2010 Toyota Prius Review

Preview

What We Know

Quality and safety concerns apparently are delaying the launch of the third-generation 2010 Toyota Prius to the spring of 2009, according to a report published in the Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. The industrial daily said Toyota is stalling the launch to ensure quality after it decided to forgo replacing the nickel-metal-hydride battery used in the hybrid system with a lithium-ion battery for the first version of the new model. Reuters reported that Toyota would not confirm the delay. The automaker typically does not announce the timetable for its vehicle launches, but the popular Prius had been expected to be remodeled by late 2008. Toyota and battery partner Matsushita Electric Industrial are working on a lithium-ion battery that had been expected to power the next-generation Prius. Those plans reportedly were set back due to safety concerns.

What Edmunds.com says

It may not have lithium ion batteries, but rest assured this Prius will improve upon its current mileage without giving anything up in the way of drivability.