First revealed at the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, the Toyota Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition concept car is present at the Toyota Beyond Zero showcase in Malaysia this week. Built as a fifth-generation Prius-based tribute to Toyota’s success in the World Endurance Championship with five consecutive victories at Le Mans since 2018, the Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR Edition is decked out in GR fashion with motorsport-inspired parts including a carbon-fibre bonnet, side skirts, canards on the front bumper, rear wing and rear diffuser.
Bodywork modifications continue, with
extended wheel arches which house a set of Rays 18-inch alloy wheels on
235/50R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres which are mounted to suspension that
has been altered for wider tracks. ere, the motorsport-inspired Prius has also
been given a bumper with a larger, rectangular intake with a honeycomb grille,
and quartet of LED units in each corner reminiscent of the headlamps on
prototype endurance race cars.
With access to the car’s interior granted,
we can now see that the left-hand-drive unit gets a pair of front seats which
are notably sportier than the set that comes as standard in the regular Prius,
being GR-branded sports seats with integrated headrests. As for the rear
compartment, there are no rear seats, a la GR Corolla Morizo Edition. According
to information from UMW Toyota Motor, the Prius 24h Le Mans Centennial GR
Edition features a hybrid EV all-wheel-drive powertrain, though there is no
mention if there has been any alteration made in the interests of on-circuit
performance.
In terms of the regular, road-going Prius
with AWD, this driveline consists of a 152 PS/188 Nm M20A-FXS 2.0 litre naturally
aspirated petrol engine mated to a 113 PS/206 Nm electric motor for a combined
output of 196 PS, while the E-Four layout adds a 41 PS/84 Nm rear electric
motor for a total system output of 199 PS.
The second of two powertrain options for
the road-going Prius is a 1.8 litre 2ZR-FXE NA four-cylinder engine producing
98 PS and 142 Nm, mated to a more modest 1VM e-motor producing 95 PS and 185 Nm
for a total system output of 140 PS. Both 1.8L and 2.0L versions are paired to
an elecrtronically controlled continuously variable transmission (eCVT), and
are accompanied by a 4.08 Ah lithium-ion battery.
