Kurt Verlin
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All-New Toyota Prius Is Actually Incredible Looking

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All-new Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype from the front
Photo: Toyota

Toyota revealed the next-generation Prius last night, ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. And while we expected powertrain improvements (and we got them, more on that below), we weren’t sure what to get on the styling front. And my god, it’s good.

Ever since it launched in the late 90s as the first mass-produced hybrid car, the Prius always had to live with negative stereotypes about its drivers and its appearance. But even after electrified vehicles became more in vogue, that other problem stuck. Like it or not, the Prius had a very polarizing style. For most, it just wasn’t a good-looking car.


Related: Guide to new Toyota models
All-new Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype from the rear
Photo: Toyota

The all-new Toyota Prius changes that. For possibly the first time ever, the Prius hybrid looks great. Of course, it needs to. Now that hybrid and EVs’ share of the market is rapidly growing, the Prius doesn’t automatically appeal to eco-conscious buyers the way it used to. Competitors like Tesla and Hyundai have already shown you can make an electrified car with true visual appeal. The Prius needed to keep up on the design front — and importantly, Toyota delivered.

That said, it’s still the powertrain that truly matters, and the Prius is getting substantially improved there too. Under the hood is a reworked hybrid system that makes 193 horsepower, up a significant amount compared to the current model’s sad little 121 ponies. Toyota says it should be able to accelerate from 0-62 mph in a brisk 6.7 seconds. These are the numbers for the Japanese spec but the U.S. version, to be revealed soon, shouldn’t be too different.

  • 2023 Toyota Prius Hybrid Prototype (cabin)
  • 2023 Toyota Prius HEV Prototype (top angle)
  • 2023 Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype (front right)
  • 2023 Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype (side)
  • 2023 Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype (rear right)
  • 2023 Toyota Prius PHEV Prototype (rear left)

Predictably, the interior cabin has also been reworked to include a massive touch screen, and the car will feature all of the latest Toyota safety technologies. That’s great news for anyone concerned about safety as Toyota is an industry leader in that sector.

It’s been 25 years since the first-generation Prius launched, and despite the rise of EVs, Toyota still believes that hybrids are what customers really want. If the company makes all of its future hybrids as good looking as the all-new Toyota Prius, it may actually win that bet.