Toyota Prius

In 1995, Toyota debuted a hybrid concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, with testing following a year later. The first Prius, model NHW10, went on sale on December 10, 1997. It was available only in Japan, though it has been imported privately to at least the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

In 1995, Toyota debuted a hybrid concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, with testing following a year later.^[21] The first Prius, model NHW10, went on sale on December 10, 1997.^[22][23] It was available only in Japan, though it has been imported privately to at least the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.^[24]

The first generation Prius, at its launch, became the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. At its introduction in 1997, it won the Car of the Year Japan Award, and in 1998, it won the Automotive Researchers' and Journalists' Conference Car of the Year award in Japan.

Production commenced in December 1997 at the Takaoka plant in Toyota, Aichi, ending in February 2000 after cumulative production of 37,425 vehicles.^[25] Production recommenced in May 2000 at the Motomachi plant in the same area, before XW10 manufacture ended in June 2003 after a further 33,411 vehicles had been produced.^[26]

The NHW10 Prius styling originated from California designers, who were selected over competing designs from other Toyota design studios.^[23]

In the United States, the NHW11 was the first Prius to be sold. The Prius was marketed between the smaller Corolla and the larger Camry. The published retail price of the car was US$19,995.^[27] The NHW11 Prius became more powerful partly to satisfy the higher speeds and longer distances that Americans drive.^[28] Air conditioning and electric power steering were standard equipment.^[29] The vehicle was the second mass-produced hybrid on the American market, after the two-seat Honda Insight.^[30] While the larger Prius could seat five, its battery pack restricted cargo space.

The US EPA (CARB) classified the car with an air pollution score of 3 out of 10 as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).^[31] Prius owners were eligible for up to a US$2,000 federal tax deduction from their gross income.^[30] In contrast with the NW10, Toyota executives stated that the company broke even financially on sales of the NHW11 Prius.^[30]

European sales began in September 2000.^[32] The official launch of the Prius in Australia occurred at the October 2001 Sydney Motor Show,^[33] although sales were slow until the NHW20 (XW20) model arrived. Toyota sold about 123,000 first generation Prii.^[7]