Toyota Prius SUV next?

A compact SUV is under consideration as an additional member of the Toyota Prius petrol-electric hybrid family. And the Japanese automotive giant is also considering an SUV as the second model in its hydrogen fuel cell family which launches with a sedan in 2015.

The Prius study was revealed by Toyota Motor Corporation deputy chief officer Satoshi Ogiso, who is known as the father of the Prius because he has led the development of all three generations released so far and is finalising the fourth generation, which goes on-sale in 2015.

“The small SUV type is very popular recently so Toyota may study this kind of model,” Ogiso said.

“We have not decided whether this type of model should be categorised with Prius brand or not.”

Ogiso admitted he was cautious about expanding the family further from the current line-up of Prius five-door, the larger V, the smaller C and the Prius plug-in (which is not sold in Australia).

“So basically my personal opinion is we should not expand too much. Of course the Prius brand has strong image and strong performance for some … people but we should not expand too much the line-up.”

Ogiso acknowledged the Prius name may not lend itself easily to an SUV considering its eco-friendly image.

“It’s not appropriate to add Prius name for the bigger sized SUV. But for smaller compact SUV there is some possibility. But we have to think about that very carefully.

“Basically SUV has some characteristic for the robust and additional vehicle weight … so we should also think about that carefully.”

Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell SUV was pointed to by Yoshikazu Tanaka, the chief engineer of the FCV concept shown at the 2013 Tokyo show. A production version goes on-sale in the USA, Europe and Japan in 2015.

Tanaka told motoring.com.au a Prius-like family of FCVs would be possible and asked what body shape would make sense to follow the sedan.

When an SUV was suggested, he responded: “SUV is globally popular so that is a very good candidate for the next FCV model.”

As well as hybrid drivetrains Ogiso also has jurisdiction over Toyota’s ambitious hydrogen fuel cell program. He confirmed the FCV would be renamed for production and did not rule out Prius as a candidate. However, he was not in favour of it.

“We have not decided yet for the FCV name,” he admitted. “I personally think we should add different name than Prius name.

“I personally think fuel cell vehicle is another solution for the future so it should have another name.”

Starting with the original Prius in 1997, Toyota has now developed a whole slew of hybrids including the Camry built in Australia. SUV hybrids already in the range include the Lexus RX 450h and Kluger (also not sold here). In co-operation with Tesla, Toyota also sells a RAV4 electric vehicle in North America.

Heavily camouflaged examples of the fourth generation Toyota Prius have been caught out testing and Ogiso has been reported previously talking about his high expectations for the car, which is going through a fundamental overhaul.

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