2010 Toyota Prius: Are these Pictures for Real?

*UPDATE: Toyota Officially Confirms That These Pictures are Indeed Real - Click Here for Details

We've seen one too many hoaxes on the internet the past few years to hastily pass these pictures of the 2010 Toyota Prius from the Priuschat forums as being the real deal. However we must admit that, especially in what concerns the interior photos, there do look pretty convincing. Feel free to tell us what you think about their authenticity by leaving us a comment.

Officially, the third generation Prius that will compete head on with Honda's all-new Insight Hybrid (see our xtra large gallery here and the video here) scheduled to be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2009, with worldwide sales following shortly after. Sources within Toyota have stated that the new hybrid model will be slightly larger in dimensions than the current Prius. -Continued

We've also heard that while the 2010 Prius will retain the nickel-metal batteries -at least in the beginning of its career- Toyota will use a larger in displacement yet more fuel efficient 4-cylinder engine than the current 1.5-liter unit.

Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Priuschat