his companions and, above all, significantly improves its performance. However, Spain will see all these changes in the distance.
We will not see the Toyota Prius in Spain
Toyota Europe is immersed in the launch of the 2023 Toyota Prius, which will take place next spring. In Diariomotor we have spoken with those responsible for Toyota Spain and They have confirmed the news: it will not reach the Spanish market. Because?
Toyota Spain explains that the volume assigned to our country was not optimal to cover the demand for the Toyota Prius in Spain: not being able to satisfy these requests, in the long run, was going to be worse. Reason why the management of the company decided that the fifth generation would not reach national dealers.
The new Toyota Prius will head to other European markets, where plug-in hybrids have considerable shares. It should be remembered that one of the most notable changes is in its mechanical section: the hybrid has become a plug-in hybrid and this is the only option coming to Europe. It will be made up of a 148 hp 2.0 associated with a 160 horsepower electric motor: a union that raises the combined power to 223 hp. Its companion is a 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery.
The Toyota Prius in Spain
Yes, the new Toyota Prius is almost twice as powerful as its predecessor, which stayed at 120 hp… and This leads us to think that it will also be more expensive. A price increase could affect sales and, to this, we must add the market trend: the fashion for SUVs continues to set the pace.
In 2022, only the plug-in version of the Toyota Prius was sold, and 22 units were registered compared to 15,987 for the Toyota CH-R or 16,998 for the Toyota Corolla, the best-selling model of the Japanese brand. Below the Toyota Prius, with four vehicles each, are the Toyota bZ4X, GR86 and Mirai. In 2021, when the hybrid was still available, 1,625 copies were sold: the Toyota Corolla was once again the best seller (16,983) and the Toyota CH-R put 15,013 cars on the road.