Key facts
- Manufacturer
- Toyota
- Production
- December 1997 – present
- Model years
- 2001–present (US)
- Class
- Subcompact / supermini ( B ) (1997–2003) Compact / small family car ( C ) (2003–present)
- Body style
- 4-door saloon (1997–2003) 5-door liftback (2003–present)
- Layout
- Front-engine, front-wheel-drive Front-engine, four-wheel-drive ( E-Four )
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
The Toyota Prius (/ˈpriːəs/ PREE-əss) (Japanese: トヨタ・プリウス, Hepburn: Toyota Puriusu) is a car produced by Toyota since 1997 over five generations. The Prius has a hybrid drivetrain, called Hybrid Synergy Drive, which combines an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Initially offered as a subcompact four-door saloon, it has been produced only as a compact five-door liftback since 2003.
The Prius was developed by Toyota to be the "car for the 21st century"; it was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, first going on sale in Japan in 1997 at all four Toyota Japan dealership chains, and subsequently introduced worldwide in 2000.