2016 Toyota Prius 'Coming Soon': 55-MPG Hybrid To Be Sportier

While Toyota remains coy about the launch date of its fourth-generation Prius hybrid, a company executive has confirmed that the car is coming "soon."

Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, didn't release any specifications on the car when he mentioned it during the groundbreaking for an expansion of the Toyota Technical Center near Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Industry sources expect the car to be unveiled either at the Tokyo Motor Show in September or the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

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But Lentz did tell the Detroit Free Press that he'd driven the new model, and that it was "fantastic."

The all-new 2016 Toyota Prius will be notable in at least three ways, the company has suggested.

First, it is likely to offer at least a 10-percent improvement on the current model's combined EPA rating of 50 miles per gallon, according to August 2013 statements by Satoshi Ogiso, Toyota's chief engineer--and the man in charge of developing the next range of Prius models.

That would take its combined rating to 55 mpg. Lentz said, however, that reports of a 15-percent improvement in gas mileage were "too high."

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Second, the new Prius will have a sportier character--both in its design and its handling.

Current Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has charged his company with adding more flair and passion to every product it releases, and he has raced in the past.