[whopper]

I wonder are these just to make a car look cooler or do they actually serve a practical purpose?

Anyone know?

http://www.toyotapartsstore.com/product ... ts_id=2729

 

[mrv]

your link goes to front seat covers, not to a front end mask/bra.

I think that what you want is:
http://www.toyota.com/prius/accessories ... ?=frntmask

Yes, it is for looks. Yes, it is to keep the front of the car that is covered by the mask free of squished-bugs and rock chips.

 

[snowdall]

They were particularly popular when I lived in Boulder, CO since during the winter they sand the roads there ... only it's a bit more like fine gravel than sand. As a result, the front ends of everyone's cars ended up looking like it had been machine-gunned with all the rock chips from this gravel being kicked up by other cars. To protect it, most folks got bras.

Snowdall