Toyota’s Prius could become a standalone brand

The ubiquitous Prius would have to be one of the great marketing triumphs of the modern automotive world. Toyota have either by mistake or design presented their ‘green’ option in such a way that they have buyers lining up to pay a premium to be green.

The secret has been giving the Prius its own unique styling, separating it from Toyota’s conventional range of vehicles. For many Prius owners, being seen to be green is just as important as being green and there is no other car that carries as much green cache as the Prius.

According to Automotive News, Toyota may be looking at taking their ‘Prius’ green brand a step further by incorporating a family of eco-friendly vehicles under the name.

Automotive News spoke to Toyota Executive Kazuo Okamoto who confirmed that the idea was being given some consideration, although he would not be drawn on exactly how far advanced talks on the subject were. He did say that he considered it “a reasonable direction” .

Okamoto went on to indicate that the next generation Prius platform could be used to offer a number of variants aside from the sedan, which indicates that a wagon and two-door coupe could become a reality.