Recently some Prius pictures appeared on the Internet and there was some confusion as to whether or not the Photos were in fact of the 2010 Prius. However, the public relations people at Toyota confirmed with an auto blog that the photos were in fact of the Prius of the next generation.

For the most part, the new Prius looks like the current car and it still contains a nickel metal hydride battery instead of the lithium ion battery, which appears to be the wave of the future. The 2010 Prius, however, should prove to have an electric motor that is more powerful and better fuel efficiency.

The new Prius’ release is set for the Detroit 2009 auto show this January, which is when more information and better pictures will be available from Toyota.

Since the Prius has been so popular up to date, chances are that the 2010 model won’t be any different. You may want to line up as soon as this car goes on sale to avoid waiting lists. Prices have been released yet, but it should be similar to the current model and have a good auto warranty.