Toyota Delivering Prius

IrToya, Toyota’s official dealer in Iran, is delivering presold 2016 Prius with registration plates, according to an announcement from the company.

In October 2015, IrToya announced the 2016 Prius would arrive in Iran in small numbers to “test the car in the local market”.

The car is offered in two models, Prius type-B and –C, of which the former is priced at $39,400 (1.4 billion rials at market exchange rate) while the latter is costlier by $1,000. The Iranian company also offers free insurance for upfront payment and payment plans with up to 700 million rials ($20,000) in loans.

The industry’s bestselling hybrid, the Prius, has been rated one of the most popular vehicles by owners in the United States. With the fourth-generation debut of Toyota’s iconic hybrid, the brand name for gas-electric cars is primed to attract a new set of buyers with its edgier design.

“The car’s shape is wedgy, with a rising beltline and small, angular lights. The 2016 Prius is lower and wider than its predecessor, but remains recognizably a Prius, the fourth generation of the world’s bestselling hybrid,” notes Mark Phelan, auto critic for the Detroit Free Press.

The foundation of the Prius’ updated look is the Toyota New Global Architecture, a modular automobile platform the car manufacturer created to reduce costs by allowing the sharing of parts and to better improve the dynamics and efficiency of Toyota’s cars.

In fact, both the Prius and the upcoming Camry share the same platform on which they are built.

Even if the Prius has an electric motor, most of the work will still be done by the gasoline engine.

“When the battery is fully-charged, Prius-san takes off silently and graciously. That’s impressive and it does make you feel good. Even in optimum circumstances, we’re told that about a mile of all-electric cruising is all that you can expect. This is a reminder that the Prius is a hybrid, not an EV,” Automobile magazine’s Georg Kacher warns.

The 1.8-liter four-cylinder gas engine is accompanied by two electric motors that provide a total of 121 horsepower for the Prius. Compared to last year’s model with 134 horsepower, the 2016 Prius may seem underpowered.

However, “that’s due to a different Japanese calculation method that takes into account the gas engine’s 95 hp and the electric motor’s 71 horses”, explains Gabe Shenhar of Consumer Reports.