2019 Toyota Prius Headed for Los Angeles
The popular compact hybrid will get a mid-cycle refresh for the 2019 model year, and it will be unveiled at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show later this month.
Toyota claims the Prius “ready for sunshine or snow,” and published a teaser image of the car rolling down a snow-covered road. A clever way to hide the car’s styling tweaks and a marketing effort to convince consumers that the hybrid sedan can handle the colder climates of the northern U.S.
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The Toyota Prius could gain some new features, such as a heated steering wheel that’s already available in the Toyota Prius Prime plug-in hybrid. The Prime’s infotainment system with its 11.6-inch touchscreen could also make its way into the regular Prius, as could Apple CarPlay integration.
No changes are expected regarding the powertrain, which consists of a 1.8-litre, Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, an electric motor and an electronically controlled automatic transmission. Combined output in the 2018 Prius is rated at 121 horsepower, while fuel economy is pegged at 4.5 L/100 km in combined city/highway driving.