Toyota launched the Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid passenger car.
Toyota introduced the first-generation Prius in Japan in 1997 and began selling it internationally in 2000. The car combined a gasoline engine with an electric motor and battery, allowing the powertrain to use different energy sources depending on driving conditions.
Earlier hybrid prototypes and limited-production vehicles existed, including the Armstrong Phaeton and the 1997 Audi Duo, so the Prius was not the first hybrid automobile ever built. Its distinction is its large-scale commercial production and global availability as a purpose-designed hybrid passenger car. The name “Prius” comes from a Latin word meaning “before,” reflecting Toyota’s positioning of the model as forward-looking technology.