The Toyota Prius became the first mass-produced hybrid car when Toyota launched it in 1997.
Toyota introduced the first-generation Prius in Japan in December 1997. Its name means “prior” in Latin, reflecting Toyota’s intention to position the car as a forward-looking environmental technology.
The Prius combined a gasoline engine with electric motor-generators and a battery pack through Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive concept. The system could select or combine power sources to improve fuel efficiency, especially in urban driving.
Earlier experimental and limited-production hybrid vehicles existed, including the 1900 Lohner-Porsche, but the Prius was the first hybrid passenger car produced and sold on a mass-market scale. Its success helped make hybrid technology familiar worldwide and influenced later electrified vehicles.