Thaindian News

TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) — Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., on Wednesday announced the one-millionth sale of the Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle, in the United States, which is currently seeing its average gas prices reach almost $4 a gallon.

According to Toyota Division group vice president and general manager Bob Carter, Prius has accounted for more than 60 percent of hybrid passenger car sales so far this year, noting that since its introduction, 13 other auto brands have used hybrid technology to join the market.

Prius was introduced in the U.S. in 2000, and according to Toyota, when compared to the average car, the vehicle has saved U.S. consumers more than an estimated 881 million gallons of gas, $2.19 billion in fuel costs, and 12.4 million tons of CO2 emissions, as the vehicle gets an estimated 51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 on the highway.

The announcement is the third milestone for Toyota’s hybrid lineup in the last six months that started with the announcement of worldwide Toyota Prius sales topping two million last October and overall global Toyota hybrid sales passing three million last month.

The third-generation Prius topped the EPA’s list of the Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles for 2011. It has been named the Best Overall Value of the Year for the last nine years in a row by IntelliChoice, and has the highest owner loyalty of any mid-size vehicle for four of the last five years according to R.L. Polk, with more than 97 percent of all Toyota Prius sold since 2000 are still on the road.