Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is a hybrid compact car manufactured by Toyota since 1997. It debuted as a four-door sedan before changing to a five-door liftback design in 2003. Across five generations, the model established gasoline-electric powertrains in mass automotive production and expanded into global export markets.

Commercial sales began in Japan in December 1997, marking the arrival of the first mass-produced hybrid passenger car. Global distribution followed in 2000, reaching dealerships in North America and Europe. The second generation arrived in 2003 with an aerodynamic hatchback profile and an electric air conditioning compressor. Toyota added a third generation in 2009, which introduced a solar-powered ventilation roof option. Cumulative global sales of the nameplate passed one million units in 2008 and surpassed five million vehicles by 2021, produced primarily at assembly plants in Toyota City, Japan.

Hollywood celebrities drove the second-generation car during the 2000s, bringing the model into public attention at Academy Award ceremonies and in television programs. In 2012, Toyota expanded the lineup to include a family wagon, a subcompact hatchback, and a plug-in hybrid. The fifth-generation model launched in late 2022 with a combined power output of 144 kW (193 hp) and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds, reaching a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph). Japanese sales records listed the vehicle as the best-selling car in Japan in 2009 and 2010.

Industry juries awarded the first generation the Japan Car of the Year prize in 1997. The second generation won European Car of the Year in 2005 and North American Car of the Year in 2004. In 2024, the fifth generation collected North American Car of the Year and the World Car Design of the Year trophy at the New York International Auto Show. Consumer testing by Motor Trend named the car its 2004 Car of the Year. Production continues at the Tsutsumi assembly plant in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture.