New Toyota Prius

The new Prius has already been officially unveiled, but Geneva gave the hybrid mainstay its European debut - and us the chance to see it in the metal for the first time. In the face of stiffer competition in the form of the Honda Insight, Toyota has clearly adopted an 'if it ain't broke' policy for its newest green champion.

What's all the fuss about?

Over a million cars sold worldwide and counting (almost 1.2m, in fact), with 130,000 of those in Europe. That means a new Prius is big news indeed. Sure, technically it's not news, but Toyota is making a song and dance about the new Prius at Geneva because it hopes to sell inordinate numbers of this one in Europe - 80,000 in 2010 alone.

What makes it so green?

After a 90 percent redesign of the Hybrid Synergy Drive internals, power is up to 134bhp, economy hikes to 72.4mpg and CO₂ drops to just 89g/km - remarkable for a car that can easily seat four and their luggage. The engine is now a bigger 1.8-litre VVT-i unit, and there are three drive modes: one for battery only, CO₂-free power up to 31mph, and the other two biased towards either more efficiency or more power at higher speeds.

When can I buy one?

Sales start in the US in the middle of this year and are expected in Europe towards the end of it. Toyota hasn't unveiled what it'll cost just yet, but don't expect any reduction on the £18k or so the current car costs. That said, with Honda vying for the 'cheapest hybrid on the planet' trophy with an expected £15-16k list for the Insight, Toyota might think twice before pricing the Prius much higher.

Mark Nichol