What was Toyota's first mass-produced hybrid car?

Toyota’s first mass-produced hybrid car was the Prius.

The first-generation Toyota Prius went on sale in Japan on December 10, 1997. It became the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle, combining a petrol engine with electric motors and a battery pack. Toyota designed it as a practical, lower-emission car for what it called the “21st century.”

Development began with Toyota’s G21 project in the early 1990s. The company showed a Prius hybrid concept at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show and began testing the production design in 1996. The name “Prius” comes from Latin and means “before,” reflecting Toyota’s view of the car as a predecessor to future vehicles.

The Prius was initially a four-door sedan sold only in Japan. Toyota introduced an updated first-generation version to overseas markets in 2000, and later generations helped make hybrid technology familiar worldwide. Honda’s Insight followed in 1999, but it was not Toyota’s first mass-produced hybrid; that distinction belongs to the Prius.