The next Toyota Prius, which is expected to debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2009, will achieve the impossible: It will be a bit larger, have more interior room, feature significantly more horsepower, and yet somehow achieve better fuel economy and lower emissions than the current model. That's the word from Edmunds' Auto Observer, which quoted an unnamed source from Toyota as saying we can also expect a range of different Prius models as it closes in on its bid to be making 1 million hybrids per year by the early 2010s.

The next Prius will be engineered so that it drives on battery power alone more often than the current model does. It will also feature a larger 1797cc gas engine, which when combined with a next-generation electric motor, will output 160 hp, a stunning 50-hp gain over the current version if all this proves true. The source also said to expect an approximate increase in fuel economy of 10 percent, which should put the Prius near, or perhaps over, the magic 50-mpg mark in real-world conditions.

Finally, the next Prius will be from three to four inches longer and about an inch wider without adding weight. I'm still hoping the final version looks something like the Concept X (shown), which has more visual "weight" and a more muscular stance than the current car.