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Surprise! 2010 Toyota Prius leaks early

By Alex Nunez , Forecast Earth Correspondent

Posted Fri Oct 17, 2008 1:39pm PDT

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The 2010 Toyota Prius will be one of the biggest reveals at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show this coming January, but if you can't wait 'till then to see what the 3rd-gen car looks like, you're in luck. Photos leaked out onto the PriusChat forum earlier this week, and they've subsequently been confirmed to be the real deal.

Official specs are still being kept under wraps, but more power, cleaner emissions and better fuel economy have been rumored for months. Toyota, after verifying that the pics are legit, says only that the new car is roughly the same size as the current one, and that it's roomier and, yes, gets better fuel economy.

The photos show a new front end that blends aggressive with ugly for another unique look that will make Prius instantly identifiable. Inside, the center stack once again dominates, with digital instruments mounted high on the dash under a hood.

One substantial departure this time around is the location of the shifter in the center console -- a more traditional position than the current car's dash-mounted unit. This coming year, the new Prius will have some aggressively-priced comeptition in the form of the 2010 Honda Insight.

If you're looking for a greenmobile, you'll have some interesting new stuff to choose from next year.

Alex Nunez's blog posts are provided by LifeWire, a part of The New York Times Company.

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Posted by J Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:19pm PDT
NO! WHY!? Now it looks like Matrix. It looks good but it's loosing that wedged cheese futuristic look the Prius is known for.
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Posted by indriyanilestari@rocketmail.com Sun Oct 19, 2008 12:04am PDT
i want a car
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Posted by l Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:24pm PDT
"blends agressive with ugly" would someone please explain to me why this car is ugly?
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Posted by Dark Knight Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:49am PDT
Car looks cool but is it all that one looks for when buying a car.........
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Posted by Joe B Sat Jan 3, 2009 7:11am PST
I love my ugly at 51+mpg I don't care what other people think. make an American car that gets that kind of mileage and I will buy American again. Had Foeds and GM for may years. Where is American Tech?
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