Toyota Prius: It is a hybrid electric vehicle and one of the first such vehicles to be massproduced
and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001.
By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and
North America. The Prius has won several awards, including the Car of the Year Japan in
1997/98, the North American Car of the Year 2004, and the European Car of the Year 2005.
EPA has recently revised environmental standards and the Prius 2007 has been acknowledged
as the most fuel efficient car sold in the US. Its market share in the US is growing each year. In
2000, Prius market share in the US was very negligible but by 2005 out of its total sale the US
alone had consumed about seventy percent.