New Prius gets 50 mpg -- and the solar roof rumors are true (for air ventilation)

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autoshow13-2009jan13,0,1693569.story

Reporting from Detroit -- News and notes from the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday:

Toyota Motor Corp. finally lifted the veil on its completely redesigned Prius. The big news: 50 miles per gallon.

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Carter said the third-generation Prius would beat its predecessor by 4 mpg, a 9% improvement in fuel economy, thanks to a more-efficient engine and smaller, lighter components. At the same time, this Prius ups the engine-only juice to 98 horsepower thanks to a new, 1.8-liter four-pot. The combined electric/internal-combustion hybrid potency is up to 134 horsepower (the second-gen Prius pumps out 76 hp and 110 hp, respectively).

Rumors of a solar-roof option proved to be true, but not as people had imagined. Instead of a solar-powered air conditioning system, the new Prius has a solar-powered ventilation system. Carter explained that this would take some of the load off the air-conditioner by pre-cooling the interior of the car on hot days.

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[Maven]

1. Picture here

http://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/

[Greyskye]

2. Love the upgraded feature list

Very nice incremental improvements on the Prius. :thumbsup: