Toyota goes car noir with Prius C Persona Series

Because they cater to the young and playful, small cars often come in bright colors -- reds, oranges, greens and even pinks. But Toyota is creating its own dark knight when it come to its smallest hybrid, the Prius C.

Borrowing a page from Henry Ford, or at least a quote, Toyota is going to offer the Persona Series Special Edition of the Prius C in any color you want -- as long as it's black. Not many people will get one because the series will be limited to 1,500 cars.

Persona Series won't entirely be black. The black Prius C will have some color accents in strategic places, like the lower front grille, beneath the headlights and on the trim under the side windows. There will be two choices for trim colors:: "electric lime" or "cherry pearl."

Gas mileage remains Prius C's selling point, with 53 miles per gallon in the city.

It has a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine that puts out 73 horsepower. When combined with the power of the electric motors, the output is boosted to 99 horsepower.

Follow Chris Woodyard on Twitter at @chriswoodyard