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Why Doesn' t Toyota Build A Prius Crossover

Dec. 31, 2018 12:10 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 10 Comments It's the two things people love: The Prius and SUVs. We recently had the opportunity to sample the 2019 Prius with Toyota's new AWD-e system, which Toyota says will account for 25% of total Prius sales. This new AWD Prius is able to handle inclement weather while still maintaining a 50-mpg average. Interestingly, when Toyota was explaining potential rivals for the car, its own RAV4 Hybrid was mentioned as the closest competitor. As with AWD on the Prius, Toyota expects the hybrid model to account for 25% of RAV4 sales. The RAV4 Hybrid manages to achieve just under 40-mpg combined, which is excellent for a crossover. In fact, the RAV4 could pose a serious threat to Prius sales. The RAV4 hybrid already put the nail in the Prius V's coffin and Toyota is seriously reconsidering the standard model's hatchback bodystyle. Honda decided to build its Prius rival, the Insight, as a sedan, while Kia's Niro is a slightly lifted crossover. If Toyota was paying attention to the market, it would stand to reason the Prius would morph into some sort of crossover. Rendering artist Kleber Silva came up with an idea of what a Prius SUV would look like - it appears to be a Prius front fascia grafted onto a Lexus NX. This may seem like an odd combination but the 2019 Prius' front end looks right at home on the Lexus body. Toyota Toyota Despite many prior years of success, a downturn in Prius sales is expected for 2019. Low gas prices may be a major factor, though we believe the draw of the RAV4 Hybrid has a lot to do with it as well. We will be interested to see how Toyota proceeds here - a Prius crossover sounds like a sales success in the making, though we aren't sure how it would be different from the RAV4 Hybrid. The sedan bodystyle has also been more successful in the US market and Toyota has already revealed an all-new Corolla Hybrid to satisfy this segment. We aren't sure where this leaves the Prius - perhaps the long-established hybrid may finally have outgrown its usefulness. Toyota Toyota

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Toyota Prius Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top