• January 10, 2011

At the Detroit auto show Toyota's general manager Bob Carter unveiled the automaker's plans for electric and hybrids. The company is introducing 11 new models to its global lineup in the next twenty three months, seven of which will be entirely new, per Carter.

"Customers said they wanted the benefit of the Prius in a wider line of vehicles," he said. They include the 3rd generation Prius, of which some 230,000 have been sold, per Carter. "It is the benchmark. The patriarch of the family." Carter said December was the best month for Prius sales since Cash-for-Clunkers. The company will also introduce the Prius Plug-In, which will get 13 miles on battery alone at up to 60 mph and will be rolled out to 14 west and east coast states where 60% of Priuses are sold, initially. Toyota will start selling the vehicle in remaining states in about a year, per Carter.

The automaker also showed the Prius V (for versatility), the first crossover version of Prius and a vehicle that Toyota has been hinting at with its social-media campaigns. Carter said the vehicle will have 66% fewer emissions than the average car, with almost the same footprint as the traditional Prius, with 60% more cargo space. The vehicle, which Carter said would get 42 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway, will also be the first Toyota vehicle to get the Ntune entertainment system, which the automaker unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show last week.

Finally, Toyota hinted at a fourth vehicle, Prius C, which will be the smallest vehicle in the lineup and, per Carter, the highest mileage of any hybrid available in the U.S.