Toyota Prius Coupe Made in Italy

Rumors regarding a potential coupe version of Toyota's flagship Prius keep coming which is usually the first sign that there might be indeed some truth behind the stories. This time, it is believed that the Prius Coupe will be manfuactured in Italy by a local coachbuilder, with the final appearance to be close to the one of the base model, obviously with a restyled rear.

Japan's Best Car Magazine said that Pininfarina or Giugiaro ItalDesign are two possible designers for the future Prius Coupe but an official confirmation on the product is yet to be released.

Speculations on the Coupe started surfacing in late 2008 when sources indicated that such a model would be especially aimed at competing with Honda's CRZ hybrid coupe. Details are still unknown but it is said that the future model will rely on the same powertrain as the main Prius.

At this point, the Prius is powered by nickel-hydride batteries and Toyota is willing to continue to use the same system on the upcoming models. Nevertheless, lithium-ion batteries are still regarded as the best choice when it comes to hybrid cars and Honda is already using them on its own battery-powered vehicles.

Obviously, a Coupe appearance will make the new Prius a bit more like a sporty model so we're not sure that bringing the same powertrain as for the base Prius is a likely scenario. Still, new features might be introduced as well, including exterior and interior styling modifications that could make the Coupe a bit more aggressive and contribute to the overall sporty stance on the road.