New Toyota Prius MPV Plays Hide and Seek on Billboard

Just before the grand opening of the Paris Motor Show at the end of September, we brought you the first spy pictures of the Prius minivan (or MPV), which was snagged in California by AutosWallscreen reader Nick K.

Since then, Toyota not only confirmed the car at a dealer conference in Las Vegas last week, but the Japanese automaker also put up this billboard that shows the Prius MPV hiding behind the current Prius liftback with the tagline "The Prius family is getting a whole lot bigger." The billboard picture was uploaded on the company's dedicated Toyota Prius Facebook page.

According to Autonews, Toyota execs told dealers at the Las Vegas conference that the minivan version of the Prius will be joined by a smaller Prius-badged hybrid model, with both cars scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. by 2013.

The report added that within the next 18 months, Toyota / Scion dealers will also see a redesigned Camry, the Scion iQ minicar and the production version of the FT-86 rear-wheel drive sports car making their way into showrooms.

Via: Autoblog , Facebook & Autonews (sub. req)

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2012 Toyota Prius Alpha Hybrid Minivan Scooped!

AutosWallscreen reader Nick K. had an opportunity to snag what may very well be the first spy photos of the long-anticipated minivan version of the Prius, rumored to be called the Prius Alpha.

Spotted out in California following a new Lexus CT200h with its logos covered, the camouflaged minivan seen here - said by Nick to be "about the size of a Mazda 5" - appears to be wearing a Prius-esque front fascia and doesn't look to fit anywhere else in the lineup.

As you can see in our photo gallery after the jump, the minivan and the Prius also seem to share a similar design for the windshield, front window line and tail lamps.

If earlier reports from Reuters and Japan's Nikkei daily are correct, the Prius MPV will end up housing three rows of seats with space for up to seven passengers and be powered by in-house developed lithium-ion batteries (which may later be manufactured with help from Panasonic).

As we recently told you, Toyota Executive VP Takeshi Uchiyamada hopes to launch six new hybrids worldwide by 2012 (two Lexi and four Toyotas) on top of its current hybrid offerings. That means the Lexus hybrid family - LS, GS, HS, and RX - will likely gain another crossover of some sort and probably an IS hybrid.

Toyota - currently at three hybrids in the U.S. with the Prius, Camry, and Highlander - will likely get at least one more variant of the Prius, as well as three other models. Speculation on those is up to you all.

By Phil Alex

Many thanks to Nick K. for the spy pictures!

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Toyota Etios Low-Cost Small Car Concept Spied at New Delhi Auto Show Floor?

In less than 24 hours, Toyota will take the covers off its new small car concept at the New Delhi motor show in India, but spy photos of the pre-production concept model (or at it least it is claimed that it this is the firm's concept car) from the exhibition center have already made their way on Facebook. Even though initial reports made word only of the sedan model, the pictures also show a five-door hatchback version.

As we told you in our previous (video) post on the model, media reports from India suggest that the Toyota's proposal for a low-cost small car will be called the Etios and will be offered with both diesel and gasoline engines.

It is understood that the production version of the Etios will first go on sale in India this year and then in other emerging markets such as Russia and South America. We'll have the Full Monty on the Toyota Etios on Tuesday.

Source: Facebook , Via: Autoincar

Tuning the Unknown: Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe Customized by Japanese Magazine

We're pretty much used to seeing sketches and computer generated images of future models in magazines, but a decked out version of a car that has yet to be revealed in production form is a rarity, to say the least. The customized Toyota FT-86 coupe is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Japan's Option car magazine . Aside from the two-tone paint scheme, the artist's proposal also includes a bodykit and deep-dish alloy wheels.

Via: Noriyaro , Source: Option

Toyota to Revive MR2 as Hybrid Competitor to Honda CR-Z? Japanese Magazine Believes So

Ever since Honda announced the CR-Z hybrid sports coupe, there have been rumors going around about the possibility of a corresponding Toyota model. Just to make it clear, we haven't heard anything official, but Japan's Best Car magazine is reporting/speculating/imagining (take your pick) that Toyota may revive the MR2 as a hybrid model called the MR-S to compete with Honda's CR-Z coupe that will go on sale in 2010.

We'll have to wait until some of our Japanese-fluent readers give us all the details from the article, but from what we gather, the MR-S would probably use a specially developed version of the Toyota Prius' hybrid powertrain.

The magazine's article is accompanied by an artist's impression on how the MR-S could like. Judging by the air-inlets at the back, the proposed MR-S most likely features a mid-engine, rear-wheel drive layout.

If true, this would make the MR-S a sportier proposal than the front-wheel drive CR-Z.

As we said before, there's nothing official about the existence of such a model, but we can't say that it sounds improbable for Toyota to develop a second sports car after the FT-86, especially if it's a smaller, lightweight hybrid.

Source: Best Car

SPY VIDEO: 2011 Toyota FT86 - Subaru Prototype Captured on the Nurburgring

The oddly shaped coupe covered in layers of metal and camouflage tape that you see in this spy video undergoing tests at the Nurburgring race track is none other than a test mule for the upcoming Toyota / Subaru co-developed rear-wheel drive sport coupes. Understandably, there's no way of knowing if it's a prototype for the Toyota-badged model that will be previewed at this week's Tokyo Motor Show with the FT-86 Concept or for Subaru's derivative that has yet to be revealed or even named.

Not that it matters as both compact sport coupes will share the same mechanical underpinnings including a modified version of Subaru's 2.0-liter four-cylinder boxer engine said (but not officially confirmed) to produce up to 200HP.

Both the Subaru and Toyota variants of the rear-wheel drive 2+2 coupe are to be produced in Japan at Subaru's Gunma factory with the first examples due to arrive in the market in late 2011.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Ft86club