Toyota Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime Become Prius PHEV and RAV4 PHEV
Toyota has announced with some fanfare the rebranding of two popular models, the Prius Prime and the RAV4 Prime. Those two happen to be the two plug-in hybrid products in its model range.
We can forget the Prime suffix now, because from 2025 onwards, the letters PHEV will be used to designate the two gasoline-powered models offering a respectable all-electric range (72 and 68 km, respectively).
Both models will carry a PHEV logo instead of the Prime one.
Quite frankly, we're surprised by this move. Across the industry, what makes a model stand out is its uniqueness, the characteristics that are unique to it. Toyota's two plug-in hybrid models had a unique designation in Prime, a name recognized as belonging to Toyota.
The popularity of the RAV4 Prime proved that the name it bore was no handicap - quite the contrary.
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