Rumors that the next-gen Toyota Prius would be delayed until 2016 had apparently been floating around, but Jim Lentz, the CEO of Toyota North America, has announced the car is on track to launch this year.
We don’t exactly know when that will be, but since all generations of Prius released so far have had a six-year lifecycle, and the current one was launched in 2009, it would make sense to by by the end of 2015.
Moreover, not only did Lentz say he’s driven it and “it’s fantastic,” but he also suggested it’s going to have styling cues from the C-HR concept (pictured).
According to Detroit Free Press, he also stated that the car had better handling than before, with less weight to lug around and a lower center of gravity – a direct result of the new TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) platform.
The company official also commented on the future viability of hybrids explaining that they account for around 13-14 percent of Toyota’s entire production volume, and they only see it going to go up, in spite of recent fuel price drops.
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