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Toyota officially launched the 2016 Prius – Here’s what you need to know

Toyota launched its fourth-generation Prius last night in Las Vegas. Prius sales peaked in 2010 and this is the first major redesign since the glory days of the hybrid. The 2016 model stray from the iconic “Prius look” which is now very recognizable after selling over 3.5 million vehicles, but the exterior design still has an unconventional feel to it, especially because of the front-fenders which are very similar to the Mirai’s, Toyota fuel cells vehicle.

They also lowered the hood and the car is now a little bigger; 2.4 inches longer, 0.6 inches wider and 0.8 inches lower.

The interior design remains similar to the previous model with the dashboard still installed in the center of the dash instead of toward the driver’s seat.

Design aside, the Prius’ main selling point is its efficiency, and Toyota says they have improved fuel economy by about 10 percent. They expect to have an EPA rating of about 55 miles per gallon.

The car is also the first one built around Toyota’s new vehicle platform. The company is developing a new global infrastructure to improve the sharing of components between models and ultimately achieve a 20 percent increase in resource efficiency.

The new Prius is expected to arrive in dealerships early in 2016.

Here’s a gallery of pictures of the Prius:

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Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

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