2023 Toyota Prius goes on sale in Japan - available in FWD/AWD and 1.8/2.0-litre powerplants

Well that didn't take long, as Toyota has announced that they have commenced sales of the new-age Prius after debuting it in November 2022.

Unfortunately, it's just the Prius Series Parallel Hybrid (HEV) models for now, but Toyota said they would launch the plug-in-hybrid Prius around March this year.

There are eight variants available for the 2023 Prius HEV in Japan, where customers can choose between a 1.8 or 2.0-litre powerplant and front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive system.

The most affordable Prius HEV, is a 1.8-litre 2WD car, and it is priced at 2,750,000 yen(RM91k). The most expensive all-new Prius, for now, is a 2.0-litre car with all-wheel drive(E-Four), and that Prius is priced at 3,920,000 yen(RM130k).

The 1.8-litre 2WD Prius is built for those who want the most fuel efficiency. It achieves great fuel efficiency of 32.6 km/L, which is about 4 km/L more than the 2.0-litre Prius. However, if one wants a more potent Prius, one would have to go for the 2.0-litre car, as it generates 196PS. All variants however are equipped with 4.08 Ah battery pack.

As for safety, all cars come standard with Toyota's latest safety sense, which sees a few firsts, including:

Rear vehicle proximity notification (first for a Toyota brand vehicle)

Using the Blind Spot Monitor's rear millimeter-wave radar, this feature detects vehicles in the rear and, if another vehicle is approaching, it alerts the driver via the Multi-Information Display and buzzer.

Approaching vehicle proximity support(first for a Toyota brand vehicle)

If a vehicle approaching from the rear is too close, this system offers the driver suggestions for dealing with the issue, including contacting the police or the HELPNET emergency call service. In vehicles equipped with a drive recorder, in addition to automatically recording the event, the system stores the data in a dedicated area that makes it difficult to record over.

Secondary Collision Brake(first for a Toyota brand vehicle)

Using the Blind Spot Monitor's rear millimeter-wave radar, this system detects vehicles in the rear and, if it determines a very high possibility of a collision while the vehicle is stopped, it applies the brakes to reduce speed if a rear collision occurs. Compared to the previous model, this system enables an earlier reduction in speed by applying the brakes prior to a collision.