In case you missed tonight's Earth Day Live Q&A with Toyota's Doug Coleman, there was a big announcement for the Prius community that the 2010 Prius WILL have USB/iPod integration. There are a couple of catches, though. The USB integration won't be available out of the factory until September, and it will only come with the Navigation option package that is available in the Prius III, IV, and V.
Customers who buy their Navigation-equipped Prius before September will be able to have the USB kit installed at the dealer, but at their own expense. There are no specifics right now, but it looks like in September when the USB connectivity is added to the Navigation package, the price of the Navigation package will be going up. It hasn't been establshed yet whether that price increase would be the same as the price a dealer will charge to install it, or if the dealer-installed USB will be more expensive.
The integration software will be very similar (if not identical) to the system in the 2010 Lexus RX. According to CNET and Doug in tonight's Q&A, you can browse music on a USB drive by folder, but iPods give you full music selection by playlist, artist, album, and genre.
I'm going to try and get a hold of some of the technical documents for the RX tomorrow to see if I can shed some more light on this subject for you all, as this has been a highly requested feature among Prius enthusiasts.
Photo of the USB connection in the RX:
Photos courtesy of CNET
