Toyota Unveils New Prius Family Member at Detroit Auto Show - Highest City MPG of Any Car in U.S.

Automotive

America got its first look at the newest addition to the Prius family from Toyota last week. Known as the Prius c, this new hybrid car was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 10.  Having just finished a test drive and been impressed by the fuel efficiency and handling of another Toyota model -- the 2012 Prius v that will be reviewed separately on this blog shortly -- I'm looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the latest Prius vehicle soon to experience it first-hand.

The 2012 Toyota Prius v, big sister to the brand new Prius c
iPhone photo by Janis Brett Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

The smaller and shorter Prius c -- the c stands for "city" -- will be available in March 2012. At 53 mpg in town and 46 mpg on the highway with a combined rating of 50 mpg, this urban-friendly model has the highest in-city fuel efficiency of any car without a plug in America according to Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc.

Designed as a five-door hatchback with a starting MSRP below $19,000, this all-new vehicle will usher in Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive to the subcompact market when it goes on sale. This car will be offered in three new uber cool colors: Habanero, Moonglow, and Summer Rain Metallic, in addition to existing hues such as Blue Streak Metallic, Absolutely Red, Black Sand Pearl, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Classic Silver Metallic, and Super White.

Debut of the Prius c at the Detroit Auto Show, January 10, 2012

The Prius c joins siblings that include the third generation Prius Liftback and the new Prius v, both already on the market, and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid which will debut early this year. Since the first generation of the Prius was introduced to consumers 14 years ago, more than two million of the brand's units have been sold around the world. With Prius c, Toyota's most proven hybrid technology will finally be available to subcompact car shoppers, in addition to having access to options such as the car manufacturer's sophisticated Entunes system which was first announced last summer.

Based on what I've learned so far about this car and my own current experience with the Toyota brand -- because of its hip styling and pricing -- I wouldn't be surprised if the Prius c sells particularly well to first-time and youthful drivers as well as to older consumers who are young at heart but also budget conscious.

Have you test driven any hybrid cars? If yes, what did you think of the experience?

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FTC Disclosure: I was selected for participation in the Toyota Women Influencers Network TWIN community through a program with Clever Girls Collective. I did not receive any compensation for writing this post or payment in exchange for participating. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the views of Toyota or any of its brands. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.