Toyota not working diesel-hybrid version of the Prius

The 2010 Toyota Prius has started taking the world by storm. The third-generation of the popular Toyota hybrid was the best-selling model in Japan during the month of May and recent reports said there is a waiting list to get the 2010 model in the United States.

With that in mind, Toyota will keep pushing the successful 1.8L Atkinson 4-cylinder engine that makes 98-hp and helps the 2010 Prius return a combined fuel-economy of 50 mpg. Toyota has denied reports of a diesel version of the Prius – at least for the foreseeable future.

While other brands have already adopted diesel hybrids, Toyota’s R&D chief Tasatami Takimoto said that a diesel-powered Prius will take “many more years.” Takimoto says the main issue is cost.

“Actually, we already make a diesel hybrid truck in Japan,” he told Autocar. “But in order to mass-market diesel hybrids we need to make the exhaust emissions much cleaner, and that requires development.”

In the meantime Toyota is moving forward with work on a plug-in hybrid version of the 2010 Prius. It is expected to debut in Japan before the end of the year. It aims to sell 200 plug-in Priuses in Japan, and 300 in the U.S. and Europe.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar