New Prius C

[euromodder]

The rear end is going to need a hatch of some sort - and bigger than the size of the rear window.
Mirrors are too small for a production vehicle.
It looks clean underneath.
O'd rather have the wheels and front bumper of the FT-CH

Grille looks like it'd be easy to block too, bring it on

Honda have had their shot with the CR-Z, and missed.

[Daox]

I am quite interested to see what engine they put in this car. If they decide to go with the a redesigned 1NZ-FXE (2nd gen Prius 1.5L engine) it could be quite a peppy little car with the reduced weight (vs a full size Prius).

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

Originally Posted by CigaR007

Are those wheels meant to be aerodynamic in any way ?

It has a curious design. It looks heavy too.

I would like it a lot more if the rear wheel track was narrowed (a la EV1), and yes, I think the earlier FT-CH rims were more aerodynamic than these. But these are concept wheels -- notice that they are mirror image on the two sides of the car? That costs way too much to do in production, so hopefully they go to a symmetrical design that is very smooth and flat.

There are several indicators that it could weigh a lot less than typical cars: check out the mesh seats (though who knows if this will survive to production). And the Toyota 1/X that was the precursor to the FT-CH which is the car this Prius C is based on -- weighed just 926 pounds curb weight!

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi Carlos,

Originally Posted by cfg83

I am *very* happy that the lengthwise "crease" is staying intact and not getting all wavy.

Those pictures are also on the AutoBlog Green link I had on the first picture in the original post...

As I understand it, the crease is called a "chine"? Sharp creases are called "hard chines" and more radiused creases are called "soft chines".

The rear has the hard chines in the right place for a good Kamm back. Notice too, the air exhaust vents on the back -- this would greatly improve the air flow through the car, and help fill in the low pressure zone at the back of the car.

I hope the drivetrain is something like:

plugin with at least a 6kWh lithium pack
<1L 3-cylinder parallel / serial hybrid (similar to their current Synergy Drive)

And if it was like the 1/x drivetrain -- 500cc serial hybrid with a 12-16kWh plugin lithium pack, I would be ecstatic!

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by star_deceiver

If they give it a stick and price it less then $18000 I'll buy one!!!

Originally Posted by Daox

HSD and the eCVT they use is unlike any other currently out there. Mating it with a manual transmission would only reduce efficiency. Although, it would be more fun to drive.

99% of the time I'd also be asking for a stick. However, the eCVT IS the Prius powertrain and the main part of how it does its magic. This is one case where I wouldn't want a stickshift.

[RobertSmalls]

Mr. Blanchard will want to look at the paragraph from the press release where Toyota point out that it will be the most value-oriented hybrid, with the best fuel economy of any cordless hybrid. This means three things:

*The 2013 Prius C will not be a PHEV
*The 2013 Prius C will get better fuel economy than a Prius - over 50 EPA mpg!
*If you expect rear view cameras and extensive use of exotic alloys and composites, you are in for a disappointment.

[NeilBlanchard]

I saw that it is just a "regular" hybrid. I was only hoping for a plugin...

I'm fine with optical mirrors.

If it got lower FE than the Prius, what would be the point? I hope it is 2,500 pounds or less.

[cfg83]

Neil -

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Hi Carlos,

...

Those pictures are also on the AutoBlog Green link I had on the first picture in the original post...

Ok, sometimes I don't "link" pictures with links, so to speak.

As I understand it, the crease is called a "chine"? Sharp creases are called "hard chines" and more radiused creases are called "soft chines".

The rear has the hard chines in the right place for a good Kamm back. Notice too, the air exhaust vents on the back -- this would greatly improve the air flow through the car, and help fill in the low pressure zone at the back of the car.

Ok. I should ask my nephew about chines. What I "see" happening is that the cabin is narrowing to the back, but the rear wheels are maintaining the same (or at least almost the same) track as the front wheels, so they appear to jut out.

If you look at the Mercedes Boxfish, the Honda FCX Clarity, and even the new CR-Z, they all have this design detail, albeit to softer degrees. The Prius C execution is definitely a hard chine.

I hope the drivetrain is something like:

plugin with at least a 6kWh lithium pack
<1L 3-cylinder parallel / serial hybrid (similar to their current Synergy Drive)

And if it was like the 1/x drivetrain -- 500cc serial hybrid with a 12-16kWh plugin lithium pack, I would be ecstatic!

From an aesthetic POV I think the Prius C is everything the Leaf isn't.

CarloSW2

[Jim-Bob]

Dare I say that I like the way this looks? Compared to the Nissan catfish...err... Leaf, this looks good and has interesting lines. Make it inexpensive and offer it with a manual transmission and I would consider it if I was able to afford a new car.

[NachtRitter]

Funny... the hood design reminds me of male pattern baldness for some reason...