Toyota Prius – A Successful Pioneering in Hybrid Vehicle World

Abstract

With more than 4,000,000 units sold worldwide, Toyota Prius represent a successful story in the hybrid electric vehicles industry. The paper presents the economic and social context that led to the development of this new type of car and the evolution of Toyota Prius, which arrive now at the third generation. This spectacular achievement was the result of an impressive R&D effort that led to hundreds of new inventions and innovations. Some of them (engine cycle, battery, hybrid system etc.) are presented in this paper, with emphasis on truly revolutionary solutions for the automotive industry, which clearly distinguishes Toyota Prius from other hybrid vehicles. Besides the innovative character, these solutions offer better environmental and economic performance, but without compromising the well-known Toyota reliability. Toyota Hybrid System receives his confirmation by the prestigious organization TUV Germany, which ranks Toyota Prius first in reliability top in the recent years. We can thus say that besides the economic and ecological advantages Prius has made an important contribution to growth and strengthening Toyota brand, being a truly successful product.