Prius. Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive. Full Hybrid, Full Satisfaction

Launched in Japan in 1997 and in Europe in 2000, the first generation Prius was the world's first mass-produced full hybrid vehicle. The name Prius, 'to go before' in Latin, quickly became symbolic of a car that was launched even before environmental awareness had become a mainstream social issue. A brilliant work in progress, three generations of the car have seen significant improvements to successive evolutions of Toyota's full hybrid drivetrain. A new, lightweight, 1.8-litre petrol engine replaces the 1.5-litre unit of the current Prius. Total system power output has been increased by over 30% to 136bhp (100kw), yet fuel consumption has been reduced by over 23% to only 3.9l/100 km (72.4mpg), and CO2 emissions reducing by almost 26% to just 89 g/km- a best-in-market figure unmatched by any other family car.

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