Toyota is planning to launch a second dedicated hybrid brand in 2009 that will be sold alongside the current Prius and is expected to sell up to 100,000 cars per year. The information comes from Japanese newspaper The Nikkei, which also confirmed that Toyota is hoping that by 2010 its hybrid sales will top one million units annually.

The Prius itself will also come in for a major update. Toyota will in fact be releasing three new hybrid vehicles labelled the Prius A, B, and C, with the new models due in 2009, 2010, and 2011 respectively. Each of the cars will be in different size categories with each model getting its own unique styling.

We’ve previously reported on Toyota’s ambitious hybrid plans. The carmaker is so confident about the technology that its VP in charge of powertrain development Masatami Takimoto has stated that by 2020, hybrids will be the standard drivetrain and account for “100 percent” of Toyota’s cars.