BREAKING: Possible leakage: 2010 Toyota Prius!
by Sam Abuelsamid on Oct 15th 2008 at 7:07PM 
Click for a gallery of possible Prius images
What you are looking at here may well be the first unofficial, official image of the third (fourth according to Toyota) generation Toyota Prius. The original hybrid isn't supposed to debut until we get to Detroit in January, but three images that look like they may well be authentic have turned up on Prius forum. The shape we see here certainly fits with the camouflaged spy photos we've seen so far. The basic shape looks much like the current Prius, but the front has been re-shaped. The nose of the car fits in with the look of other current Toyotas but doesn't seem to carry over much from the Hybrid X concept that appeared at Geneva 2007. If these photos are to be believed the interior unfortunately also carries over the interior concept of the current car with the center mounted gauges. We've contacted Toyota for a comment, but we don't seriously expect anything other than a no comment. If we do learn anything more we'll be sure to let you know. Thanks to Rafih for the tip!
Gallery: Confirmed: 2010 Toyota Prius
[Source: PriusChat]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Turbofrog 7:21PM (10/15/2008)
If it's legit, then it rates a solid "meh." Attractive enough, not very adventurous, but a safe choice.
The one thing that makes me iffy is that the headlights look different in the two front shots. The one taken from the left side of the car doesn't show the headlight wrapping around the front nearly as much.
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Brent 7:55PM (10/15/2008)
yeah... someone forgot to photoshop that 2nd headlight! :)
Red 8:37PM (10/15/2008)
Look closer. It's very clear what you almost CAN'T tell from the full view is how sharp the sides of the vehicle are. Pulled way back, it's easy to see the headlight is pulled further toward the A-pillar, but from that horribly close and oddly angled shot, it's very difficult to tell.
Upon further inspection it's clear there's no manipulation here. This looks pretty genuine.
BillySharps 7:36PM (10/15/2008)
I like it, but it looks incredibly like Honda's Insight. It's uncanny.
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brandon 7:47PM (10/15/2008)
I had no idea they could make the Prius even uglier. This doesn't look real to me, but if it is oh well.
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Mike!!ekiM 9:37PM (10/15/2008)
Yes, I'd hoped for an incremental improvement in aerodynamics, not a step back. Looks like the bump in the nose is for the "Lexus" devision.
But, the real question is, what's under the hood, and what kind of Efficiency will it get?
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Mike!!ekiM 9:37PM (10/15/2008)
The Hybrid-X has a much more aerodynamic nose. I think.
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jay 10:46PM (10/15/2008)
side view is very fake, look at the rear end just above the tail light, you see the chopped part clearly
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Luke 12:50AM (10/16/2008)
+1
Evan 2:38AM (10/16/2008)
looks like toyota's recent toy jellybean styling makes it into another vehicle. ive been pretty disappointed toyota's car styling since the new camry made its debut though the new corolla actually is really starting to grow on me.
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Jerry Yeo 3:52AM (10/16/2008)
Hmm...I noticed a parking sensor on the side of the front bumper.
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McHoffa 6:36AM (10/16/2008)
Maybe these are fake, maybe they are just two different styling options, regular and sport. Either way, the body is surprisingly nicer looking, moving away from the happy face look. The interior on the other hand... looks very boring and old, like a car from the late 90s/early 00s, in my opinion...
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Harold 6:53AM (10/16/2008)
Found this book on Amazon, it is very informative for anyone interested in becoming energy independent, alternative fuels, hybrid and electric plug in cars and other related subjects etc. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
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benzaholic 11:32AM (10/16/2008)
So is the nose job taken from the Yaris, or from the Mercedes McLaren and SLK? Either way, the curves and bulges behind that front badge contrast pretty heavily with the otherwise straight lines everywhere else. It doesn't work for me.
On the question of left versus right headlights, I'm pretty sure the side markers extend very different lengths from the main headlights in these pics.
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Zach 10:06AM (10/29/2008)
Why can't Toyota make a car that looks like a car, instead of an appliance? I have the utmost respect for Toyota engineers who consistently bring reliable, efficient products to market but the company's design team is asleep at the wheel.
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david 6:22PM (10/29/2008)
The Prius is the biggest con going. Why don't Toyota just make a hybrid version of the Carolla - the best selling car on the planet?
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yetiatlarge 10:33AM (11/10/2008)
Do you know where the Toyota Prius batteries are sourced.
Read this to find out how green they really are.
The Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.
The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.
“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.
All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?
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