The Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Sedan will be a clone of the standard Hybrid as far as interior finish is concerned, coming in two trim levels.
The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In is available in Base and Advanced trims with standard equipment on the base version including keyless entry/ignition, tilting and telescoping steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver seat, heated front seats, a 60/40 split fold-down rear seat , navigation system, six-speaker sound system that features voice recognition, touchscreen display, CD player, an auxiliary audio jack that can take either an iPod/USB interface, satellite and HD radio, automatically adjustable headlights, LED tail lights , automatic climate control , cruise control, a back-up camera and 15-inch alloy wheels with P195/65R15 all season tires.
The advanced version of the Prius Plug-In comes with fog lamps, adaptable cruise control, advanced seat upholstery, an eight-way power adjustable driver seat, premium eight-speaker JBL sound system with a larger touchscreen display as well as all of the other standards.
Safety features on all version takes in front airbags, front passenger side impact airbags and front and rear seat side air curtains. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) is a common feature in all models for enhancing steering control in emergency stop situation as well as electronic brake-force distribution (EBD). EBD technology is able to balance front and rear brake application to reduce braking distance.
Fuel consumption for the Prius Plug-In, according to the US EPA for the Hybrid Plug-in is estimated to average around 107 miles per gallon when driven in combined engine/ battery mode with CO2 emissions of just 49 grams per kilometer.
While these figures are indeed remarkable, the Prius Plug-in is still facing some strong competition from Chevrolet's Volt and the Nissan Leaf, although with a price tag expected to run between three to five thousand dollars less than their rivals, it difficult to see that Toyota won't take a major share of the market with the Prius Plug-in.