Apparently Toyota finally realized that the Prius hybrid is a boring car so at 2009 SEMA tuning show they’ve come up with a tuning package for it to make it more appealing! Toyota is presenting two kits, Aerius (Latin for “belonging to the air”) and Aemulus (meaning “envious imitation”). These modifications upgrades the car’s styling and equipments, and they are specially built to be super eco-friendly!
The Aerius, according to Toyota is car that integrates performance and design modifications with environmental elements. As for the Aemulus, it’s a replica of the Aerius that has been donated to the Environmental Media Association for a charity auction, so there not much differences between them.
The Aerius features a cool Five Axis Design aerokit made from polyurethane and partially recycled materials and consists of a front lip spoiler, side skirts, and a rear lower valance. The kit has been extensively tested by Swift Engineering’s CFD software to make sure it won’t mess with Prius’ 0.25 drag co-efficiency.
The car also comes with a custom three-coat color using a blue-green Lumina pigment by Nippon Color Design Studio America, which resembles airiness and the color of the sky! Sweet!
The Aerius ride on FIVE:AD S6:F 19-inch wheels covered with super efficient Yokohama Super E-Spec low rolling resistance tires made from 80 percent non-petroleum materials. These tricked-out Prius is also fitted with a top-notch Pioneer 900-watt 10 speaker audio system with two 10-inch subwoofers, 6.75-inch front and 5.25-inch rear component speakers and two Vizualogic 7-inch DVD headrest rear entertainment units.
Also for the interior there are a number of upgrades including:
- True Textiles: 100% recycled seat fabric
- Ultrafabrics: polyurethane seat bolster and back
- 3Form: eco-recycled resin interior accents
- 3M Crystalline Automotive Window Film to reduce solar rays and produce energy savings
- Pioneer: 900-watt 10 speaker audio system
- Vizualogic: 7-inch DVD headrest rear entertainment units
- Car Planet: eco-sensitive car detailing kit
You see, Toyota has done one helluva job tuning the Prius! It takes a lot of effort to make a boring car a bit more desirable!