Toyota Prius

Toyota has dominated the hybrid market since introducing the Prius to America eight years ago, and Carter made it clear the automaker doesn't view the all-new, dirt-cheap Honda Insight as much of a threat. "Prius is more than a hybrid," Toyota vice president Bob Carter said during the car's worldwide premiere. "It's a solution. No longer is it a second car or a passing fad. In many households, it has become the primary family car."

Although the new Prius looks a lot like the old Prius, 90 percent of its gas-electric drivetrain was redesigned or re-engineered and packaged in a more aerodynamic body. The changes brought a 22 percent increase in power and a 9 percent boost in fuel economy over the current model, which is the most fuel-efficient car sold in America. Under the hood, Toyota increased engine displacement from 1.5 liters to 1.8 and bumped the output to 98 horsepower. Coupled with the electric motor, total power rises from 110 horsepower to 134. The increased oomph is enough to shave about half a second off the car's zero to 60 time, which Carter said now stands at 9.5 seconds. Not that anyone buys a Prius for its speed.

One of the coolest features is the rooftop solar panel, which Carter said provides juice to the ventilation system to keep the interior cool when the car is parked. The system keeps fresh air circulating in the vehicle so the A/C doesn't have to work so hard, conserving the battery — still a nickel-metal hydride unit. Carter said the new Prius is the first production car to have an air conditioning compressor powered by the battery instead of an engine drive belt, and the water pump also is electric to cut parasitic drag on the engine and improve fuel efficiency. Toyota expects the new Prius to strengthen the company's position as the world's leader in hybrid technology. The company sold 160,000 Prius hybrids in America last year, and there are now almost 700,000 of them on the road in the United States — and more than 1 million worldwide. "No other vehicle has had this kind of growth in sales and production," Carter said.