Toyota Motor Corp officials have recently announced that the company plans to introduce two new versions of its Prius Hybrid into the auto market. The vehicles will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, scheduled for Jan 2011. This way, Toyota hopes to bolster their dominance of the electric and hybrid vehicle market in the U.S.

“We will introduce the next member of the Prius family at the 2011 auto show here in Detroit in January. It’s an all-new model with more comfort, styling, versatility, and while still retaining the heritage of the original Prius,” said Don Esmond, Toyota Motor Sales USA senior vice president for automotive operations.

Esmond also added that all Prius cars will be gas/electric hybrids. Besides this, the latest version will have 50% more interior space compared to the conventional model, while the compact one will be exactly like the Yaris regarding the dimensions.

Currently, Toyota Prius is the best selling hybrid in the U.S., but due to some technical problems involving uncontrollable acceleration and braking, the auto maker was forced to recall more than 10 million vehicles globally last year and so the sales have dropped drastically.

The Prius debuted in 1997, becoming the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle and about 2,012,000 units have been sold so far.

greenoptimistic.com