2012 Toyota Prius C Revealed In Leaked Brochure

Toyota's Prius C, a compact city car version of the Japanese automaker's popular Prius hybrid, has been revealed in production form ahead of its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show in December.

According to scans of an official brochure obtained by Carscoop, The Prius C's front end styling is far more conservative than the radically-styled Prius C Concept (which was revealed at the start of 2011 at the Detroit auto show), and the rest of the production car's sheetmetal is also more restrained.

Japanese Prius C buyers can also option one of two sporty bodykits, however these are unlikely to be offered globally.

For the Japanese market (and most likely the rest of the world), the Prius C will be powered by a 55kW/111Nm 1.4 litre petrol engine and a 45kW/164Nm electric motor, whose combined output equals 75kW.

Fuel economy is officially listed as 2.8 l/100km on the Japanese 10-15 combined cycle, however figures for an Australian-delivered car would likely be higher due to the differences between Japanese fuel economy tests and the European test cycle adopted for locally sold cars.

Unlike the current Prius, the Prius C is pitched squarely at environmentally-conscious young singles and couples who commute regularly or live in inner-urban areas.

When it arrives in the first half of next year, the Prius C will join the Prius V wagon in the slowly-expanding Prius line-up, giving customers a much broader range of Toyota hybrids to choose from.

Toyota Australia has yet to commit to bringing the Prius C to our shores, but has already announced that it will sell the Prius V locally next year.