The plug-in hybrid

Another step forward into the future? At the IAA, Toyota launched a new design of the veteran hybrid, the Prius – that symbol of clean mobility for people, who, in their worst nightmares are hunted down by SUVs high on bhp through the sooty canyons of big cities turned upside down by climate change. But the Prius in this plug-in hybrid study wasn't just tarted up with the additional virtues of a thoroughbred e-car for those poor souls.

A newly developed, high performance lithium ion battery lies at the heart of this concept car. In an ideal situation, it should take at most just 90 minutes to recharge it and endow this Japanese saviour of the environment with a range of up to 20 kilometres in full-electric mode. So you can use the Prius for short journeys simply as an e-car and change over to hybrid mode only when the need arises. CO2 emissions are reduced to 60 grammes per kilometre. But for the moment, this latest eco warrior is not for sale. 150 Prius Plug-ins are to be evaluated in Europe but will be leased only to fleet customers.