Toyota produced the Prius and was the world’s largest automaker by vehicle sales in 2023.
Toyota Motor Corporation reported global group vehicle sales of about 10.5 million units in 2023, retaining the top position ahead of Volkswagen Group. The total included vehicles sold by Toyota and affiliated brands and subsidiaries, so comparisons depend on each company’s reporting scope.
The Prius, introduced in Japan in 1997 and globally in 2000, helped make hybrid cars familiar to mass-market buyers. Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive combined a gasoline engine with electric motors and a battery, allowing regenerative braking and efficient operation. Toyota also sells conventional vehicles, battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and fuel-cell models.
Toyota began as a division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works and became a separate company in 1937. Its production system emphasized just-in-time manufacturing, standardized work, and continuous improvement, concepts that influenced factories worldwide. A common mix-up is treating the Prius as a fully electric car: traditional Prius models are hybrids that include a gasoline engine.