Toyota Prius

 

 

                                                                             Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius is one of the world's first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid automobiles. Manufactured by Toyota, the Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997. The car was introduced to the worldwide market in 2000 and almost 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and North America as of the end of 2003. In Latin, prius means "before" or "first". The Prius (2000 to 2003 model years) is certified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The 2004 model is certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV),

which means it earns PZEV credits, as opposed to it being a Zero Emissions vehicle part of the time.

The car was voted 2005 European Car of the Year, after the fuel-sipping sedan picked up the corresponding Motor Trend Car of the Year title for 2004. The Prius won the North American Car of the Year award for 2004 and was nominated in 2001.