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Toyota Prius MPV spied First pictures of seven-seat, 70mpg Toyota Prius people carrier.
It’s the hybrid every family will want – a seven-seat, 70mpg version of the Toyota Prius. And we can reveal that in a surprise U-turn, the firm will be selling it in the UK.

“It works too well for us to ignore,” said an insider. “Hybrid and three rows of seats is a combination that we think will have families, and taxi operators, chomping at the bit.”

The as-yet-unnamed addition to the Prius family was originally vetoed by Toyota because it was thought it would take sales away from the Verso seven-seater. Now, that decision has been overturned – and the company is set to launch what will be the UK’s first hybrid MPV when it goes on sale next year.

Spied here during final trials ahead of its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January, the car is longer (by about 250mm) and taller than the regular Prius, with a much less sloping rear end to provide sufficient headroom for people in the third row of seats.

The Prius family will be joined in 2012 by a plug-in hybrid with longer-range lithium-ion batteries. The seven-seater will also feature those advanced batteries – one reason why buyers are unlikely to get change from £25,000

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