Earlier on this year Top Speed reported that the sporty Toyota MR-2 would be coming back in the form of a Prius Coupe in order to compete with the upcoming Honda CR-Z hybrid. However, despite our hopes and dreams of a new MR-2, the Japanese automotive journal Best Car have revealed some new news that gives us hope, but not too much. According to the Japanese magazine, the two door Prius is going to be designed by an Italian coachbuilder, names like Pininfarina->ke69 and Guigario are being thrown around but no one has confirmed anything as of yet.

What we do know is that the coupe version of Toyota->ke88’s most profitable hybrid model will be approximately 4 inches shorter than the standard version and is expected to be very similar to the current Prius. We did know that a possible MR-2 would be powered by the same Hybrid Synergy Drive 1.8L 2ZR-FXE engine as the current Toyota Prius and should be tuned for a little more power as well as a sportier ride, but now we are not sure what to expect. Either way don’t expect anything before 2010, but at least we know that it will look good.

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