Three generations and hundreds of thousands of sales after the Prius first launched in the U.S., Toyota is busy developing its extended Prius family. Following up on the Prius V - a larger, wagonesque hatchback that's already on sale in the U.S. -- Toyota is preparing to launch the third salvo in its Prius brand expansion next spring with the 2012 Toyota Prius C subcompact.

Though far smaller than its progenitor, the 2012 Prius C retains much of the styling that's helped Toyota's hybrid stand out from the crowd. Its pinched nose, slit-like grille, triangular foglight openings, aerodynamic front splitter, and hood strakes are all reminiscent of the larger Prius. From the rear, too, the C apes its forbear thanks to a roof spoiler, clear vertical taillights, and an angular rear bumper. Seen in profile, the Prius C looks like Toyota simply chopped the rear off a regular Prius.

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What makes this new Prius C popular? Well, according to many, this latest car offers the best fuel economy of any hybrid on the market. Within a couple of months of release, there is a 120,000 order backlog in Japan and over 1,200 of them sold in the United States. To be able to satiate demand, Toyota is increasing production.