2023 Toyota Prius debuting in Japan on Nov. 16

The car that helped spark the hybrid-electric vehicle revolution 25 years ago is now entering its fifth generation.

Toyota will launch the all-new 2023 Prius on Nov. 16, 2022 in Japan.

Although details remain scarce, the next-generation hybrid will likely carry styling cues from the Toyota Crown hybrid crossover that debuted on July 2022.

The front end ditches the pointed headlights of the current model for larger and more traditional units with C-shaped Daytime Running Lights. 

The side profile, meanwhile, points to a more steeply raked windshield and a more pert rear end.

At the back, the all-new Prius features a more futuristic design with the LED taillights spanning the entire width of the car, which looks almost like its polar opposite, the gasoline-powered Dodge Charger sedan.

Japanese automotive website, Bestcar.web published renders of what the 2023 Prius will possibly look like. We only have another day of waiting to confirm their accuracy.

Automotive websites are also abuzz with rumors claiming the all-new Prius will have three hybrid powertrains available: a 1.8-liter inline-four with 140 PS; a 2.0-liter inline-four with 196 PS; and a plug-in hybrid with a 2.0-liter inline-four engine.

An automotive pioneer

The first Prius debuted on December 1997, which is also when the Kyoto Protocol – a global agreement aimed at reducing harmful greenhouse gasses – was signed.

As of February 2017, Toyota said more than 6.1 million units of the Prius family have been sold, including the Prius c subcompact hatchback and the Prius v seven-seat, multi-purpose vehicle.

The Japanese carmaker added that it has sold over 15 million hybrid vehicles globally as of January 2020, claiming that it has helped reduce 120 million tons of carbon-dioxide emissions.

Current Prius now 7 years old

The fourth-generation Prius was launched on September 2015 and received a facelift on December 2018.

It is powered by a 1.8-liter, twin-cam, 16-valve inline-4 gasoline and an electric motor. The Prius has a combined output of up to 122 PS and 142 Nm coursed through a continuously variable transmission.

It is also the first model to use the Toyota New Global Architecture platform, variants of which are being used on the company’s full electric vehicles like the Toyota bZ3 sedan and the Toyota bZ4X and Lexus RZ crossovers.

The current-generation Prius is also one of the five hybrid cars that Toyota Motor Philippines sells, with prices starting at PhP 2,436,000. 

The others include the RAV4 Hybrid, the Camry Hybrid, the Corolla Cross Hybrid and the Corolla Altis Hybrid.

Are you looking forward to the all-new Prius?