TOKYO, Sept 3 — After much teasing, Toyota has confirmed that an all-new Prius is set to make its debut at a special event on September 8 rather than simply being revealed as part of the Frankfurt motor show on September 17.

The new car promises to redefine what consumers think they know about hybrid technology and to set new standards in terms of fuel economy and driving dynamics. The Prius has been a huge hit in the US since its launch in 2000 and has done more than any other single model to raise the profile of alternatively-fuelled vehicles and to embed the term ‘hybrid' within the public consciousness.

All of which is why the car will be getting a huge standalone launch party to ensure that Americans sit up and take note.

The Prius is America's most popular greener motoring choice, clocking up sales of 1.5 million to date. What's more, Toyota is its favourite green brand. The company builds four of the 10 best-selling battery or hybrid cars in America.

However, the competition is heating up thanks to efforts from Tesla, Ford and Honda and, according to the latest Harris Poll, this competition is arriving as interest in hybrids and plug-in electric cars among the US public is stalling, rather than increasing.

Car sales data shows that between January and July almost 290,000 cars found US homes that use some sort of battery propulsion but when asked, “only” 48 per cent of consumers are interested in buying a hybrid as their next car. This is exactly the same percentage as in 2013 when Harris Poll last conducted the survey, and it comes at a time when car companies the world over are reporting record sales.

When asked about plug-in hybrids which need to be connected to a power supply to fully charge the battery, 29 per cent express interest, and for a full electric, battery-only vehicle 21 per cent would consider making the switch. However, over one third of consumers (35 per cent) said that they would still consider a more economical gas-powered car as a way of cutting the cost of owning and running a car.

And it appears to be cost that's the biggest sticking point. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles come at a premium and 81 per cent of respondents cited purchase cost as one of the biggest barriers to owning any type of new car, only beaten into second place by reliability concerns (93 per cent).

Therefore, as well as dazzling in terms of technology and environmental consideration, the new Prius is going to have to impress in terms of price, too. — AFP/Relaxnews