Years before fuel-efficiency and global warming became big global issues, Toyota quietly launched the world’s first production hybrid, the Prius. Its sales were modest at best, as it was quite expensive and the styling was a bit polarizing. The first-generation, which was originally only launched in Japan, bowed out to a second-generation Prius which was subsequently launched in the US.

As the issue of global warming became well-known, and as fuel-prices steadily increased, the popularity of the Prius grew exponentially. It became the poster boy for fuel-efficient green cars, and a lot of Hollywood celebrities got themselves their own Prius.

Now though, Toyota have a released an all-new model with more added features to help increase fuel-efficiency. The new Prius now has options for solar panels on its roof. The energy these panels collect is going to be used to help the Prius’ air-recirculation system…ingenious!

The car also has a bit more character now, looking a little less bland than the previous version. It also gets a bigger 1.8 liter engine to help increase efficiency when used on the highway.

The new Toyota Prius is expected to go 50 miles per gallon to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s stricter standards.