We’ve got our first look at the dashboard for the new Toyota Prius. The newest addition to the Prius line is rated 50mpg under mixed driving and has a solar panel in the roof that will ventilate the car while it’s parked, thus reducing the power (and use) of your air conditioner when you get back in the car and start moving. The car also uses LED’s in it’s taillights and daytime running lights to reduce power use. [via Gizmodo]

A Japanese newspaper has apparently blown the cover on Toyota‘s secret plans to build a solar-powered vehicle. The Nikkei reported through unknown sources that the model will initially use electricity and solar panels on the roof of the car, with additional charge coming from panels on the owner’s house. A car fully-powered by solar panels will follow, the Nikkei said, but not for years. There’s been no official response from Toyota. We’ve previously heard that the 2010 Prius will offer optional solar panels to power some small functions like air conditioning, but that also hasn’t been confirmed. Simply because it looks awesome, the image above is of Toyota’s Hybrid X concept car. We’ll have to wait to see what a real solar-powered driving machine might look like. [Associated Press via GearLog]

Step aside, Segway, you’ve got competition. The Toyota Winglet Assistance Robots are slated to be the next step in mobile assistance, taking up where the segway left off. While no pricing information has been released yet (as this is just a concept, not yet a production vehicle), we’re pretty certain Toyota will achieve some sort of consumer-ready price. The Winglet travels at speeds around 4mph with a range of 3-6 miles per one hour charge. In other words– you can travel at the amazing speed of walking for just a few of miles. Awesome. We could see these having a cool, helpful value for the disabled– but otherwise you’ll just end up looking like a douchebag moving at 4mph… [thanks autoblog]

Buy: $TBA