Prius

The Toyota Prius was introduced over 25 years ago and quickly became the synonym for "hybrid" – and often for ugly design as well. Now Toyota has unveiled the fifth generation of the car, and it's actually quite impressive.

Last year, Toyota debuted a new all-wheel drive variant of the Prius. The announcement made headlines, and the car was shown throwing snow and getting slushy with its new-found all-wheels-turning capability. That’s not what happens in the real world.

​Toyota has fitted out an experimental Prius with a fresh rooftop solar kit to explore the limits of sun-powered road travel. The new array will be capable of charging the vehicle while it is on the move, a feature hoped to give range and efficiency a significant boost. ​

Toyota has come forward at the LA Auto Show with another hybrid model, the new Corolla Hybrid, and an all-new all-wheel drive Prius. The Prius AWD-e features a drivetrain taken from the well-received RAV4 Hybrid. Also being shown are the company's new TRD sedans.

The Honda Insight was the first production hybrid to be sold in the United States, but bowed out of a market in which the Toyota Prius was dominating sales. Now, the Honda Insight is back, this time with Prius-killing looks and fuel economy​ that's expected to exceed 50 mpg.

New for 2018, the Toyota​ C-HR is a subcompact crossover aimed towards a younger, more urban audience. It features edgy looks, a larger-than-expected interior, and Prius-like efficiency and handling. Some of these are good things.

With the world's first international giant robot fight just a few months away, team America has revealed its contender. The MegaBots Mk.III combat robot made its hulking debut at Maker Faire Bay Area, and took the opportunity to beat up on a couple of Toyota Priuses.

Solar car roofs have generally been the reserve of concepts, experiments and niche carmakers. Now Panasonic has developed a solar photovoltaic car roof for the latest Toyota Prius plug-in, upping the wattage to 180 W from the 50 W roof found on earlier Prius models.

During the past year, we drove both the Prius Two Eco and the Prius Four models, and found that this most-recognizable of hybrid cars is much-improved over previous generations. Fuel economy is higher than ever, but more importantly, the car is a better drive.

With the all-new fourth-generation Prius, Toyota focuses a little less on the car's established eco-conscious drive technology and a little more on its newly developed personality. The 2016 Prius features a thorough makeover and enhanced driving dynamics aimed at kicking off a "new hybrid era."

The Habitents transforms the Toyota Prius into an overnight shelter.

Toyota plans to begin testing of a two-way vehicle-to-home charging system later this year.