The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric mid-size car developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It first went on sale in Japan in 1997, making it the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. It was subsequently introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those of Japan and North America.

The Toyota Prius is a gas-electric hybrid that sets the standard for environmentally-friendly transportation. This front-wheel drive, five-door liftback delivers comfort, value and a smooth ride, as well as impressive fuel economy and low emissions.

The Prius is available in three trim levels: Standard, Base and Touring. All trim levels employ Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, a hybrid powertrain technology that unites a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a powerful electric drive motor to generate 110 combined horsepower, mated to a continuously variable transmission. Comfort and convenience features including power mirrors, remote keyless entry, automatic air conditioning and a tilt steering wheel with redundant climate and audio controls are standard.

Safety features found on every Prius include anti-lock brakes with brake assist, traction control, front side-impact airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system; vehicle stability control is available on Base and Touring trims. Hybrid-related components are backed by an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty.

Other Information

• Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Corporation
• Class: Hybrid car
• Layout: FF layout
• Assembly: Tsutsumi, Japan (Toyota City); Kariya, Aichi, Japan
• Body style: 5-door hatchback

Price

• MSRP: $22,000 – $24,270
• Invoice: $20,900 – $22,519
• Market Price: $20,864 – $22,449

Links

• Official Toyota Prius site – UK
• Official Toyota worldwide website
• Third Generation (Toyota Official Website)
• Toyota Prius (Wikipedia)

Tags: 2009, Hybrid, Toyota, Toyota Prius