With just a week to go before the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, automakers started releasing teaser videos and shots of their latest concepts faster than we could keep up. Even Toyota is hard to keep up with these days, adding a new hybrid to the Prius family every few months, it seems. And, the week before the big show in Detroit, the automaker released a teaser video for a hybrid that's unlike any other hybrid that we've seen from Toyota yet.

From what we could tell from the short video, the plug-in hybrid, dubbed the Toyota NS4, is sleek and sporty and packed to the gills with technology. Before the show, we also guessed that the NS4 would use the same 1.8-liter 98-hp engine and 80-hp electric motor that powers the plug-in Prius. And, if it was to join the Prius family, it would likely be a sporty addition, maybe even a coupe.

Well, the NS4 was officially revealed in Detroit last week. And Toyota did not disappoint. With think Jim Lentz, TMS President and COO, sums it up best when he says that the "NS4 demonstrates Toyota's take on the human connection to the car with technology that considers both emotional and rational relationships, person-to-car and car-to-society."¹

The aerodynamic styling of the concept, combined with the advanced plug-in hybrid powertrain as well as all of the entertainment and connectivity features packed into this sporty concept place it above and beyond many other hybrids already on the market. Here are a few more important facts about the NS4: it's unlike any member of the Prius family, it features an innovative Human-Machine Interface (HMI) that will "learn" driver preferences and habits, and Toyota plans to debut next-gen safety technology like their Pre-Collision System (PCS) with lane departure and other collision-avoidance systems in the NS4.

Lentz remarked at the show, "The continued success of our conventional hybrid vehicles has laid strong groundwork for market acceptance of future advanced technologies. NS4 demonstrates Toyota's ongoing commitment to enhancing the safety, efficiency, and convenience of future mobility for people everywhere."²

While we wait for concepts like the NS4 to become production models, don't forget that you can experience all of the advanced safety, technology and powerful hybrid performance already available in the Prius family. Models now available at Team Toyota include the 2012 Prius and Prius v, to be followed with the addition of the Prius C plug-in hybrid later this spring. We're conveniently located at 746 E LINCOLN Hwy Langhorne, PA 19047, and we invite you to stop in during our regular business hours or explore our new Toyota inventory online and contact us at your convenience to learn more about powertrains, specs, and arranging test drives.

Source:¹http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota+reveals+ns4+advanced+plug-in+hybrid+concept.htm