Will The Hybrid Toyota Venza Be The Replacement Prius V?

The Toyota Prius line up seemed to take a turn when the V was introduced in 2012. The little wagon gave a whole new meaning to how a Prius could be used. Then in 2017, Toyota canceled the V, and we have not heard of it since. But what was their reasoning?

I have a couple of theories on why Toyota did what they did and what they plan to do about it now.

The Canceled Prius V
Sales. The V was canceled in the US because of low sales. Or was it? What if Toyota was testing out how a mid-sized hybrid vehicle to see how it would affect the future Toyota vehicle population?

Whatever the case was, Toyota found no reason to keep the V in the United States and quit production in 2017. The thing is, hybrid production did not stop. Toyota began planning other hybrids in the line-up that would compliment Prius.

Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid, and Highlander Hybrid were already siblings to Prius, but Toyota knew this was not enough. Corolla hybrid was recently introduced to the line-up, and Sienna hybrid has also been announced as well.

With plans in the works to do more hybrids, what is the method to replace the Prius V that people loved so dearly?

The Toyota Venza Comes Back As A Hybrid
Slumping sales and high competition pushed the Toyota Venza out of the fleet in 2015. The mid-sized SUV will be slotted between the Rav4 and the Highlander. This option for a mid-sized SUV has been a segment Toyota is willing to try again, but this time they have a different plan.

The 2021 Venza is coming back, and this time, it is a hybrid. The Venza hybrid will complement the small Rav4 and the larger Highlander. As part of the Toyota plan to hybridize the entire vehicle line-up. Venza is another option that will further give Toyota more choices for consumers looking to "go green."

The Venza will be redesigned entirely and give consumers a "luxury" feel with features like a panoramic roof and apple car play. The interior will be a fresh redesign that is set for a modern feel on par with vehicles like Tesla.

Conclusion
I hated to see the Prius V discontinued, but the Venza seems as if it will be a worthy contender. The larger mid-size and extra cargo space will help any hybrid owner feel right at home.

That is all for today. Thank you for reading. I look forward to seeing you in the next story. Should I Replace My Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter With An Original Or Aftermarket

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Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.