Along with the engine bay shot we get a peek at such hugely exciting bits as the headlight at night, a closeup of the door handle, and the Toyota badge. We can't tell if the badge is lit up or just has a printed blue effect behind it, but if Toyota keeps this kind of excitement up, we probably won't make it to the Detroit Auto Show unveil. [Carscoop]

It also seems the rumor of asymmetric headlights can be put to bed even though the first set of unofficial images showed such a thing. Oh well, still looks smiley even though it'll no longer be winking at us. It's going to be a long slog to the Detroit Auto Show next January where the Prius is set to be revealed. [PriusChat]

A lot of people can’t wait to try [the plug-in Prius], so it’s understandable that one of our dealers created some confusion recently by taking deposits on future Prius plug-in hybrids.

Magnussen’s Toyota in Palo Alto, California was doing what we’ve always encouraged our dealers to do...to listen carefully to their customers and try to meet their needs. Being so close to Silicon Valley, the dealership was getting lots of requests from customers who wanted to buy a plug-in Prius. And since the dealership had confidence Toyota would eventually deliver a great vehicle, they thought it would be a good idea to take deposits and make customers happy.

So, while we applaud Magnuessen’s excitement about our future Prius plug-in, we want to be clear that we have not announced a timetable for retail sales.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Since one or two of us have done tours of duty in the hallowed halls of America's car dealerships, we know that cash money is God there. Faced with customers demanding something that didn't exist, but that the dealer knew would most likely soon exist, Magnussen's did what any money-grubbing auto retailer would have done: they charged folks to get on "the list." Shady? Yeah. Surprising? Not in the least. It's common knowledge that a customer who has left a deposit on something, no matter how small, is much more likely to return to complete the transaction — any transaction. The simple rule of thumb to follow is "don't put a deposit on something that doesn't yet exist." Even...or especially...at a car dealership. Incidentally, Magnussen's also agreed to return all customer deposits for plug-in Priuses, but we wonder how much thumb-twisting on Toyota's part was involved before they agreed to relinquish their precious cash. [Toyota Open Road Blog]

[Wired]

If you're interested in something a bit more modern, the system is designed to work with an upgrade to lithium iron phosphate batteries too. And if you want to pump juice into those batteries using nothing but the sun, you might want to bolt on some solar panels. Us? We'd still rather have a VW Golf Twin Drive. [GreenCarCongress]

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Our "snap" guess is yes. Given that Toyota has long been upfront about its goal of building a million hybrids a year by 2010, we have to give the company the benefit of the doubt on its supplier chain. Remember, the Toyota Manufacturing Process (TMP) actually started the concept of lean manufacturing and just-in-time supply. To that end, the company is building its own battery facility, reducing exposure in that most critical of hybrid components. And with plans to make room for more Priuses at a Japanese factory and to build them in the US at a new plant in Mississippi, Toyota appears to be taking steps to alleviate pent-up Prius demand.

So, half a million Priuses a year? Despite the mere thought bringing blood flowing out of our uber-enthusiast ears, we have to give Toyota credit for ratcheting supply up when demand exceeds it on this product, as opposed to being forced to ratchet supply down when demand drops like a rock. That's always been the problem our poor, poor US automakers have had — always trying to wring every sale out of a product in an attempt to meet and beat the U.S. financial markets quarterly expectations. Now our only question is — how will the world cope with so much new smug? [Automotive News, Sub. Req.]

We sort of actually admire what Toyota is trying to do here, and we don't disagree with some of their suggestions. But the whole exercise reeks of marketing. The thing is, in this age where "going green" is the flavor of the day, they're marketing better than the competition.

Consider it like this: Toyota is promoting conservation strategies in a direct, forthright manner on its corporate blog at the same time Chrysler is offering to subsidize your conspicuous gasoline consumption. This, despite the fact that equivalently-equipped current Toyota Tundra and Dodge Ram pickups get almost identical mileage (16 MPG combined vs. 15 MPG combined — although we hear the new 2009 Dodge Ram supposedly blows those numbers out of the water). But who's going to win the perception game in the era of $4-and-up gas? After all, perception is everything. [Open Road Blog]