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.
The Nikkei goes on to report that this new Prius Minivan will have 3 rows of seating to hold up to 7 people, a spacious interior, and it will of course offer improved fuel economy over competitors in the minivan market.
The lithium-ion batteries will be produced in a joint venture with Panasonic, who is Toyota's partner in producing the current Prius' nickel metal hydride batteries.
It is obviously too early to have much information about this potential car, so it is not known if this will just be a North American version of the Japanese Estima Hybrid, shown above, or if it could be a whole new hybrid built to more closely resemble the Prius hatchback.
