2009 Prius

The Prius is scheduled for a redesign for the 2009 model with a significant number of upgrades. It has been mentioned that the new Prius will receive an upgrade of the petrol (gasoline) engine from 1.5 litres to 1.8 litres. The upgraded specifications of the vehicle will give it vastly improved mileage rumoured to be between 80aˆ“113 MPG (2aˆ“3 L/100 km) as well as improved acceleration giving it a sprint time of less than 10 seconds in 0aˆ“100 km/h (0aˆ“62 mph). It has been rumored that the new Prius’s range will exceed 1000 miles (1600 km) on a full tank.

The third generation Hybrid Synergy Drive from Toyota is expected to debut in the 2009 Toyota Prius, due out in late 2008 or early 2009. It will use lithium-ion batteries for greater energy density, resulting in better performance and less weight. It should also give the new Prius more cabin or trunk space.

Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe confirmed this in an interview with BusinessWeek on February 16, 2007. “We are now aiming at reducing, by half, both size and cost of the third-generation hybrid system,” said Watanabe.