MotorTrend Review: 2012 Prius V

2011 North American International Auto Show - Toyota's Big Annoncement? The Prius is going from one single line of cars, to an entire family. The first review by Motor Trend focuses on the new 2012 Prius V - a very impressive, bigger capacity vehicle rated at 42MPG City, 38 HWY. Toyota also shows their Prius C concept, meant to compete against the Honda Fit..offering the best fuel economy of an non-electric hybrid vehicle in the US.

Meet the new Prius v, a five-passenger midsize hybrid that gets an EPA estimated 42 mpg city and 38 mpg highway and spearheads Toyota's expansion of the Prius line from a single vehicle to the industry's first all hybrid-electric brand.

Toyota announced the expansion of the Prius into a full family of vehicles at its booth today at the 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), with the Prius v leading the charge. In addition, Toyota revealed the Prius c, a smaller, lower cost hybrid meant for urban running. Toyota claims the c will "will appeal to young singles and couples who want an eco-sensitive, high-mileage, fun-to-drive Prius" but we think the company has its sights set on Honda's recently announced Fit Hybrid. Rounding out the Prius family plans, Toyota provided an update on the status of its Prius Plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle program -- which has been operating on a test basis in several U.S cities. The company says it will begin selling the lithium-ion powered Prius Plug-ins in 14 states, starting in the first half of 2012. With the Plug-in variant set for production, the Prius family grows to four vehicles: Prius, Prius Plug-in, Prius v and Prius c.