Subang Jaya, 3 August 2009 – Finally the popular Prius is launched in Malaysia at a media preview held at the UMW Toyota Motor’s showroom here.

“Today, marks a significant milestone for UMW Toyota Motor with the introduction of the Prius , a vehicle that symbolises Toyota’s commitment in using innovative technology to preserve and minimise the impact on the environment,” said Kuah Kock Heng, President, UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd.

“The Prius has proven that hybrid technology is viable, durable and is one of the best ways to preserve the environment while at the same time maximising our natural resources,” he added.

Kuah stressed “I would like to take the opportunity to thank the government for their support towards Hybrid technology vehicles. Without their support and incentive to manufacturers, we would not be able to bring in the Prius to this country.”

The development of this 3rd generation Prius has taken four and a half years and many man-hours. The team was challenged to uphold the “Spirit of Innovation” and based on the concept ‘Human Technology’, the new Prius has a point-two-five coefficient of drag making it the world’s most aerodynamic production vehicle.

Its powertrain is 90 percent newly developed with significant improvements over the previous generation. It adopts a new beltless 1.8-litre, four cylinder petrol engine with 98 horsepower. Operating at a lower RPMs at highway speeds, it offers a more relaxed driving, better fuel efficiency and improved uphill performance. Using Hybrid Synergy Drive, it is intelligent enough to run independently on either petrol or electric power or both.

“Although diesel technology has some advantages, at Toyota, we feel hybrid technology has other advantages,” said Akihiko Otsuka, Chief Engineer – Prius, Toyota Motor Corporation in reply to a question from the media.

The price is RM175,000 on-the-road with insurance for private registration and the public launch will be on 7th August 2009.