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Next Toyota Prius coming in 60-mpg 'Eco Grade' version?

There's some mystery surrounding the fuel economy level of the next-generation Toyota Prius. The closest we've had to an official number is 55 miles per gallon, which was hinted at by Toyota Motor Corporation's managing officer, Satoshi Ogiso, last year. That number wasn't an official target, but the company even provided a graphic (above) showing how each next generation Prius beat the previous one by four or five mpg. Since the current, third-gen model gets 50, well, we have been left to guess that 55 is the next logical target. But, according to a new report in Automotive News, the new, fourth-generation Prius that's due next year will come in two versions, with one having a bigger ego – sorry, eco – than the other. AN says that the model will arrive with a standard nickel-metal hydride battery pack in a version that gets "about 55 mpg" and then a new "eco grade" version with a li-ion battery that "will be rated at more than 60 mpg." AN says this information came from company executives who were speaking at an August meeting with Toyota dealers. Our sources within Toyota say that they haven't heard anything about two high-efficiency models, so we'll take this with the requisite grain of salt. The current version of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid does use lithium-ion batteries, but this is the non-plug model the dealers are talking about. We think. The dual-battery strategy is certainly a rumor we've heard before. We had thought that the li-ion pack would be for an extended EV range (the current Prius has a barely noticeable EV-only range), but such a pack would be lighter and could boost efficiency, too. In other words, we look forward to hearing more during the upcoming auto show season.

Toyota reveals updated TS040 Hybrid LMP1 for 2015 [w/videos]

Toyota has yet to defeat Audi at Le Mans. In fact, nobody has in the past fifteen years except for Peugeot (which won in 2009) and Audi's own sister company Bentley (which took the checkered flag in 2003). But Toyota did win the broader FIA World Endurance Championship last season, beating its German rivals in five out of eight rounds. That means the Japanese automaker is returning to top-level endurance racing this season as the reigning champions, and this is the car with which it aims to defend its title. The 2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid is closely based on last year's winning version, but has been updated to comply with the latest tweaks to the regulations. A new crash structure meant redesigning the front end, the aerodynamics package has been thoroughly revised, the suspension reconfigured and extra weight has been cut. All told, Toyota says it redesigned 80 percent of the parts on board. Each team running a hybrid prototype has an array of choices over what combination of internal-combustion and electric boost it will run, but Toyota opted to stay in the 6MJ category for 2015, the electric boost working in tandem with the 3.7-liter V8 to give the TS040 a combined output of over 1,000 horsepower. The team also developed two aero kits: one for high-speed circuits like La Sarthe that warrant reduced drag, and the other for tighter tracks requiring increased downforce. The revised TS040 has already undergone over 15,000 miles of testing in southern Europe over the winter. But the real test will come at Silverstone in two weeks for the opening round of the 2015 championship when it will have to fend off a two-pronged German assault from both Audi and Porsche ahead of the headline event at Le Mans in June. We'll be watching to see who comes out on top this year, but for now you can watch footage of Toyota's latest in the pair of videos below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Mar. 26, 2015 A New Era for the World Champions Toyota Racing enters the 2015 World Endurance Championship ready to start a new era with the defence of its two titles. Toyota became the first Japanese company to win the World Championship during a very successful 2014 season, which saw Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi also win the drivers' title.

Alonso can do full WEC season after date changed to avoid F1 race

McLaren Formula One driver Fernando Alonso can compete for Toyota in every round of the World Endurance Championship this season after organizers moved the Japanese event to avoid a U.S. Grand Prix clash. They announced at a presentation in Paris on Friday that the Six Hours of Fuji had been brought forward to Oct. 14, ensuring that the Spaniard can feature for Toyota at the manufacturer's home track. Alonso wants to win the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race in France as part of the "triple crown of motorsport" achieved only by the late Briton Graham Hill. Hill, like Alonso a two-times Formula One world champion, won Le Mans, the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 in the 1960s and early 1970s. Toyota announced last month that Alonso, whose main focus remains Formula One, would be racing all the rounds of the endurance season that did not clash with his McLaren commitments. The Fuji race had originally been pushed back a week to Oct. 21 to avoid a clash with the IMSA Petit Le Mans round at Road Atlanta in the United States. The eight round 2018-19 WEC "super season" includes two editions of Le Mans as a move towards a championship that will start in the European summer and end with the French endurance classic. The top LMP1 category will have 10 cars, with Toyota the only factory team following the departure of reigning champions Porsche. Alonso will share a car with Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi and Japanese Kazuki Nakajima, both former F1 drivers. Reporting by Alan Baldwin Related Video: