Toyota Confirms Leaked Photo as 2010 Prius

2010 Prius gossip was silenced today when Toyota’s Open Road Blog editor Jon F. Thompson confirmed that the photos we showed yesterday, and here again today, are actually real.

“We thought we’d take a moment to confirm that the car shown in these unauthorized photos – at least the ones we’ve seen so far – is indeed the new Prius,” stated Thompson. “Sorry, we’re not able to provide details,” he added. “Those will be forthcoming when the car is formally introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.”

We questioned the validity of the design because it looked to be about the same size as the current car, and previously in interview between Micheline Maynard of The New York Times and James E. Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., he stated that the new 2010 Prius would be “larger than the current model.”

While it might grow in exterior dimensions it appears that most of the gains will be felt inside, with Thompson’s blog entry stating that “It’s about the same size as its forebear, but with more interior room and better fuel economy.”

So there you have it. The proverbial cat is officially out of the bag. And those who love the current Prius (and there are many) will no doubt be happy that Toyota is only making conservative updates to the world’s top-selling hybrid, at least on the outside, with a slightly sportier look featuring more interesting details that overall falls in line with Toyota’s more recently updated models.

A more conservative approach to the interior might also help the Prius’ cause, making it more acceptable to a larger group of buyers. Still, some details we spoke about in our previous article, such as its floating console and pass-through storage compartment underneath, as well as its free-form dash design, help to set it apart from other Toyotas.

As also mentioned previously, the new Prius will get a larger more powerful gasoline-powered engine, a bigger, stronger electric motor and continue forward with nickel-metal hydride battery packs instead of adopting lithium-ion storage cells, as the latter are not yet ready for prime time in the auto business.

The good news is that despite the new car’s added performance and additional enhancements it is expected to deliver better fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

And on that note Thompson finished his blog entry by saying, “But you expected nothing less, right?”