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In the land down under, Toyota Australia has just expanded the iconic Prius into a family of vehicles with the arrival of the seven-seat Prius V.

The ‘V’ stands for Versatility. It is also the first car in Australia to offer customers the flexibility of seven seats combined with a hybrid powertrain. From now in Australia, the Prius available in 3 models – the flagship Prius hatch, Prius C and latest Prius V.

Newly designed from the ground up, Prius V is longer, wider and taller than a standard Prius with an extended wheelbase, making it possible to accommodate adults in all three rows.

The adoption of three-row seating has been achieved by the installation of a highly compact, space-saving lithium-ion battery pack which placed under the centre console between the front seats. It is the first lithium-ion battery to be fitted to a Toyota sold in Australia.

Prius V will be priced from AUD 35,990 with advanced features including a 6.1-inch display-screen audio system, automatic air-conditioning, 16-inch alloy wheels, energy monitor, head-up display, keyless entry and ignition, daytime-sensing headlamps, electric power steering, cruise control and daytime running lamps.

Seven airbags, a reversing camera, hill-start assist, stability and traction control, and anti-skid brakes with brake assist and electronic brakeforce distribution are standard.

Prius V showcases the latest generation of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, which employs a 1.8-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine and a powerful 60kW electric motor for a combined system output of 100kW. The fuel economy wise, Prius V returns class-leading fuel economy of 4.4 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 101g/km.

Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said Prius V will hold a unique position in the Toyota line-up as well as the industry.

“Prius V will compete in multiple segments with its combination of size, versatility and fuel efficiency in a mid-size package,” Mr Callachor said.

“We see Prius V as an alternative to small or mid-size sedans and wagons as well as compact SUVs and crossover vehicles – with fuel economy few of them can match,” he said.

“With the added cargo space, the Prius V might also make an ideal light delivery vehicle for florists and small-package delivery services.

“With all its useable interior space and convenience, as well as its competitive price, performance and fuel economy, Prius V will present a compelling choice for buyers,” Mr Callachor said.

The new car’s seven-seat format features three independent sliding, reclining and split-folding second-row seats and a 50:50 split-folding third tier, providing a huge range of seating and cargo-carrying combinations. Each row of seats is raised slightly above the one in front, providing clear forward visibility for all occupants while maintaining ample head clearance and legroom throughout. In addition, the Prius V provides 180 litres of cargo space. Stowing the third row of seats provides a flat luggage floor with a capacity of 485 litres.

Just like the Prius, there are three “on-demand” drive modes to increase the capabilities of the full hybrid powertrain – EV, Eco and Power.

The new Toyota Prius V, like all new Toyota vehicles, is covered by Toyota Service Advantage with a capped price of AUD 130 for each of up to six scheduled logbook services in the first three years or 60,000km.

Photo Gallery: Toyota Prius V Australia

According to Toyota today, Toyota’s sales of hybrid vehicles have passed the four-million mark globally. The milestone, which includes Lexus hybrids, was achieved in late April with the latest million being sold in just 14 months.  Moreover, the Prius family contributing more than 2.8 million units.

Global demand for Toyota’s hybrid vehicles is accelerating rapidly with more than 425,000 sold in the first four months of 2012 – more than two-thirds of last year’s total. So far this year, hybrid vehicles have accounted for 15 per cent of Toyota’s global vehicles sales. This puts Toyota on track to sell more than one million hybrid vehicles in a year for the first time in its history.

Toyota in Japan calculates that its worldwide sales of hybrid vehicles since 1997 have contributed greatly to the reduction of CO2 emissions which are considered to be a cause of global warning.

It says those vehicles have generated approximately 26 million fewer tons* of CO2 than would have been produced by petrol-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

After releasing its first hybrid vehicles in Japan in 1997, Toyota took almost 10 years to post the first one million sales.  The second million was sold in two years and three months, and the third million in just 18 months. The third million milestone was reached in February last year.

*Toyota Motor Corporation calculation based on the number of registered vehicles x distance travelled x fuel costs (actually fuel efficiency in each country) x C02 conversion factor.

The all-new Toyota Camry Hybrid launched in Australia. The car is claimed to be impressive in terms of power, economy and value. The hybrid sedans deliver a power surge of 7.8% over their predecessors, with a fuel-economy improvement of up to 17% on the city cycle.

In Australia, Toyota Camry Hybrid now has more equipment and enhanced styling, aerodynamics, interior space, safety, ride comfort, handling and luggage space. The Camry Hybrid is offered in two grades – Camry H and Camry HL with starting price from AUD 34,990 to AUD 41,490.

Toyota Australia’s executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said the new Camry Hybrid demonstrated the benefits of Toyota’s long history with petrol-electric hybrid vehicles. “New Camry Hybrid is a leap forward in performance, refinement and efficiency,” Mr Callachor said.

Camry Hybrid debuts a highly revised version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, including a new 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder petrol engine and a high-torque electric motor which combined output to 151kW, the previous model was 140kW instead.

The fuel consumption reduced approximately 17.4 % further in the city to just 5.7 litres/100km (from 6.9 litres/100km). On the highway, fuel use drops approximately half a litre to 4.9 litres/100km (down from 5.4 litres/100km) while the combined fuel-economy figure improves to 5.2 litres/100km (down from 6.0 litres/100km).

Exclusive exterior and interior designs and badges differentiate the Camry Hybrid from other Camry models. The front of the Camry Hybrid has a “hybrid blue” Toyota badge is flanked by headlights with blue-accented extensions. The rear design expresses a solid stance and a wide feel, featuring the hybrid blue Toyota badge and, for the HL grade, a bootlid spoiler and chrome garnish.

Interior wise, there are refined touches with attention to detail, including soft-touch padding, quality stitching and a three-dial Optitron instrument panel with chrome-accented outer rings and metallic-blue meter gradations.

A comprehensive safety package includes stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes with brake assist, 7 airbags and a reversing camera with the image displayed on a 6.1-inch touch-screen.

Compared with the current model, the Camry HL variant also gains a 10-speaker JBL premium audio system with a 7-inch touch-screen display, satellite navigation with live traffic updates, digital radio, 17-inch alloy wheels, an electric rear sunshade, exterior mirrors that dip when reversing and memory settings for the electric driver’s seat.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Toyota Camry Hybird Australia

After the introduction of the 3rd generation model of Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Civic Hybrid were introduced. Explicitly, The Honda Insight was hailed as a “Toyota Prius fighter”. After a year or so, Honda inherits their IMA technology into the Jazz to make the vehicle price even more competitive.

This year, the largest Japanese automaker stood up and answers back to Honda with a series of new hybrid family like Prius C and now the with the Yaris Hybrid. Now, it seems like a hybrid war, which is great for fellow Malaysian that currently enjoying the hybrid car incentives until end of 2013.

If you have been following us, probably you have know that Honda Malaysia will be introducing the Honda Jazz 1.3 IMA Hybrid by end of this month with a price tag between RM80k-90k. In the other hand, Toyota Europe will debut its latest B-segment full hybrid model at the 82nd Geneva Motor Show starting March 6, 2012.

The more affordable Yaris Hybrid shared the same Hybrid Synergy Drive system with the Prius C. It mates the 1.5-litre VVT-i engine to a more compact electric motor, battery pack, transaxle and inverter. In fact, this car is lighter than the Prius C. It means, even more efficient and responsive.

For Europe market, the production for the Yaris Hybrid will begin mid-April in France and available at the showrooms by June 2012. Additionally, Toyota Europe will also bring to market this year the Prius Plus, Prius plug-in hybrid, and GT 86 coupe.

At this point of time, do check out the YouTube videos about the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid.

Toyota will invest $300 million building next-generation Camry engines in Melbourne that will save 3300 existing jobs because new funding to expand the Toyota’s Altona plant.  The plant will produce engines for both the Camry sedan and its hybrid equivalent from 2012.

The new plant will have the capacity to produce up to 110,000 Camry engines per year, including up to 20,000 for the locally built Hybrid Camry. The new 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine destined for the Hybrid Camry will use 4.5 per cent less fuel and produce 5 per cent fewer tailpipe emissions than the current imported Hybrid Camry engine.

The Australian federal government will contribute $63 million to the project through its Green Car Innovation Fund, while the Victorian government would add an unspecified ”double-digit” figure, Premier John Brumby said.

Toyota said the new engine plant would open up ”significant” export opportunities, but declined to comment further.