The is a

full hybrid Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power. Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but sw ...

electric

subcompact Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications. According to the U.S. Environmental Prot ...

/ supermini

hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...

(

B-segment The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of ...

) manufactured and marketed by

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

since 2011. The nameplate is exclusive to the

Japanese domestic market Japanese domestic market (JDM) refers to Japan's home market for vehicles and vehicle parts. There is a common misconception that any Japanese branded car is JDM; however, this is not true. Only a vehicle made in Japan specifically to be sold i ...

, as the vehicle was exported to overseas markets as the

Prius c The Toyota Prius c (''c'' stands for "city"), named the (''"aqua"'' is Latin for water) in Japan, is a full hybrid gasoline-electric subcompact/ supermini hatchback manufactured and marketed by Toyota. The Prius c is the third member of the Pr ...

, leveraging the popularity of the

Prius The is a car built by Toyota which has a hybrid drivetrain, combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003. In 2007, th ...

hybrid car nameplate and marketed as the smaller alternative to the Prius liftback. The Aqua is considered the most successful nameplate launch in Japan in the last 20 years. , the Aqua/Prius c is the second highest-selling Toyota hybrid model after the regular Prius, with 1,380,100 units sold worldwide. Japan as Aqua's market leader has sold 1,154,500 units of the model through January 2017. ''The Prius family accounts for 61% of Toyota's total global cumulative hybrid car sales: 6.115 million units, consisting of Prius liftback: 3.9846 million; Aqua, Prius c: 1.3801 million; Prius α, Prius v, Prius +: 614,700; and Prius PHV: 79,300.'' The Aqua was the best-selling (non-

kei Kei may refer to: People * Kei (given name) * Kei, Cantonese for Ji (surname), Ji(姫) * Kei, Cantonese for Qi (surname), Qi(奇, 祁, 亓) * Shō Kei (1700–1752), king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom * Kei (singer) (born 1995), stage name of South Kor ...

) car in Japan for three years in a row, from 2013 to 2015. The name ''Aqua'' means 'water' in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

. The name was meant to associate the car with an "image of clean transparency" and "something that is universally cherished".

First generation (NHP10; 2011)

The production version of the first-generation Aqua was unveiled at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. Its design was previously previewed by the

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

which was unveiled at the January 2011 North American International Auto Show. The first facelift was announced in December 2014, along with a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

-inspired variant called the X-URBAN. A second facelift was introduced in June 2017, with the crossover-inspired variant redesigned and renamed as the Aqua Crossover. File:Toyota Aqua 103 (cropped).JPG, 2011 Aqua (pre-facelift) File:2015 Toyota Aqua (cropped).jpg, 2015 Aqua (first facelift) File:2017 Toyota Aqua (cropped).jpg, 2017 Aqua (second facelift) File:Toyota AQUA CROSSOVER (DAA-NHP10H-AHXXB) front.jpg, 2018 Aqua Crossover

Second generation (XP210; 2021)

The second-generation Aqua was unveiled on 19 July 2021 and went on sale on the same day. Built on the GA-B platform shared with the XP210 series Yaris, the wheelbase has been extended by compared to the previous generation. It retained the width, allowing it to remain in the "compact car" category of Japanese government dimension regulations. It was initially offered in four grade levels: B, X, G and Z. The

GR Sport Toyota Gazoo Racing (or Toyota GR/TGR) is a motorsport/performance brand of the Japanese automaker Toyota. Many divisions in various racing disciplines use the branding, including Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, Toyota's World Rally Championship te ...

grade was added later in late November 2022. According to Toyota, the second-generation Aqua is the world's first vehicle to use a high-output bipolar

nickel–hydrogen battery A nickel–hydrogen battery (NiH2 or Ni–H2) is a rechargeable electrochemical power source based on nickel and hydrogen. It differs from a nickel–metal hydride (NiMH) battery by the use of hydrogen in gaseous form, stored in a pressurized cel ...

as its electric drive battery, offering twice the output of the standard nickel-metal hydride battery equipped to the outgoing Aqua. The battery also delivers improved accelerator responsiveness and enables linear and smooth acceleration from low speeds, according to the carmaker. The speed range at which the vehicle can operate solely on electrical power has also been increased. This battery is used on the X, G, Z and GR Sport grades, while the B grade used the

lithium-ion A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also sees ...

unit. File:Toyota AQUA X 2WD (6AA-MXPK11-AHXNB) rear.jpg, 2021 Aqua X (MXPK11, Japan) File:TOYOTA PRIUS C-2021room.jpg, Interior

Sales

References

External links

* {{Toyota road cars timeline, 2010–present

Aqua Aqua is the Latin word for water. It is used in many words which relate to water, such as aquatic life. In English, it may also refer to: Arts * Aqua (color), a greenish-blue color Business * Aqua (skyscraper), an 82-story residential skysc ...

Cars introduced in 2011 2020s cars Subcompact cars Hatchbacks Front-wheel-drive vehicles All-wheel-drive vehicles Hybrid electric cars Partial zero-emissions vehicles Vehicles with CVT transmission