Toyota’s pioneering hybrid car launched in Japan in 1997 was the Prius. Toyota developed it as a low-emission “car for the 21st century,” combining a gasoline engine with electric motors and a battery pack.
The first-generation Prius, model NHW10, went on sale on 10 December 1997 through Toyota’s Japanese dealer network. It became the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. Toyota had previewed the concept at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show, and the production version was built at the Takaoka plant in Aichi.
The original Prius was a compact four-door sedan and was sold only in Japan at first. A revised version reached overseas markets from 2000, including the United States and Europe. The name Prius comes from Latin and means “prior” or “before,” reflecting Toyota’s idea that the car represented an early step toward future vehicles.
A common mix-up is confusing the Prius with the later Honda Insight, which arrived in 1999. The Insight was an important early hybrid, but it was not the first mass-produced hybrid car.