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Prius to Add All-Wheel Drive?

Toyota Motor Corp.'s 2016 Prius hybrid vehicle will include an optional all-wheel-drive system for the first time, according to Minkara.
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Toyota Motor Corp.'s 2016 Prius hybrid vehicle will include an optional all-wheel-drive system for the first time, according to Minkara. The Japan-based car review Web site published information from what it claims to be part of a technical manual for the fourth-generation Prius, which is due to launch early next year.

Available on high trim lines, the awd system will add a second electric motor to power the rear axle, according to the report. In addition to improving traction, the technology also should enhance the EV's driving characteristics, other media reports note.

Adding awd will decrease fuel efficiency of the new Prius by about 10%, Minkara says. This would offset a rumored 10% increase in fuel efficiency for the new base Prius over the current model's Environmental Protection Agency rating of 50 mpg. An even more efficient "Eco" variant will be introduced later.

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