Just before its Las Vegas unveiling next month, photos of the fourth-generation 2016 Toyota Prius in a largely undisguised state have made their way onto the Internet.
While we don’t actually have photos of the 2016 Prius, you can see pretty much everything over at Green Car Reports, with some shots of the new Prius running around half-camouflaged at night. What we know for sure is that the Prius, while still a five-door liftback, gets some heavy influences from the Mirai fuel-cell car. It’s a controversial look, to say the least, but makes sense as it fits in with the current Toyota look. And for all we know right now, there could be aerodynamics at play here.
That’s important, because all signs point to the Prius carrying over its powertrain with modest tweaks in the name of efficiency. Reports indicate the mainstream Prius models will continue with the nickel hydride battery pack, instead of the more fashionable lithium unit that automakers such as Hyundai are introducing. The next Prius Plug-In hybrid should manage to boast a significantly longer electric-only range than the current car’s paltry 11 miles.
And all-wheel drive is rumored to be an option this time, partly because the 2016 Prius will use a new, modular platform architecture that will spread throughout the Toyota lineup in the coming years. That modular platform, however, means more space inside the Prius, which could finally move up to a midsize class more on par with the Camry than the Corolla.
Inside, however, expect the same Prius weirdness with the centrally mounted instrument panel and various energy meters. But hope for improved plastics and a greater sense of quality. Which, based on the 2015 Camry and other recent products, is fair to bet on.
Fuel economy promises, however, are unknown, as is any other information on equipment or future variants. But at least the Prius V tall wagon is expected to move onto the new platform in the next few years. Other than the possible AWD, we’re also lacking in information about any possible “wow” features, like the sunroof with solar cells that popped up on the third-generation model.
Go over to Green Car Reports, or Yahoo! Autos, or Autoblog, or basically anywhere but here to get a full look at the Prius spyshots.
And then please do come back and let us know what you think.
Top photo: Toyota Prius concept at 1995 Tokyo Motor Show, courtesy of Toyota
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