News Source: topspeed.com

Toyota  unveiled the Prius hybrid  back in 1997, and since then the model has been through three generational changes — the latest was revealed in 2009. When Toyota released the Prius, it quickly became known as the face of hybrid vehicles  . With competition becoming fiercer each year, Toyota needs to keep improving the Prius to keep it in the No. 1 slot in the hybrid market in this next generation.

Well, the new, fourth-generation Toyota Prius was finally unveiled in Las Vegas and as expected, Toyota went for a new look. The Japanese automaker is also using the New Global Architecture platform, making it lighter and cheaper to build, making the Prius the first model to implement the company’s effort to cut development costs by 20 percent through sharing platforms, parts and powertrains. The revised look gives the Prius a sportier look than the current model, much like the difference between the last-generation Corolla  and the current model.

Updated 12/23/2015: Toyota dropped a very cool promo video for the new generation Prius. According to the company the new Prius "provides maximum driving pleasure which awakens the senses, while a deep-rooted DNA of “overwhelming fuel performance” is carried forward from previous generations." His ’play’ to see if it is right!

No one’s going to accuse Toyota of ever going out on a limb with past designs of the Prius. The first three generations of the model may have been at the forefront of hybrid technology, but none of those models won any style contests. They were stubby and wedge-shaped, and while it had some appeal in the beginning, the novelty quickly wore off. This time, Toyota made it clear that it was putting extra emphasis on the Prius’ design, and from the looks of it, it did just that.

The new Prius looks, well, interesting. The new design is a departure from past generations. The front looks noticeably more aggressive, enhanced in large part by the radical, curved LED headlights that extend down to the bumper. The hood is also lower and it even has a pair of creases that move down to the middle, blending in with the character lines from the headlamps, meeting just short of the Toyota  badge.
As expected, Toyota lifted some of the Prius’ design from the 2016 Toyota Mirai  . The front bumper is where I see the first hint of design inspiration from the fuel-cell  vehicle. Sure, it lacks the ridiculous air intakes from the Mirai  , but look at the triangular cuts on each end of the bumper. At the very least, that’s a nod to the Mirai. The character lines on the side are the design highlights of the Prius.
Move to the back and the design drama continues with might possibly be the quirkiest rear end styling of any Toyota vehicle on the market today. From a distance, this end of the car looks flat and the rear glass is almost horizontal. It’s a curious look, especially the way it clashes with those curved, vertical taillights and the large tailgate.

The new Prius has received an interior with just enough changes to call it new. The car’s traditional high-mounted driver information cluster appears to have remained in place. In fact, this particular design strategy has been a staple for quite some time now, going all the way back to Asian models like the Toyota Vios.

The multi-layered dashboard is a nice touch and I also like how the chrome trim creates a separate compartment for the new infotainment screen and the HVAC control buttons at the bottom.

The biggest issue I see is the size and positioning of the gear shifter. It’s one thing for the shifter to be small or located in an unusual place. It’s another thing for it to be both, which is what you’ll get on the new Prius. The white surround does pop out from the mostly black interior, but it looks like it’s made of plastic. The mobile phone charger and the cup holders in the tunnel are nice and functional additions.

For the most part, the cabin looks clean and smooth, although it might have been better off with a more traditional transmission tunnel instead of having the shifter resemble a video game joystick.

Toyota didn’t reveal the powertrain details of the new Prius, but the rumor mill is packed with all sorts of scenarios. The most plausible is that the car will get an updated version of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system that will include a new 1.8-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine that will bump combined output from 134 to 150 horsepower. The hybrid will continue to use two electric motors and a CVT gearbox.

If this proves to be true, the Prius will be a bit quicker from 0 to 60 mph — the current model needs 10.4 seconds — and will reach a top speed higher than the current 103-mph rating. More importantly, the new driveline should boost fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent, to 55 mpg, according to the company’s North American CEO.

There’s also speculation that there could be two versions of the new Prius: one with a nickel-metal hydride battery and another with a lithium-ion unit. The latter will reportedly offer even better fuel economy. As for the Prius Plug-in, likely to break cover in 2016, it is rumored to offer an electric range of up to 35 miles, a significant improvement over the current 11-mile range.

All-wheel-drive is also possible, but Toyota is still mum on the matter. With the current Prius priced from $24,200, it’s safe to assume that the next-generation will retail from around $26,000.

With Prius sales having dropped dramatically due to lack of updates since 2009, and with drivers moving toward other brands’ EVs  and hybrids in recent years, Toyota was in desperate need of a redesigned Prius and judging by how model it looks, Toyota addressed that issue, maybe even a little too much.

That said, the design overhaul should help the Japanese hybrid regain some of its lost luster, especially if the new model comes with a more powerful engine and improved fuel economy.