Overview
The all-new 2010 Toyota Prius offers no surprises, just significant improvement. It's sleeker and better looking, and more powerful while delivering an EPA-rated 51/48 mpg City/Highway, up by 3 miles per gallon.

The hybrid mechanicals are lighter by 65 pounds, while being more efficient and presumably stronger. The 1.8-liter gas engine is also new, producing more horsepower while being more efficient. Top speed has flown to 112 miles per hour from 103 mph, slam-dunk evidence that the Prius is a lot slicker package at half that speed.

An all-new 2010 Honda Insight is the company's hope to re-establish the company as the leader in dedicated hybrid cars.The original Honda Insight, built from 1999 through 2006, was the first gasoline-electric hybrid car available in the United States. It was almost experimental in look and character, a two-seater with limited mainstream appeal at a fairly hefty price.

The 2010 Toyota Prius has been redesigned top to bottom, with more family space inside and more Lexus-style luxury technology. We can expect this next evolution of America's best selling hybrid car to be roomier, faster and more fuel-efficient than the current model.

Overview

Honda appears finally to have learned how to play in the hybrid game. Simply putting a hybrid powertrain in a regular car doesn't cut it. If a carmaker wants to be taken seriously, it had better deliver a hybrid that looks like what the market has said it wants a hybrid to look like. And that, apparently, given the sales numbers, is a Toyota Prius. Hence, the all-new, Honda Insight is virtually a carbon copy of that market leader.

We hope gas does not go up in price anytime soon.  But if history is any indication, it will.  Paying $2 per gallon for 87-octane is near nirvana, but many analysts predict gas topping $4/gallon in the not too distant future. And if OPEC has anything to do with it, it just may. Luckily, Toyota has your back.  They understand the whole hypermiling MPG game.  They also understand that the economy is hurting, so they will reward prospective Prius buyers with $500-2000 cash back* on all 2009 Toyota Prius models. Not only will you be save a ton of money on the purchase of a brand new Prius, you will save a few petroleum tankers filled to the brim, as well.

Since its inception, the Toyota Prius has developed a cult-like following and loyalty that few other cars have replicated.  Toyota built on this enthusiasm by organizing a special event in Detroit catering to influential Prius owners in the community for the debut of the 2010 Toyota Prius. 

After an evening of meeting and greeting some of the most well-known Prius enthusiasts online, the group prepared for the release of the 2010 Toyota Prius at the North American International Auto Show.

Tesla has faced quite a bit of feedback, both positive and negative, around its electric powered sports car.  During their existence, they have dealt with some internal turmoil, losing Darryl Siry, but with his departure comes the addition of an experienced leader in the marketing and sales department.  Tesla has hired former Harley Davidson executive Michael van der Sande.  Mr. van der Sande began his time with HD in 1996 and in 2007 he was named the managing director of European operations, which included overseeing 370 dealerships throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

Today's budding gearheads are different in a few ways from the motoring enthusiasts of the past.  Where the old school guys are all about big power from big engines, the newest enthusiasts have been raised to "think green", and due to the shift in the performance automotive market, that same big power is made by small engines.  The idea of a performance economy car breathes life into the possibility of a "green" race car, and Braille Battery, in cooperation with Nissan Motors, is using the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show to display their awesome high performance hybrid.

It seems unlikely that a 268 horsepower electric powered Dodge concept wearing a Lotus body could beat a new Dodge Challenger SRT-8 in a short race from a stop, but during a recent show-off session of the new Dodge EV, that was exactly what happened.

The Rose Bowl parking lot was the site of the showdown between high-performance and high technology, and the result helped to secure the idea that not all electric vehicles are just for low-cost commuting.  So many companies have turned to hybrid and electric vehicles as a solution for "responsible efficient transportation", that the enthusiasts' standpoint has been forgotten.  The alternative power vehicles are a great alternative for those who only use their car to get from point A to point B, but for many of us, driving is an enjoyable experience, and the Dodge EV plans to prove that electric vehicles can provide the same fun as a combustion engine powered vehicle.

While the rumors of a whole brand of Prius from Toyota, similar to what we have seen with Scion, are still unproven and unverified by the company, more credible rumors are ramping up about more variants of the popular Prius, mainly in the form of a Prius coupe.  When the Prius hit the market, it was the only real option in its class, and while cars like the Civic Hybrid came along, the Prius was relatively unchallenged.