2016 Toyota Prius To Inherit Hybrid Technology From Le Mans Racecars
The fourth-generation Toyota Prius will feature technology currently being honed in the brand’s endurance racecars.Toyota Motorsport GmbH president Yoshiaki Kinoshita told Automotive News the new Prius – due next year – will be equipped with technology from its TS040 Hybrid Le Mans racer.
“Our components already have parts from the next-generation Prius,” Kinoshita revealed.
The Toyota Motorsport boss said the components – microchips and microcontrollers, not mechanical parts – were pre-production prototypes being endurance tested in the Le Mans racer under extreme conditions over extended periods.
The components are intended to reduce the vehicle’s fuel consumption.
The TS040 is 25 per cent more fuel efficient than last year’s Le Mans contender, the TS030, and employs a new all-wheel-drive hybrid powertrain.
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