The Toyota Prius may be the OG hybrid, but the old guy is due for a redesign. Since its 1997 debut, Toyota has given the world an all-new Prius every six years. But the current model is seven years old.
A tiny bit late for its cue, the 2023 Prius is finally on its way. It will make its world debut at next week’s L.A. Auto Show. Toyota teased the arrival of the next-gen Prius with three posts on its Japanese Instagram site early this morning.
Three Teaser Images Today
One is the now-ubiquitous shadowed silhouette shot every automaker seems to use to announce a new car this year (someone get these guys some lighting). It shows the classic long-arched greenhouse, liftback, and short hood that has characterized every Prius you remember (unless you’re one of the few who remember the tiny, awkward first-generation subcompact sedan).
It may be lower and sleeker than the current Prius, but it’s hard to be sure without someone turning the lights up.
The second is more revealing. A slightly-less-shadowy head-on shot, it reveals thin C-shaped LED daytime running lights that almost meet the Toyota logo in the center. A pair of character lines in the hood seem more pronounced than on the current model.
The third shot is a simple drawing showing a closeup of the headlight. The words “hybrid reborn” follow the line of the lights, though they seem to be a feature of the drawing, not the car itself.
What might that mean? We’ll have to wait until next Wednesday to find out. Toyota has revealed no technical details.
The Rest of the Family Is Catching Up
We would note, however, that the latest Toyota Corolla Hybrid comes close to the mpg of the current Prius, and the latest Toyota RAV4 Prime has a longer all-electric range than the current Prius Prime plug-in.
If Toyota wants to keep the Prius name associated with the peak of hybrid capability, it can’t risk losing comparisons with other cars in the same showroom.
