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The exhausting and inconsequential teaser series surrounding the 2010 Toyota Prius continues and now we get to see something that matters — the Hybrid Synergy Drive nestled snugly in its engine bay. More »
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There are really two kinds of press campaigns surrounding the 2010 Toyota Prius right now, the official ones with silly pictures of knobs and carpet and bolts and the like, then there's the other kind that leaks the whole car and major details, like this one today. In this set of low-resolution images we see the Prius in profile, the layout of the all-digital dash, the amount of cargo room we can expect, and that the new car will be getting headlight washers — certainly one of those hefty options absolutely necessary for a super efficient hybrid. More »
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Even mighty Toyota is feeling the pinch of the self-fulfilling prophecy that is the disintegration of the economy, with rumors surfacing production of the 2010 Toyota Prius in the Tupelo, Mississippi plant will be delayed. That'll keep all Prius production in Japan for the time being. Demand for the gas-thrifty hybrids has fallen as fuel prices have plummeted to sub-$2.00 levels, leaving dealers sitting on a healthy but still enviable 21 day supply. This could also be a reconsideration of strategy, since the dollar has strengthened and a collapse of any of the big three could be a deathblow to some shared domestic parts suppliers, leaving the Prius high and dry with an otherwise profitable assembly line. We'll keep our eyes out for movement back to Tupelo, but don't expect it to come anytime soon. More »
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Even though we've already seen the 2010 Toyota Prius, the marketing march of extreme closeup teasers continues, this time with something we can't put a name on. It's obviously a camera of some sort, probably. Heck it could be a super amazing fog light, or a fancy fingerprint reading door lock, or the eye of a HAL 9000. In any case it's got a big fish-eye lens and it's watching something, possibly silently judging it. We do know it's for a feature not currently available on the Prius — so that rules out a backup sensor. We'll be seeing this and everything else still secret about the next Prius when it makes it's official debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Until then, bask in the warm gaze of its potentially terrifying sentience. More »
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According to Toyota's Open Road blog, Magnussen’s Toyota in Palo Alto, California was "doing what Toyota encourages its dealers to do:" Take customers' money. The Silicon Valley dealership had apparently been deluged with requests for a plug-in Prius hybrid; knowing Toyota was working on such a vehicle, Magnussen's decided to take "deposits" for plug-in Prii, despite the fact that Toyota had not yet announced any timetable for retail sales. Irv Miller, Toyota VP of Corporate Communications, then attempted to spin away Magnussen's shady business practices as a simple case of a dealer trying to make its customers happy. Some choice quotes after the jump. More »
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A next-generation 2010 Toyota Prius was snapped in full camo regalia filling up at a gas station. So what can we tell? Mainly that the Prius' has totally ripped off the styling of the new Honda Hybrid, differentiating their design with the addition of a small spoiler on the rear. Reports state, and these pictures seem to confirm, that the main visual changes to the 2010 Prius will be on the interior, with a much more integrated cockpit design taking the place of the tacked-on bins-'n-pods look of the current car. You can get your helping of hybrid smug — made-in-America by 2011, no less — midway through 2009, the tentative date for the Toyota vs. Honda hybrid battle royale! [Drive.com.au] More »
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Given the mission of the Toyota Prius, not to mention its technical complexity, it's not a huge surprise there isn't a lot of tuner work being done on the Toyota hybrid. Oh sure, there are a couple customized Prii floating around, but this example from Sweden totally blows out anything ever done before. According to tuner Classe's Garage, the only thing unchanged is the chrome grille trim. The build took eight weeks and $184,275. Are they effing serious?! Sure the paint is off the charts, the interior has more doo-dads and gadgets than a space shuttle, and its got crazy body mods, but holy crap! Check out the video of this obscene Prius below the fold while we try to catch our breath. More »
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Plug-In Supply Inc. has just introduced a $4,995 Toyota Prius plug-in conversion kit which uses a pack of twenty PbA20-12 lead-acid batteries. Good for 5kWh, the battery pack should last more than 800 charge cycles, or about two years. As you would expect from something with the word "lead" in it, the batteries weigh 360 lbs — over twice as much as the standard batteries on a Prius. But the system does make it possible to drive a deadly silent 10-15 miles on pure electric power and achieve mileage of up to 100 MPG. So, is this the ultimate Prius? More »
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The super-best number one awesome automaker from the land of the rising sun is planning to flood the world with smug, cranking up output of its gas-electric Prius Hybrid 70% by the end of next year, according to the Nikkan Kogyo industry daily. If Toyota achieves its goal, annual Prius output would be somewhere north of 480,000 units. We don't question their ability to succeed, but will battery and hybrid electronics suppliers be able to keep up with Toyota's ambitions? More »
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Toyota is taking an unusual step on their Open Road corporate blog by promoting the idea of driving less. At first glance, this would seem oxymoronic, but Toyota is careful not to say "don't buy a Tundra." They're just saying that once you do buy a Tundra, you should leave it parked in your driveway for special occasions and hoof it everywhere else. The PR folks at Open Road also offer some suggestions in case you actually have to drive your new Toyota, like avoiding drive-throughs (Prius owners with engine shut-off are excepted of course) and turning off the engine at red lights. After all, "Idling is bad." Umkay. So what to make of this unconventional strategy? More »
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