2012/08/10

Charge up your ride: Toyota offers test drives of Prius Plug-In Hybrid at EV Day at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto

TOYOTA CANADA - Want to see – and drive – the future of the automobile, today? Drivers who join Toyota Canada in downtown Toronto on August 12 can do just that.

"The Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale across Canada later this year, but we will be offering Canadians test drives of the prototype Prius Plug-In all day as part of EV Day at Yonge-Dundas Square," said Stephen Beatty, Chief Environmental Officer of Toyota Canada Inc.

The Prius Plug-In combines the benefits of an electric vehicle with the flexibility of Toyota's proven Hybrid Synergy Drive. The Prius Plug-In can travel up to 25 km and reach speeds of up to 100 km/h on electric power. Beyond 25 km, the car switches to hybrid mode, allowing drivers to continue their journey without worrying about plugging in or how far they can go. If there is an opportunity to charge the battery, it takes only 3 hours from a regular 110V outlet, and an hour and a half at 220V, giving the Prius Plug-In the fastest charge time of any plug-in vehicle in the market.

Toyota will also have on display the Canadian-built Toyota RAV4 EV – the battery-powered version of the company's most popular SUV. "We're pleased Toyota has chosen to showcase the RAV4 EV" noted Cara Clairman, Plug'n Drive Ontario's President and CEO, the event host.

"Toyota is the only automaker in Canada that manufactures an electric vehicle – at our facility in Woodstock, Ontario where we produce the Toyota RAV4," Beatty continued. "Starting in 2014, we will also become the only automaker in Canada building a hybrid, as the Lexus RX 450h joins the production line in Cambridge, Ontario, where we build the RX 350."

Toyota is a leader in advanced powertrain vehicles across the globe with over 4 million hybrids sold. EV Day at Yonge Dundas Square will allow Torontonians a chance to see Toyota's latest green vehicles.

For more information on the Prius Plug-In, visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ToyotaCanadaPriusPlugIn or www.toyota.ca

For more information on EV Day at Yonge-Dundas Square, visit: http://www.plugndriveontario.ca/ev-day