Toyota Announces Prius C Prices and Specs

Toyota has announced pricing and specs for the Prius C that it showed at the Tokyo Motor Show and North American International Auto Show. It claims that the five-door hatchback gets 53 mpg in the city and 46mpg on the highway.

The Prius C is a weird looking little car. From some angles it looks like the newest five-door Yaris but from others it looks like a Prius with the rear chopped off. 

Toyota claims that the Prius C has the best fuel economy of any car in the US today that is not a plug-in hybrid. It uses a 1.5 liter four-cylinder engine, an AC synchronous motor and a NiMH battery for a total of 99hp. It comes with stability control, traction control, electronic brake-force distribution, ABS, brake assist, start/stop technology and nine airbags all standard. 

There are four trim levels available on the Prius C numbered one through four. The base Prius C One has all of the above standard mechanical features plus automatic climate control, tilt-telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, a multi-information display, Bluetooth and key-less entry. C 2 cars get and additional 6-speaker audio system, variable intermittent windshield wipers, a 60/40 split fold-down rear seat with adjustable headrests, cruise control, engine immobilizer, center console with armrest and storage compartment and a cargo area tonneau cover. C 3 cars a 6.1in navigation display with USB port, body-color outside door handles, self-lifting rear hatch and push-button start. Finally, Prius C 4 cars get 15-inch, 8-spoke alloy wheels, Softex-trimmed heated front seats, color-keyed heated power outside mirrors with turn signal indicators and integrated fog lamps. 

The only available options are different wheels and a sunroof for 3 and 4 models. 

The Prius C starts at $18,950 for the base car; the C 2 costs $19,900, $21,635 for the C 3 and $23,230 for the C 4. 

It will be available for sale in the US in March.