Toyota Aqua

It has been more than a decade since Toyota Motors Corp launched its first full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback and tasted success through it. Ever since, Toyota has left no stone unturned in an attempt to improvise the car and alternate fuel technology to the next level and it is now time to reap the success all over again.

Toyota yesterday launched the world’s most fuel-efficient hybrid car called Aqua in the Japanese markets and Prius C in the overseas markets. This car is all set to rip the competition apart as Toyota claim that the Aqua has returned with a jaw dropping fuel efficiency of 35.4 km/litre, beating the current Prius which gets 32 km/litre in the process.

The Toyota Aqua or Prius C is essentially a compact car and given the popularity of compact cars in India with impressive mileage, Toyota though might think of selling the car in India; the possibility of the car being sold in India is quite bleak given the cost of the vehicle which currently stands at $21,770. Since the rupee value is at an all time low and might further depreciate, we will not risk calculating or converting the amount for you.

But Toyota on its part has already set a sales target for the Aqua in Japan and it plans to sell at least 12,000 units of the Aqua as a part of its global goal of selling 20 percent more hybrid vehicles in 2012 than it’s expected to sell in final 2011 totals.

The Toyota Aqua measure 12.8 feet in length, compared with the 14.7-foot Prius, and has as much legroom as a Corolla compact. The car is equipped with a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and has an electric motor. The model is very sleek and light weighed. part from this, the model has awesome and comfortable interiors, elegant design, great speed and acceleration. Aqua has an Exhaust-Gas Recirculation (EGR) system to cool down the engine and thus improve the efficiency. it is also equipped with a battery powered power pump and a design that reduces friction. The battery is made up of nickel metal hydride.

The Prius C is expected to debut in the United States in March 2012 at about 20 percent less than the entry level cost of the Prius. The Japanese automaker, which dominates the hybrid field, is aiming to launch about 10 new gasoline-electric models by 2015 and offer a fuel-sipping option across its entire line-up around 2020.