Precision Toyota of Tucson

Prius Timeline: Significant Dates and Milestones

1990: Meetings begin concept work on Project G21, "a car for the 21st Century", in Toyota City and Higashifugi Technical Center. Fuel economy target was 20 kilometers per liter, about 50% better than other passenger cars of the time.

1994 (January): Project team addresses drivetrain, chassis and packaging decisions. The team was granted the right to develop new parts from scratch "if necessary".

1994 (July): G21 Project, Phase III begins, accelerating development for production of the Prius parallel to development of Toyota's experimental hybrid system.

1995 (June): Toyota Hybrid System approved and code-named 890T.

1995 (October): Hybrid concept Prius displayed at Tokyo Motor Show with propulsion system described as Toyota-EMS ("Energy Management System").

1996 (December): Anticipating the future EV and hybrid vehicle market, Panasonic EV Energy was established as a joint venture between Matsushita and Toyota.

1997 (December): Gen 1 Prius launched in Japan after a final design period of 17 months. Wins Japan Car of the Year award and Global Climate Protection Award from the U.S. EPA, among other accolades.

1998: Announced in July that Toyota would export 20,000 units annually to North America and Europe.

2000: Post-Prius era of automotive history begins. From this time on, the concept of environmental performance begins to take root, and all economy cars would be compared to the Prius.

2003: Prius sales hit 24,000 units, double the number originally planned.

2004: Second generation Prius launched, called "Car of the Year" by Motor Trend Magazine.

2007: Total U.S. Prius sales reach 500,000 units since it first launched in July 2000.

2008: National average gas prices hit $4.09 per gallon on July 7.

2009: Third generation Prius launched as 2010 model with larger 1.8-liter engine, 0.25 coefficient of drag and 51 mpg City.