Toyota unwraps Prius Prime, the plug-in hybrid version of Prius

PanARMENIAN.Net - Toyota on Wednesday, March 23 announced the Prius Prime, a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius, the Verge reports. The new name, quad-LED headlights, and fancy new taillight design unique to the Prius Prime suggest Toyota sees this car as something a little more than another Prius, the technology news and media network says.

It can go 22 miles in all-electric mode at up to 84 mph, and Toyota thinks the Prius Prime will get 120 MPGe on the EPA's combined city/highway (electric) test.

It has a 8.8kWh battery that Toyota says can charge from a standard household outlet in 5.5 hours, or half that from a 240V plug.

It shares the same platform as the regular Prius and has much-improved ride and handling. It has some other special options too, including an 11.6-inch center media screen and a full suite of active safety tech including automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and assist, radar cruise, and automatic parallel and perpendicular parking. It's even able to steer out of a parallel parking spot, the Verge says.

Toyota thinks the 11.3-gallon tank will get your Prius Prime — when combined with a fully charged battery — a total driving range of more than 600 miles.