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Next-gen Toyota Prius spied inside and out

Toyota has built itself into the industry's standard-bearer when it comes to hybrids, and it isn't going to let the poster child for gas-electric vehicles get stale on the market. These spy shots captured in California are our first good look at the next-generation Prius, which could come to market wearing a 2015 model year designation.
Even though it looks like Toyota may have blown its annual camouflage budget on this mule, we can clearly see that it will have the same iconic half-moon design that has been with the car since 2003. If so, this goes against reports from last year that suggested the car would be getting a different look inspired by the 2013 NS4 Concept. Although, this could also indicate that the Prius family will continue to grow - adding a new sedan - to the existing Prius C, Prius V and Prius Plug-In lineup.
These spy shots also give us an indication as to what the interior will look like, with a more stylish three-spoke steering wheel and an instrument panel design that sort of reminds us of a BMW. On the other hand, all the tape, cobbled together pieces and lack of space for a center stack display screen has us thinking this isn't what the final product will resemble.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan and more collaborating to increase fuel efficiency

Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Daihatsu have announced an alliance that will see a push to improve fuel economy from both gas-powered and diesel-powered engines by as much as 30 percent before the end of the decade.
The newly assembled Research Association of Automotive Internal Combustion Engines put the roughly $20-million project together, with the Japanese government committing to half the cost while the eight manufacturers will chip in the rest.
According to Automotive News, the automakers will team up and share basic research on internal-combustion engines in a bid to cut costs. Eventually, the results of the research will find its way into a production vehicle, although it's unclear just when we'll see the fruits of this partnership on the road.

2018 Technology of the Year Award | We chat with Lexus about the LC 500h's hybrid system

Every year, Autoblog editors test dozens and dozens of the newest vehicles available, sometimes even before they're available. From those vehicles, we select the ones we think provide the most innovative technology in the industry. Then we pare the list down to the very best, test them again, and vote on our winner for Technology of the Year. This year, Lexus's multi-stage hybrid system — as tested in the LC 500h — came out ahead of the rest of the finalists. We chose the 2018 Detroit Auto Show to hand over the award to Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Jeff Bracken. He was kind enough to sit down with Autoblog Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Green Editor John Snyder at the Lexus stand to talk about the hybrid system, what it does, and what it means for the future of Lexus and Toyota. Check out the video above, and follow along for all our coverage from the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where we are taking a look at all of the new cars and technology that we'll see in the near future. Perhaps the next winner of Autoblog's Technology of the Year award is sitting somewhere on the Detroit show floor. Related Video: Green Detroit Auto Show Lexus Toyota Fuel Efficiency Green Automakers Technology Technology of the Year Coupe Hybrid Luxury Performance Videos Original Video 2018 detroit auto show