The latest word from Toyota is that their next fully electric car concept will be smaller than the hybrid Prius, and will debut at the 2009 North American International Auto show, according to the Detroit Free Press. "This is a pure electric vehicle," said Toyota spokeswoman Jana Hartline. "It's a concept we are bringing to the show basically to confirm our interest in electric vehicles."

The company plans to hold two press conferences during the show—one for Toyota, and the other for Lexus—but Hartline said in the article that they don't plan to discuss the new concept. Instead, it will just be available on the show floor. I imagine the focus will be the production version of the third-generation Prius, but it will still be interesting to see what Toyota has in store on the fully electric front—even if the company's president bailed on the show.