There have been whispers around Toyota's headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, that a certain branch of the automotive division has been in touch with Italian designers, videlicet Carrozzeria and Italdesign. What's noteworthy about this rumor is that the one allegedly reaching out to Italy is Toyota's hybrid team.

So what does the Toyota's hybrid division want with these first-rate designers? Simple. It wants help in styling a sporty two-door version of the Prius.

We hear that the Prius Coupe will make its debut as primeval as January, at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, which is essentially Japan's version of the SEMA show.

More details on the project after the jump.

The Carrozzeria design firm is part of the Bertone Group, a firm that styled many of the classic Italian cars of yesteryear, including Alfa Romeos and Fiats; Italdesign is the creation of noted designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man behind the shapes of such cars as the Lotus Esprit and De Tomaso Mangusta.

Toyota has a strong relationship with both design firms. Toyota and Carrozzeria have worked together in the past, and most recently, they produced a wild one-off Lexus RX 400h that was seen roaming the streets of Italy. Italdesign also has a long history with Toyota. The Italian firm's boss Giugiaro penned the body style of the first-generation Lexus GS (Toyota Aristo) and in 2004, the Giugiaro Alessadanro Volta show car, which used the hybrid powertrain of the RX 400h. So both have history with Toyota, and it makes sense that the giant car company would be working together with these companies.

That Toyota is working on a Prius Coupe makes a lot of sense, especially with Honda's sporty hybrid, the CR-Z coming out next year. Toyota is desperate to maintain its image as the leader in building hybrid cars, and if Honda brings out a sporty hybrid compact and Toyota has no answer…the consequences could be catastrophic.

Early indications are that it'll be slightly more expensive than the Honda CR-Z's 2,500,000 yen, but it will be sexier than its Honda counterpart. The powertrain will remain relatively unchanged. – Mak Tokuyama, Contributor