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.

See that guy in the Prius PHV up there wearing the cool sunglasses? That'll be me tomorrow, test driving the Prius PHV for the first time. I'm not really sure how much time I'll get with the car, but I want to try and focus on answering any questions you might have about the Prius PHV. If I can't figure out the answers myself from my hands-on, I'll round up a Toyota rep who can.

So, what does everyone want to know about the Prius PHV that I might be able to answer from my first drive? Any photo or video requests?

Would you like fries with that? Some pretty reputable news sources are running with a story that Toyota will be releasing a super-sized Prius by the end of 2010. The Prius XL will be in the form of a wagon or small SUV - probably similar to the size of what the RAV4 used to be. The Prius XL will also be the first hybrid that Toyota produces with a lithium-ion battery pack in place of the NiMH pack used in the 2010 (and previous) Prius.

Toyota's been sneaking around on Nickel-powered Priuses behind their back, performing a 3 year, 126 car road test of Lithium Ion batteries in the 2006 Prius.  The results?  The cost doesn't justify the "small" fuel economy gains.  Here are all the details from Bloomberg: