Toyota Has No Plans of Offering the AWD Prius in the U.S.

2016 Toyota Prius (Credit: © Toyota)

On December 9th, the all-new Toyota Prius made its debut in its home country of Japan. Along with the launch of the standard model came a new all-wheel-drive version, but don’t start getting your hopes up that an all-wheel-drive version of the Prius will soon make its way to the U.S. Automotive News reports that Toyota is not planning on releasing the all-wheel-drive hybrid in the U.S. any time soon.

Dubbed the Prius E-Four, this model makes use of a high-output rear motor to keep the rear wheels moving. While this system doesn’t improve performance at all, it does help out in the slippery conditions that plague northern Japan in the winter.

You may be thinking “I live in Wisconsin, and we get pounded with snow. Why no Prius E-Four for me?” First of all, Toyota doesn’t think that there is enough room for it to compete with other non-crossover or SUV vehicles with all-wheel drive, a la Subaru, Audi, VW, etc., so it is not planning to bring it here out of fear it will not sell well.

Also, the Prius E-Four, while plenty competent in the snow and ice, has never been tested in the frigid regions of the northernmost states in the U.S. While northern Japan gets plenty of the white stuff, its winters are far warmer than the cooler states here. So, while this system may sound great on paper, there is a good chance that the battery system and additional motor couldn’t handle the icy north here.

Kudos to Toyota for not forcing it and failing completely, but I think it will need to move quickly in testing this system in the northern U.S., as customers are likely chomping at the bit to get an all-wheel-drive Prius.

We’ll bring you more details as they become available, so keep it locked here.