A week from today, Toyota will unveil the new, fourth-generation Prius – not in Tokyo or Frankfurt, but rather in Las Vegas.
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The images were leaked via the Prius Club Malaysia private Facebook group.
The front fascia is inspired by Mirai FCV and sports boomerang shaped projector headlamps, triangular fog lights, a slit of a grille carrying blue Toyota badge, a wider secondary air dam, sporty chin and a pronounced bulge on the bonnet. Additional design elements have been borrowed from Toyota’s Mirai fuel cell auto, and we can also see that Toyota is going with the split C-pillar design now in vogue. Turning up roughly the same profile, with the well-known wedge shape, the model also appears to have gained some millimeters to the overall dimensions, which means a more spacious cabin and trunk.
The Prius is also Toyota’s first new vehicle to make use of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), and is claimed to be more efficient than ever. The older model has a combined efficiency of 50 miles per gallon.
Previous reports in the past have suggested the new Prius will get a major boost in fuel economy with the plug-in variant gaining the capability to run up to 30-35 miles on a single charge in pure EV mode.
Under the new Pruis’ hood is a hybrid engine comprised of 1.8-liter petrol unit and an electric motor with 110 kW power output.
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The Prius remains a very high-tailed hatchback, however, and continues to feature a second glass panel in the vertical part of the tailgate for better rearward visibility.
