Cheap Gas Car Blog

New Prius Gets Solar Panels

Prius spied while doing testing in Desert, gets optional solar panels and bigger motor.

The new Toyota Prius that will be unveiled in January at the Detroit Auto Show was seen by Auto Week while doing testing.  The new version of the Prius is slightly larger, and shows off a newly designed front end.  Along with the front end changes, there will be a new option of solar panels on the roof of the car that will be used to generate electricity to power the Prius’ air conditioning system.  Also, a new motor will be unveiled, one that is 1.8 liter four cylinder, that increases output by 40 horsepower.  Even though the engine will be more powerful, it’s reported to also get better fuel economy, which for the prius, is a win-win situation.