Just weeks after Toyota announced the end of the Prius, Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz stated that the next iteration would be shown to the public soon. He says we can expect a better looking car owing to the fact that Toyota’s top executives refused to greenlight the project until they were satisfied with the way it looked.
With improved handling due to its lower centre of gravity, the fourth generation Prius will be built on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) and take some of its microchips and computers from the TS040 Hybrid racer. Battery packs are expected to come in both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion variants and all-wheel drive may be offered as an option. The petrol engine that comes with the Prius has been improved as well, losing a fifth of its weight and increasing thermal efficiency by up to 40%.
