The Toyota Prius came to the limelight and rose to stardom, mainly because of its extraordinary fuel efficiency and hybrid drivetrain technology. ![]() By 2013, they had sold 3 million units of the car worldwide. The Prius V is an SUV-like version of the car, while the Prius C is a compact version. In 2008, less than a decade after Toyota Prius was open for worldwide consumption, Prius hit the 1-million-unit-sold milestone and in 2011, Toyota introduced new models of the car with advanced capabilities and slightly different body styles. Ford, however, withdrew in 2013, asserting that its own technology was more appropriate for a pickup and that it would release a hybrid truck by the end of the decade. The partnership almost became a reality when the automakers discussed building a specifically designed hybrid powertrain for trucks and SUVs in 2011. These conversations lasted for nearly ten years on and off. The Prius and its hybrid technology were winning more hearts and getting more fans because of its exceptional performance and by the mid-2000s, Ford couldn’t act uninterested anymore, resulting in Ford and Toyota entering discussions on a possible technical alliance. In the US market, Toyota made the car available for just $19,995 - better still, Prius owners were eligible for a knock-off of around $2,000 federal tax from their gross income due to its low carbon emission capability. The small hybrid car had a combined 53 mpg, 61/49 highway/city, but soon after the Toyota Prius touchdown, it relegated the Honda Insight to second fiddle and became the symbol of the hybrid drivetrain and fuel efficiency. Honda, in 1999, put the two-door Honda Insight on the North American market. Though the Toyota Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid car, it was not the first of its kind on the US market. The system has evolved significantly over the years and is still used today. Toyota named this drivetrain Hybrid Synergy Drive. A second electric motor that also functions as the gas engine's starter powers the electric drive motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. It sports a 44-horsepower electric drive motor with a gas engine that produces 70 horsepower. The car was available to worldwide consumers in 2000, and it hit the US market in 2001. ![]() In less than a year of its introduction, the hybrid car swept many awards in the bag. A couple of years later in 1997, the Toyota Prius, with the model name NHW10, became the world's first mass-produced hybrid drivetrain car. In 1995, Toyota gave automobile enthusiasts a glimpse of what was to come at the Tokyo Motor Show.
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