Tommy Kaira slams the Toyota Prius
By Antuan Goodwin on 30 September 2009
One day, the new Toyota Prius was feeling a bit frumpy and decided to shake things up with a new look. So, the humble hybrid went under the knife of Japanese vehicle modifiers Tommy Kaira. The result is a new, sexy look and not much else.
Planet friendly, but speed humps won't return the favour.
(Credit: Tommy Kaira)
Post-op, the Prius' front bumper has been replaced by a more aggressive unit with an integrated lip spoiler and larger intakes. Updated side skirts and rear bumper round out the Prius' new look. Peeking from beneath the rear bumper is a dual-muffler, quad-tipped exhaust that probably sounds good, but most likely won't do any favours for the Prius' fuel efficiency. Requisite larger wheels and tyres, and a lowered suspension round out the tuning package.
You'll notice that we haven't mentioned any engine mods. That's because there aren't any. (Can you really call it "tuning" if you don't tune the engine?) The Tommy Kaira Prius makes its stock 100kW of power, but we wonder if its fuel economy would still be rated at 3.9L/100km. After all, the aero upgrades more than likely hurt Toyota's wind-tunnel-tested aerodynamics.
As long as changes are being made, we wonder if Tommy Kaira can do something about the Prius' dated DVD-based navigation system.
Four exhausts won't make a difference if you're running on electric power alone.
(Credit: Tommy Kaira)
Topics: toyota, prius, modified, tommy kaira
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Comments (5)
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Wonti commented on 05/10/2009 09:11
Of course, all those nifty spoilers only have effect from around 150 kph, which you'll never reach so it's all just a matter of visual enhancement.
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Alex commented on 01/10/2009 14:17
The new Prius is cool. Just wait till you get to check out the interior and the amount of feedback on the dashboard regarding battery charge and usage of the charge.
Very futuristic.
Sweet looking kit above. -
Nic commented on 01/10/2009 12:01
Free flowing exhaust will increase effciency; decreasing fuel use and increasing power, (also increasing noise). As the car is lowered this wil also increase aerodynamic efficiency, lowering fuel consumption.
It's about time someone made EV's cool, rather than odd or more expensive versions of the same car. -
Nifti commented on 30/09/2009 14:53
Whats the carbon footprint of that bling?
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Dale commented on 30/09/2009 14:32
Well, that really defeats the purpose really. I spose if you want to make it SEEM like your not driving a Prius, it's ok. But in reality, it's still a Prius.
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