November 2023 - Lithia Toyota of Abilene

The 2024 Toyota Prius is MotorTrend’s Car of the Year

For the first time in two decades, the Toyota Prius has been named MotorTrend’s Car of the Year. Toyota claims the coveted Golden Calipers award for the first time since the 2007 Toyota Camry, and 20 years after the trailblazing 2004 Toyota Prius earned the title.

The magazine has a set of six specific criteria it uses to judge its Car of the Year finalists, so it speaks to the complete, well-rounded nature of the 2024 Prius that it was able to take home this year’s top honors. It also does so in a year that marks the 75th anniversary of Cadillac claiming MotorTrend’s inaugural Car of the Year award in 1949.

To commemorate the moment, Lithia Toyota of Abilene looks back at 2004’s winner and where the Prius stands today.

2004

When Toyota initially developed the Prius, their vision was to create the “car of the 21st century.” The fully realized version of the Prius arrived four years after the turn of the century, ready to claim that mantle. The 2004 Prius was a complete redesign of the previous generations of Kia, replacing the Toyota Hybrid System (THS) with the superior Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD).

The 2004 Prius became the first hybrid vehicle to claim MotorTrend’s year-end award – a bold choice at the time, and the magazine knew it. Then-editor-in-chief, Kevin Smith, wrote in 2004, “We realize the selection of a hybrid vehicle is going to stir controversy, but we believe the performance, engineering advancements, and overall significance of the Toyota Prius merits the distinction of Motor Trend’s Car of the Year.”

In presenting the 2023 award, MotorTrend notes, “It’s remarkable how much we wrote about that game-changing 2004 Prius that still applies to its Car of the Year-winning successor two decades later.” They’re not wrong; just as it was in 2004, the Prius remains the gold standard for the combination of fuel efficiency, ultra-low emissions, safety, and riveting performance.

2024

MotorTrend is quick to point out that it in winning Car of the Year, the 2024 Prius “has made a cultural impact far greater than its carbon footprint.” As we enter 2024, Prius drivers have certainly become associated with more than Toyota’s green-first initiatives: nerds, ride-hail drivers, virtue-signalers… even music snobs celebrated when the hybrid car got a shout-out in a certified Charli XCX banger from 2019.

But if your primary criticism of the hybrid is that it’s an entryway to chique hipsterdom, that means the vehicle itself is probably doing a lot of things right. MotorTrend praises the 2024 Prius for its design, boosted efficiency, and perhaps most importantly, the way it’s helped advance “the automotive state of the art without forcing drivers to change their deeply ingrained habits.”

It was the 2024 model’s newfound mesh of style and performance, however, that may have separated it from all-electric competitors like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and the Tesla Model 3 Highland. For the first time since the 2004 model, Toyota designers and engineers had total freedom to completely reimagine the Prius, which led to a modern 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, larger motors and batteries, and all-wheel drive available at launch.

In claiming top honors, the 2024 Prius emerged from a competitive group of finalists: the 2023 BMW 7 Series, the 2023 BMW M2, the 2024 Lucid Air, and the aforementioned 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 and 2024 Tesla Model 3.

Get Behind the Wheel of a Prius Today

Clearly, there’s never been a better time to be a Prius owner. Lithia Toyota is Abilene’s number one dealership when you’re making the switch to hybrid or all-electric. Check out more info on the 2023 Toyota Prius and other hybrid/plug-in/electric vehicles, as well as our entire inventory of new and used Toyotas.

The Prius could very well take home its third pair of Golden Calipers 20 years from now, but for the time being, it’s established itself as the model of consistency in the automotive world. The only question remaining is how high the Prius’s ceiling can possibly rise. This New Year’s, make it your resolution to roll into 2024 with the best car on the market, the Toyota Prius.

4 Modern Auto Innovations To Be Thankful For

Turkey Day is nearly here, a time for food, family, and the endless struggle between the fourth quarter of the Cowboys game and tryptophan-induced drowsiness.

It’s a season that calls for renewed appreciation of the things that make life worthwhile. Whether you’re on your way to stock up on ingredients at the Abilene Farmer’s Market or driving the family back from Grandma’s house, it’s a good time to reflect on the importance of a reliable vehicle.

Today’s automobiles have much to be thankful for, thanks to a plethora of modern features that have made driving safer and more comfortable than ever. Here’s a four-course meal of recent and semi-recent automotive innovations we should give thanks to:

Collision Avoidance Technology

The invention of the airbag was clearly a revolutionary step in automobile safety, providing a life-saving layer of protection in the wake of an accident. But in today’s world, automakers’ priorities have shifted to avoiding such incidents altogether. Enter collision avoidance systems, or CAS.

The first (extremely rudimentary) rearview backup camera was introduced with the 1956 Buick Centurion. Today, that feature comes standard in most contemporary vehicles. But automakers’ ambitions have expanded to full driver assist systems, which do everything from alert drivers when another vehicle is in their proximity to completely takeover the vehicle’s systems when a collision appears imminent. With CAS, it’s like you’re always traveling with a co-pilot, and every day its presence saves lives.

Mobile App Interconnectivity

The world is more connected than ever, and your car is now getting in on the party. Though Bluetooth connectivity and similar means of interfacing your phone to your vehicle have been around for over a decade, recently we’ve seen a surge in connected mobile apps.

For many automakers, it’s become an elevated priority for their vehicles to connect with as many compatible apps as possible, making the transition from your home or office to your new 2024 Toyota Camry feel seamless. Assuming this trend continues, an updated version of this blog a decade from now may be more focused on what your vehicle can’t do.

LED Headlights

Since bursting onto the scene in 2004, LED (short for “Light-Emitting Diode”) headlights have become the preferred choice of many manufacturers – specifically luxury brands. They offer numerous advantages over more traditional halogen and tungsten lighting, as they have longer lifespans, provide more visibility, and use less electricity – all of which combine to reduce maintenance costs.

And on a purely aesthetic level, LED lights provide more color options than halogen’s various shades of yellow. We may not have the capability to fully replicate daylight driving during our evening commutes just yet, but LED is illuminating the way forward.

EcoBoost Engines

Every technological upgrade in the world is for nought if we don’t have a world to begin with. Conceived as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional gas and diesel engines, the Ford-produced EcoBoost is a turbocharged direct-injection gas engine that aims to match its more traditional rivals in both power and torque without sacrificing efficiency. In doing so, EcoBoost engines achieve 20% better fuel efficiency while giving off 15% fewer greenhouse emissions.

As we peer deeper into our automotive crystal ball, electric vehicles and green-first options appear only more ubiquitous. Less costly and more versatile than normally aspirated engines, EcoBoost engines should continue to gain popularity as we move forward.

The Rest is Gravy

Here at Lithia Toyota of Abilene, we’re thankful for our loyal customers and our vibrant community. As vehicular technology continues to evolve and expand, we remain committed to providing you with Toyota’s newest models. Our entire inventory of new and used vehicles is like an elegant Thanksgiving spread – plentiful, variable, and there for your fulfillment. Bon Appétit, and have a wonderful holiday!