Rediscovering the Wonders of the Toyota Prius Hybrid Car

Motor Trends Car of the Year for 2004, North American Car of the Year in 2004, 2004 International Engine of the Year, 2005 European Car of the Year, 2006 Energuide Award in the Midsize segment, this and more are the accolades given to the Toyota Prius Hybrid Car. Undoubtedly one of the most popular and most regarded competitor in the ever growing hybrid car segment, the Toyota Prius has definitely made a marked in the motor industry.

The Toyota Prius is a Hybrid car that makes a bold statement against environmental issues and the rising gas prices. It is also the first ever mass-produced hybrid car for commercial purposes. Its name itself means first.

The Toyota Prius hybrid car was first sold in Japan in 1997 before it was distributed all over the globe 4 years later in 2001. Its popularity was boosted by environmentalists touting it as the car for the future to save our planet from air pollution. Sales in North America ws strong and increasing annually. By fall of 2006, the Toyota Prius hybrid car had the strongest demand and has the longest preorder and waiting list there is presently.

Toyota sees the Prius as a venue that would provide the consumers with a vehicle that would produce less pollution and to be very energy efficient. And Toyota certainly reached that goal. They created the Prius from the bottom up resulting to a true hybrid vehicle that is loved worldwide.

Toyota engineers came up with a couple of ways to develop the Toyota Prius hybrid car to be unlike other previous concept electric cars, the Prius doesn’t ever need to be plugged in for recharging. The two electric motor generators get its power from the gas engine, recharging while the engine power is being used. Also, through regenerative braking, a process that recovers kinetic energy when the car brakes and transforming it to electrical energy to recharge the batteries.

By 2004 a second generation of Toyota Prius hybrid car was released on the market. Capitalizing on the development of the new Hybrid Synbergy Drive technology, the previous Toyota Hybrid System was replaced in the new generation Toyota Hybrids. Many improvements were developed and infused in the technology making the Toyota Prius hybrid car even better than before.

Aside from the engine, Toyota added more room to the Toyota Prius hybrid car making it wider and taller allowing for taller people to sit erect inside the car and allowing more views of the road.

Because of the success brought by the Toyota Prius hybrid car and the public awareness it has developed, Toyota has extended its Hybrid lineup to their other vehicles. This includes the Toyota Camry hybrid and their top of the line Lexus marquee with the Lexus RX400H.

Truly, the Toyota Prius hybrid car has gone a long way. Its engineering superiority and its excellent reputation has made it a great choice for many people. Even a lot of notable famous people have bought themselves a Toyota Prius hybrid car to show their support to environmental awareness.

Toyota has definitely hit the nail in the head with the Toyota Prius hybrid car and we can expect to see more of this technology in the future. With Toyota's dedication to this endeavor, we can be sure that we can finally cut down on gas consumption and save our planet.