Why can't they make the Prius technology into more of a sports car?

See this from Ferrari


FOXNews.com - Ferrari Going Green, Developing Hybrid Supercar - FOX Car Report

 

They can, they do but you can't buy it just yet.
Of course the Lexus is no slouch when it comes to acceleration and as a AWD I think it would be quicker if that drive train was installed in a sedan or coupe.
The first result on a google search for "hybrid race car" Green Car Congress: Toyota Hybrid Race Car Wins Tokachi 24-Hour Race; In-Wheel Motors and Supercapacitors

 

Don't you have the Lexus GS 450h in the states ?

 

Lexus and Honda tried it and sales are/were not really that good. People tend to by the hybrid technology when they want good/great economy and/or low emissions. I do think they should put it in a sporty LOOKING vehicle. There are plenty of sporty looking vehicle that don't have great performance. Hybridizing them would give people the best of both worlds.

 

Yes, all 6 states and both mainland territories. But not shopping in that price range I was unaware until I did a google search to check.
You can also get the LS600hL which is AWD! Still a sedan not a sports car but I can't see any reason Toyota couldn't put Hybrid technology into a consumer sports car and I have no doubt they will.
I think this was directed to me. I live in South Australia, part of the other united states.

When I said you can't buy it I was refering to the hybrid Supra.

I'd like a hybrid MR2.

 

People ask me this a lot. They are really curious about the car asking me a lot of questions, but then they get this pained look on their face and say, "But why don't they make it look like a normal car???"

I never liked the look of a hatchback, but now that I have one I don't understand the concept of the sedan anymore. It seems like a waste of space while the Prius hatchback (especially with the seats down) seems so wide-open and roomy... much more practical for carrying cargo. Isn't this why everyone wanted an SUV?

I do agree that an option for a sedan body-type would get a lot more people to buy a Prius, but I would still opt for the hatchback now.

Tim

 

?? uhm.. .have you tried to go on a lot and buy a Prius lately?? It is appealing to more people than they can supply.. and look at the '98 Civic Hatchback.. or the CRX hatchback.. or the... the list goes on. Carmakers keep telling us that hatchbacks don't appeal to Americans, and yet each time someone makes one.. guess what? Americans buy them! of course, they keep telling us no one wants an electric car and you know how that story panned out....

 

The Prius was done as a technology and marketing experiment. In the beginning, Toyota didn't know how well the concept would work, and whether anyone would buy them if it did. The initial market was environmentally conscience early adopters. Toyota discovered than many of these people enjoyed making a clear and obvious statement about the choice of automobile. Toyota recognized this with the GenII Prius, which introduced the now iconic Prius look, which says "hybrid" to most auto buyers.

Until the current jump in gas prices, the general auto buying public has not been very interested in hybrid vehicles. Hybrids were misunderstood and treated poorly by the press. That meant that all hybrids fell into one of two groups: 1) the clearly recognizable Prius which sold well, or 2) everything else which didn't sell. Given this split, there has been little incentive for auto manufactures to introduce sporty hybrids, or any other hybrid for that matter. Current and future gas prices have changed that. You can expect to see a much larger selection of hybrid vehicles in the near future, as well as a rash of new electric cars.

Tom

 

I loved my CRX hatchback!

Tom

 

I'm with you, Tim. The functionality of 5-doors just can't be beat.

... Brad

 

Agreed. The hatchback is so much more versatile than a sedan. I can stuff my bicycle into my Prius without having to take the wheels off. Try that in a sedan.

 

Toyota has shown a hybrid sports car concept. It used a V6 with AWD and hybrid technology. It is thought by some to be the new Supra.

Perhaps it will be one of the two new hybrid models to be introduced this winter.

 

It's coming. Have you seen this bike?

... Brad

 

Toyota says they'll eventually have a whole line of hybrids. It's just a matter of time.

 

Why can't they make the Prius technology into more of a sports car?

Why? It's because Hybrid Technology usually hinder High Performance.

There're more things to make the Hybrid Drive LESS appealing in the sport-car engineering. The obvious one is its big-arse Battery, which add additional weight which sport cars never liked. Second is the CVT Transmission which Hybrid always uses for higher efficiency, which is still not advanced enough to match those gearboxes for high performance.

Unless you enjoy a Sport Car which looks faster than it actually was.......it is still a long shot to put Hybrid drive into the Sport arena for acceptance. The concept is feasible but it may not be economical in auto marker's point of view, at least for now.

 

Qlara, read the tread, it has been done with success.
Think about the bad nice person exhaust note of the sports hybrid.

 

I just traded a sports car (Altima Coupe) for my green jelly bean on wheels. I love the jelly bean! The trunk in the Altima was pretty small. Sure you could let the back seat down to supposedly give you more room, but that room was pretty useless if what you were trying to put in the trunk was too big to get through the opening of the trunk. I bought a 37" flat panel TV in March and we had to take the TV out of the box because the box wouldn't fit through the trunk opening. And the box was really not that big! I like the hatchback and the ease of getting things in and out of the cargo area in my Prius.

I drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee about 10 years ago and I had forgotten how great it was to have a nice big opening and cargo area to get big stuff in and out of your vehicle. While the Prius cargo area is not quite as big as the Jeep's, it still plenty big enough for me. I don't think I would ever go back to a regular car again.

I fell in love with the Altima Coupe last year and thought I could live with only 2 doors and a small trunk (and the 23.5 MPG fuel economy). I couldn't. I love my 4 doors and the hatchback and the double MPG's I'm getting already in just 2 weeks (and the MPG's continue to climb). I guess some of us are just not meant to be the sports car type.

 

If it had been a sedan I wouldn't have bought it. The appeal of the Prius is not that it gets 50+mpg. It's that it gets 50+mpg and has the room to haul people and junk without compromise. Try bringing home a new gas grill, a lawn mower, or a 22' folding extension ladder in a Camry. They all fit in the Prius (just not at the same time).