Honda is planning a Prius rival for 2009. Taking cues from the FCX fuel cell sedan that Honda displayed in Tokyo, the next-generation hybrid car will be produced in a number of 200,000 units a year.

Honda Chief Operating Officer Takanobu Ito declined to say whether the new hybrid will use a lithium ion battery, which has not been launched in production cars yet, or the nickel-metal hydride batteries common in today’s hybrids. He said the model will be priced under the Honda Civic Hybrid and will compete with the Toyota Prius.

Also Honda announced that they are working on a hybrid model based on the CR-Z, a small, sporty hybrid also on display at the Tokyo show. Ito said companies will increasingly test the market for hybrid sports cars because the cars allow for high torque and quick acceleration. But he predicted that it could take more than a decade for such a segment to become established.