Toyota Prius

Toyota Prius
Overview
ManufacturerToyota
ProductionDecember 1997 – present
Model years2001–present (US)
Body and chassis
Class
Body style
Layout
Release timeline
1997XW10
1998–2002
2003XW20
2004–2008
2009XW30
2010
2011Prius V
Prius C
2012Plug-in XW30
2013–2014
2015XW50
2016Plug-in XW50
2017–2021
2022XW60
2023Plug-in XW60

The Toyota Prius (/ˈprəs/ PREE-əss) (Japanese: トヨタ・プリウス, Hepburn: Toyota Puriusu) is a compact/small family liftback (supermini/subcompact sedan until 2003) produced by Toyota. The Prius has a hybrid drivetrain, combined with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Initially offered as a four-door sedan, it has been produced only as a five-door liftback since 2003.

The Prius was developed by Toyota to be the "car for the 21st century";[1][2] it was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle,[3] first going on sale in Japan in 1997 at all four Toyota Japan dealership chains,[3] and subsequently introduced worldwide in 2000.[4]

In 2011, Toyota expanded the Prius family to include the Prius v, an MPV, and the Prius c, a subcompact hatchback. The production version of the Prius plug-in hybrid was released in 2012. The second generation of the plug-in variant, the Prius Prime, was released in the U.S. in November 2016.[5] The Prius family totaled global cumulative sales of 6.1 million units in January 2017, representing 61% of the 10 million hybrids sold worldwide by Toyota since 1997.[6] Toyota sells the Prius in over 90 markets, with Japan and the United States being its largest markets.[7]

  1. ^ Blog, Toyota (11 December 2012). "15 years of the Toyota Prius". Toyota UK Magazine. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Secret story of the first Prius: New century, new car". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "History of the Toyota Prius". UK: Toyota. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  4. ^ "Worldwide sales of Toyota Motor hybrids top 4M units; Prius family accounts for almost 72%". Green Car Congress. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference 1stPriusPrime was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TMC10miHEVs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference TMC9miHEVs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).