The public will get its first look at the third-generation Toyota Prius next January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, according to Wired. The next Prius is unlikely to be a plug-in, as Toyota Motor Corporation president Katsuaki Wantanabe told Wired that the company "plans to accelerate its global PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) research and development program ‘by 2010.'" The Prius is expected to operate off of a lithium-ion battery pack, rather than the current nickel-metal hydride battery, "perhaps efficient enough to return 70 miles per gallon or better." Wired predicts that "the shape of Prius 3.0" will "hew closely to the rakish Hybrid X concept from last year's Geneva Show."
Toyota's Lexus division may get its own Prius-based hybrid soon. "Details of the Lexus hybrid-only model are, at this point, sketchy at best. A traditional luxury-toned sedan seems likely," Wired reports. Motor Trend believes the Lexus hybrid will be "a lifestyle wagonlike vehicle based on the Prius platform and drivetrain."
Comment Submitted
Thanks for your contributing! Your comment has been submitted and will appear shortly.
Post another comment