Design study for next-gen Prius

The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images.

Students at Italy’s Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) in Turin have created a series of quarter-scale models representing their own impression of what the next-gen Toyota Prius should look like.

The outline of the project was to create concepts that would showcase the technology behind the car and therefore be somewhat futuristic. The models also had to address the issue of eco-sustainability with Toyota’s hybrid Prius used as a point of reference. Prius owners have stated in the past that the car needs to "make a statement" so the design aspect is particularly important for this model.

One of the key members involved in overseeing the project was Assistant Chief Designer of Toyota Europe Design Development Tateo Uchida who also helped in the grading of the designs. We have to admit, some of the creations look great and could actually make the Toyota Prius exciting.