The fuss may be about the upcoming Toyota Prius c, but some interesting developments are also shaping up on the other, more familiar Prius front. A check on the UMW Toyota website reveals that there are now two trim levels being mentioned for the ZVW30 in Malaysia, a standard Prius as well as a Luxury variant.

A ‘New Prius’ tagline is being bandied, so the vehicle – which, going by the site, hasn’t quite arrived but should be right around the corner – should pretty much be the facelift version of the third-generation hybrid that came about last year. The revisions are mild and involve more new kit than any considerable shape rework, though the front bumper and rear lamp configuration are different.

No changes mechanically to the Hybrid Synergy Drive system on it – the 1.8 litre 2ZR-FXE Atkinson cycle engine, with its 99 PS at 5,200 rpm and 142 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm continues to hold court, working alongside the electric motor’s 82 PS and 207 Nm of torque, with a combined output of 136 PS (or 134 hp).

Standard fare contains the familiar, among them seven airbags, VSC and traction control, EBD, brake assist, 15-inch wheels and cruise control. Both 2012 variants will feature a 6.1-inch touchscreen display audio system with Bluetooth, USB and Aux connections, partnered to a JBL eight-speaker, eight-channel amplifier setup.

The standard Prius continues on with high-grade fabric seats and halogen projector headlamps, while the Luxury gets leather seats and LED projectors, complete with auto leveling and washer. The Luxury also gets auto lights, an electro-chromic rear view mirror and heated seats, the last which won’t see much use in this particular climate. New to the Prius are daytime running lights, which are available on both versions.

There’s an indicative estimate for the variants, and the pricing has gone slightly up for the base model, at RM143,000, while the Luxury is expected to retail for RM148,000, both on-the-road with insurance.

Toyota’s Prius c hybrid is arriving in Malaysia soon. The hybrid was unveiled in production model form at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show and was introduced into the Japanese market – in its Aqua domestic version form – in Dec, so its impending arrival here is pretty rapid, by any measure.

We earlier had the brochure to work on (the resolution isn’t great because it’s from Facebook, so the image has been descaled), but have now updated the story accordingly; the UMW Toyota website already has details on the car, as well as an estimated pricing – RM103,990, which will be welcome news for those looking at a cheaper alternative to the more upmarket Prius. At this price point, it’s looking very much competitively priced against the Honda Insight.

The Prius c wears a 1NZ-FXE 1.5 litre Atkinson cycle mill, which has 73 PS at 4,800 rpm and 111 Nm at 3,600-4,400 rpm for numbers, and it works alongside an electric motor/Ni-Mh battery combination offering 61 PS and 169 Nm, together offering a combined 101 PS output. The system is mated to an E-CVT drivetrain.

Features include halogen projector headlamps, front fog lamps, fabric seats, cruise control, a 3.5-inch full colour multi-information display and a 2-DIN head unit with USB and iPod compatibility. Other features on the Prius c include a four-spoke urethane steering wheel with tilt and telescoping adjustment, power retractable sideview mirrors and electric power steering.

Brakes are front discs and rear drums, and the car sits on 15-inch wheels with 185/60 series rubbers. On the safety front, there are seven airbags (front, front side, curtain and driver knee) as standard, as well as VSC, traction control, EBD and brake assist

Five colours are available for the car, these being Silver Metallic, Black Mica, Citrus Orange Mica Metallic, Super Red V and Lime White Pearl CS, the last shade adding RM800 to the total price.

On the options list is a DVD-AVN package, which consists of a 2-DIN audio unit with colour touchscreen, navigation system and reverse camera, and this one goes for RM2,990.