Is Toyota keen to delve furthermore on the success of the Prius with a Coupe variant? If the gossip hounds are to be believed, Toyota Prius Coupe is already in the scheme and is slated as a Honda CR-Z killer. For its design it is believed that Toyota will take assistance from Pininfarina or Italdesign. Specs wise, it will include a Prius’ 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with Synergy Drive which will render a modest 98 hp and 105Nm of Toque. Although the engine numbers are not so impressive, the Toyota Prius Coupe would compensate with a 48mpg mileage and an extremely eye-catching exterior. [via carscoop.blogspot.com]

With the world craving for greener cars, a coupe based on the highly popular Toyota Prius may not be a bad idea. The fact that there are some new details available about the coupe has spurred rumors of its development. Although it is yet to be christened (the MR-2 may see a revival), this car will directly be a competitor of the Honda CR-Z Hybrid. All that is yet known about the design is that it will be completely unique with a sporty flair.

The car will be based on a shorter variant of the Prius Platform and will offer a 2+2 seating arraignment. A massive influence of the Prius will also be seen in the cabin. Talk about the engine and powering the grind could be a revamped version of the Prius’ hybrid powertrain with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 136PS, up from the 99PS otherwise rendered. The fuel economy of 48 mpg will be a quality you seldom attribute to a regular coupe. It should be available sometime in 2012 with a base price slightly above $22,000. [via 7tune]

I’m not sure about you, but I must say I wasn’t really happy with how the first models of Prius looked like. But as an environmentalist that I am, I wanted to believe that Toyota is going to make from Prius their best selling vehicle, with a new more attractive design. That didn’t happen and the 2010 Toyota Prius is kinda boring, like its predecessors. At least that’s what I see when I look at these leaked images which have been endorsed already by the Japanese manufacturer. There aren’t many new things between the old one and that one. Should we be disappointed, because it actually brings up something new: more interior room and better fuel economy. via WCF

We all know what’s the most successful hybrid of all times: Toyota Prius. But what we don’t enjoy very much is that it has a boring design. Things changed when Claes Gustafson and the crew at Classe’s Garage got their hands on one and created what you can see below for a Swedish TV show. And yes, that’s a Toyota Prius.

Even though the outcome is spectacular, it involved HARD work because there’s no body kit available for the Prius and they had to start with a modified Volvo XC90. They also removed the back doors and installed custom made knife doors for the front, installed a carbon fiber venturi, air suspension, 20-inch wheels and over-sized front brakes.

They didn’t work just on the tech part and the interior got improved, too. It has a central console with a custom dashboard and a 4,400-watt stereo system. However that’s not all because this hardcore Prius also features 15 LCD panels and a tablet PC for Wireless Internet.

“The goal … was to give the viewer a great show and, second, to show that a Toyota isn’t a boring and anonymous car,” Claes Gustafson told Wired. According to him, the whole idea was “to show that every car can be styled.”

It looks stunning and has a price that competes with that: $184,275. Is it worth it?

My biggest concern if all these things can be supported by those 4 batteries.

Via Jalopnik

Hybrid cars are going to be the next best thing, or at least that’s what researchers say. With oil prices reaching record levels it’s really hard to drive a car that consumes 20-25 liters for every 100km.

The best selling hybrid, Toyota Prius has news for us. They’re going to change it and recent spy shots show a newly styled body. It’s longer, wider and has a larger boot, features better fuel economy and rumors say it won’t feature NiMh batteries anymore. But Li-ion, which are lighter and smaller, making it faster and more spacious.

The new Toyota Prius will be official in 2010 and some talk of a two-door coupe, a wagon or a commuter version to enrich the brand.

Image credits: CarPix

Source