Jul. 14, 1998
Toyota to Introduce Prius in Overseas Markets
Plans to sell approximately 20,000 units annually
in North America and Europe
Tokyo―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that the Prius, equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System (THS), will be introduced in the North American and European markets by the year 2000. Total sales volume will be approximately 20,000 units per year in the North American and European market combined.
TMC is actively promoting many different types of environmental technologies, including the THS, which achieves revolutionary improvements in fuel efficiency and emissions performance.
The pioneering THS powertrain enables the Prius, on sale in Japan since last December, to achieve excellent fuel economy (28 km/L*) together with very clean emissions performance (CO, HC, and NOx emissions reduced to approximately 1/10 level of Japanese standards*).
*Under Japan's 10-15 test mode.
With total sales of over 7,700 units**, Prius has enjoyed considerable popularity, as well as positive interest from around the world.
**Japanese vehicle registrations as of June 1998.
As for the 2000 North American and European introduction, Toyota is planning to use the next two years to develop a THS vehicle optimized to the usage conditions of each market.
