CNET has an article about the battery technology in the next-generation Prius. The Wall Street Journal says it is being delayed due to safety issues that haven't been resolved regarding the new battery technology, Toyota hotly denies it, but what the article seems to make clear (and Toyota affirms) is that there are definitely battery technology issues that need to be ironed out.

You can see the story here:

http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-975...g=2547-1_3-0-5

And joining the list of reputable news reports is Bloomberg Financial:

link to Bloomberg article

It seems that the new Prius may not arrive until 2009 or 2010, depending on when Toyota engineers work out lithium-ion battery incorporation into the Prius to their satisfaction.

I still get a kick out of this topic. Toyota -never- said a "new Prius" would or would not have LiION batteries. They also never said when there would be a "new Prius". They have said at least a year ago they were going to delay introduction of new models until they got their quality control back to where they were comfortable with it.

However, read the forums or car mags. and we are already driving plug-in LiION equipped Prius getting 100+ MPG!

Toyota are working on LiION batteries in a hybrid, and are using a current Prius chassis to test it. They are also testing the "plug-in" technology in the real world, using a double pack current NiMH battery in a current Prius chassis (simulating the capacity of the future LiION battery). They have not announced a release date. Only that "we're working on it".

So the "delay" is from when the pundits claimed it would be released. It's their delay, not Toyota's!

Pearl is a
2007 Driftwood Pearl Prius
Package "B" (everything but leather, nav, and rear camera)

How many years does Toyota keep a model before changing the style?? 3,4,5 years.A new re-style is due soon, LiIon or not. Thats the news I'am looking for.

Toyota is very very slick about not saying anything, e.g. Jim Lentz's comments and the recent rebuttal to the WSJ article by the Toyota spokesman.

Basically they said that there will be a new Prius model. Hellooo... But neither Toyota spokesman said anything definitive about what, when and where. Creating a 'buzz of anticipation' is not a bad marketing ploy.

To answer your specific question. Toyota's nominal renewal cycle is 5 yrs. That would put the new Prius here in the US in about 14 mo's.

As you correctly noted the pundit's are in a tizzy to get the scoop out first...whatever that scoop is.
Whether the arrive in 14 mos or not is all speculation...as you can see Toyota will confirm nothing.
Whether it will have Li-Ion batteries or not is all speculation...Toyota will confirm nothing.
Whether it will have a new design or not is all speculation...Toyota will confirm nothing.