Toyota's revamped Prius hits Korea

Toyota introduced a new Prius model to the Korean market that offers both hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. It boosts a sportier design and improved fuel efficiency.

Toyota Motor Korea CEO Konyama Manabu, right, and Satoki Oya, deputy chief engineer at Toyota Motor, pose with the latest Prius at a press event on Wednesday. [TOYOTA MOTOR KOREA]

Toyota's new Prius arrived in Korea as one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the market. It's the line's first full revamp in seven years.

The new vehicle inherits the line's “triangle silhouette” design, but otherwise sports a dramatic new look — a sharper and sportier feel with a lower driving position.

Toyota offers Prius in two powertrains: a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. Hybrids, which use an electric motor and a combustion engine, cannot drive on electric power alone, while plug-in hybrids can.

The hybrid model boasts 20.9 kilometers per liter (50 miles per gallon) of fuel economy. It generates 196 horsepower.

The plug-in hybrid option is equipped with a 13.6-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, which allows it to run up to 64 kilometers on its electric motor alone. Its fuel economy stands at 19.4 kilometers per hour, with a maximum output of 223 horsepower.

Toyota Motor Korea CEO Konyama Manabu speaks during a press event launching the latest Prius on Wednesday. [TOYOTA MOTOR KOREA]

Sticker price starts at 39.9 million won ($30,200). Around 700 orders have already been placed, of which 80 percent are for hybrids and 20 percent are for plug-in models.

“When developing the new Prius, we were obsessed with design and driving,” said Toyota Deputy Chief Engineer Satoki Oya during a press event Wednesday.

Toyota Motor has been engaged in its latest effort to boost Korean sales since 2019, when Japan's export restrictions sparked a Korean boycott of Japanese products. Toyota and Lexus sold a total of 13,851 vehicles in Korea last year, fewer than half of the units they collectively sold in 2018.

But sales have grown rapidly this year as demand for hybrids has increased. Toyota's sales rose 31 percent on year this year through November while Lexus jumped 87 percent.

The first Prius was launched in October 1997 as the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]