The next-gen Toyota Prius should bring efficiency improvements and, of course, new styling.
Even as the industry makes a headlong rush toward EVs, Toyota isn’t forgetting about the hybrids that’s propelled its reputation over the past couple decades. Case in point, the next-generation Prius is set to debut next week at the LA Auto Show, and the automaker’s PR has been at work tweeting out some obscure teasers across its social media channels.
The only cryptic clue we get so far? The company uses the phrase ‘Hybrid Reborn’, as shown in the most revealing teaser below:
What exactly does Toyota mean there? It’s hard to say with certainty at this point, and you could arguably dismiss it as marketing fluff until the automaker actually shows us the goods. At the very least, this fifth-generation model should bring notable styling and efficiency enhancements over the current model, which has been with us since 2015.
Apart from a few suggestions at the silhouette, one feature Toyota keenly shows is the headlight design. It bears a strong resemblance to the Crown (no, not that one — the “Sport Type” crossover, shown below), but other details are still obviously thin on the ground at this point.
What is fairly clear is that the next Toyota Prius will continue to carry forward the design language brought by the Crown and the bZ4X crossover. As for powertrain details and fuel economy numbers, we’ll have to wait and see. That said, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid is the current class benchmark at 50 Combined mpg. It’s tough to imagine the brand-new Prius would do worse than that.
We’ll know much more next Wednesday, November 16 at the LA Auto Show. Stay tuned for more details!
