Toyota Plans Smaller, Cheaper Hybrid

Toyota will introduce a new hybrid next month that is smaller and more affordable than the Prius, reports the Detroit News. The hybrid-only subcompact is expected to go into production in 2011 and be in US showrooms by early 2012. Toyota, which will offer a peek Jan. 11 at the North American International Auto Show, expects it to be a big seller. Prius currently rules the market: With a starting price of $22,400, about 417,000 had been sold through October.

"It'll be interesting to see what they name it," said an analyst at Edmunds.com. "The Prius name has such cachet in the marketplace."
(More Toyota Prius stories.)