Toyota PH to launch all new 2025 Prius HEV?

TMP gets approval for another vehicle with 1.8-liter HEV

In all of the car brands present in the Philippine market, Toyota has perhaps the most comprehensive lineup of electrified vehicles. From a small crossover in the Yaris Cross to the Alphard luxury MPV, Toyota has a hybrid to serve the needs of customers who wish to have a more efficient and more environment-friendly vehicle.

There’s one model, however, that TMP does not have in its current lineup – it’s Toyota’s most popular hybrid, the Prius. It received a major glow-up for the new fifth-generation model, and it became a lot more efficient than its previous generation.

In the ASEAN market, the all-new Prius is already being sold in Thailand and Indonesia. But now, it looks like the stylish hybrid could be headed to the country.

We got hold of information that Toyota Motor Philippines has received approval for a vehicle that has a 1798cc engine displacement. When you run the numbers, that exact engine displacement points out to the 2ZR-FXE – the same 1.8-liter Atkinson cycle engine that powers the Corolla Altis and the Corolla Cross. But since the Corolla Altis and Corolla Cross have already received a model update recently, the approval makes more sense for a new model.

That leads us to think that this could finally be the all-new Prius. While it does have the same 1.8-liter engine of the Corolla Altis and the Corolla Cross, the all-new Prius powers the hybrid system’s electric motor with a lithium-ion battery compared to the nickel metal hydride batteries in the two Corolla models.

In previous attempts, TMP was not quite successful in popularizing hybrid vehicles in the country with the Prius. Since the model was (and still is) made in Japan, its engine displacement did not satisfy the requirements to benefit from the JPEPA trade agreement. This meant that TMP was charged with full import duties and taxes that drove Prius prices up.

Now that the government has already cut down import duties for hybrid vehicles to zero with Executive Order 62, the timing is ideal for TMP as the Prius can now enjoy a more competitive pricing and could fare better in terms of sales.

With the 2024 Philippine International Motor Show happening next month, could the Prius be one of Toyota’s surprises in their booth? Let’s wait and see.