Toyota NS4 Plug-in Hybrid no Longer Just a Rumour

Jan 12 2012

Earlier this week Toyota released a cropped picture of its highly anticipated new plug-in hybrid vehicle, the NS4.  Then finally, on the second day of the North American International Auto Show the company decided to reveal it and give the press full details of the new car.

The NS4 has a striking, coupe-like appearance and it is powered by a brand new state-of-the-art plug-in system.  The car is a totally new development, separate from the Prius.  It introduces a new focus on next-generation technology and in-car connectivity.

For now the car is only a concept, albeit a very interesting one.  It might well become the basis of a production vehicle in the not so distant future and one day you will be able to sign up for a car loan on a car that incorporates most of the concept car’s features.

Toyota has not published any performance data yet, but one can expect that the car will have better acceleration and fuel economy and a shorter charging time than the Prius.  The range will most likely also be much longer than anything in its class.  This was achieved through the use of smaller, lightweight components.

The car’s focus on technology means it utilises what Toyota calls a human-machine interface (HMI) that centres around a touch screen reminiscent of a smart-phone.  This is an intelligent system that will, over time, “learn” driver preferences for a variety of settings.

The NS4’s safety system is state of the art.  It includes blind spot monitoring (BSM), adaptive driving beam headlights (ADB) and even a pre-collision system (PCS).
 

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