Prius turns 20

It’s been two decades since the Toyota Prius first rolled off the production line in 1997.

The Prius was introduced to New Zealand in 2003 when the second-generation model was launched.

Since then, Toyota New Zealand has sold more than 4700 new Prius, Prius c and Prius v, while another 6600 have been imported second hand.

“The Prius has provided more fuel-efficient motoring for increasing numbers of Kiwis,” Toyota New Zealand general manager of product Spencer Morris says.

“The Prius c has been particularly successful, suiting city and urban driving requirements for private motorists and businesses located in town.”

The Prius has seen plenty of change over the years, with the 2003 second-generation model five-door hatchback featuring the distinctive aerodynamic styling, replacing the conventional sedan shape.

In 2009, the third-generation Prius came with a 1.8 litre petrol engine which has a lower fuel consumption, aided by an electric water pump, doing away with the fuel-wasting auxiliary drive belt

“It would be good to see the government offer more encouragement towards fuel-efficient vehicles, including hybrids, so we can meet the expectations of the Paris climate change agreement and future carbon reduction requirements.”

Since 2012 the Prius has been joined in the New Zealand market by the Prius c, a smaller compact hatch, with 1900 cars already sold and the seven-seater Prius v with close to 200 sales to the end of July this year.

Worldwide Toyota has now sold more than 10 million hybrid vehicles, including the Camry hybrid and a new Corolla hybrid.