In case you didn't catch the news this weekend, Toyota executive Don Esmond announced that the next member of the Prius family will be revealed at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this coming January. No word on whether it will be the much photographed and recently leaked and teased Prius V, or if it will be it's quieter little brother, the Prius C.

You might already know that Toyota will be releasing two new Prius models into dealership showrooms by the end of 2012, and you might also know that those two models are going to be a MPV-style wagon and a smaller, compact sized Prius. According to PriusChat's anonymous dealer tipster, the names of the two new Prius models are the Prius V and the Prius C.

Toyota's "Prius Team" was nice enough to recently post some special preview details on the 2011 Prius right here in the PriusChat forums. The big news? Well, there really isn't any. Toyota will now offer the Black exterior paint color with the Bisque interior color option. This was not an option available on the 2010 Prius, but Toyota has added it based on customer feedback. No other color changes.

A Prius Minivan is the unicorn of hybrids for many Prius fans, and according to the Nikkei, Toyota is planning on launching one next year using lithium-ion batteries. Nikkei, a Japanese daily newspaper, reports that Toyota aims to keep the price competitive and at a level similar to "those of current models" in the face of increased competition in the hybrid market.

Today, Honda debuted the 2011 Honda CR-Z "Sport Hybrid" at the North American International Auto Show. For months I have been looking forward to the release of this hybrid, hoping it would infuse the sporty fun and fuel-sipping efficiency that the classic CRX provided while turning both of those dials up to 11. What Honda announced today turned the dial down to about a 6.

With all the recent PHEV talk surrounding Toyota lately, one might think that they forgot all about their future commitment to electric vehicles (EVs). No so, according to information released by Toyota today. Toyota plans on releasing a small, urban commuter lithium-ion battery electric vehicle (BEV) to market in model year 2012. Most likely the EV will be released in 2011.

Here's some more information from Toyota. Video (B-Roll) below that.

Just 6 months ago news outlets were reporting that the stalled Mississippi plant would no longer build the Prius. What a difference a few months make. Now the Japanese newspaper the Nikkei is reporting that not only will Toyota finish the plant, but that the first American-made Prius should roll off the line by 2011.

Japan's Nikkei business daily is reporting that Honda has pushed up the schedule on the Fit Hybrid by a year and half - coming out in the Fall of 2010 instead of the Spring of 2012.  With a target price of $15,800, maybe this will finally be a "hybrid for everyone".  That is if Honda actually does something to the IMA system to bump MPGs by more than a measly 5 MPG over the current 33 MPG.

What would be a reasonable fuel economy rating that you would like to see on the 2011 Honda Fit Hybrid?

Reuters article: