Toyota Prius Celebrates Millionth Milestone

Last week, sales of the most popular in the world and first mass-produced gas-electric car, the Toyota Prius, hit the one million mark! This HUGE milestone was probably inconceivable when the first generation Prius was introduced in 1997. Back then gas was cheap and few were concerned about such things as mpg and fuel economy. 11 years later, times have changed and it is no surprise that the Prius has captured the interests of drivers globally.

Toyota Motor Corporation announced that approximately 1,028,000 units were sold as of the end April 2008 and that figure continues to rise. TMC also proudly claims that Prius vehicles around the world have produced approximately 4.5 million tons less of global warming gases compared with standard fuel engine vehicles.

As gas prices continue to take a toll on our pocketbooks, the Prius, with an EPA-estimated combined city/highway average rating of 46 mpg, will likely be seen more frequently on the roadways. Toyota aims to sell 1 million or more hybrid vehicles annually.

If you are at all interested in grabbing a Prius for yourself, stop by Checkered Flag Toyota at 5301 Virginia Beach Blvd. More than one salesperson told me that some local Prius owners are taking advantage of the high demand and excellent trade-in values and swapping for some of the other Toyota fuel efficient models (like the Camry hybrid, also growing in popularity). If you have questions about availability, use the inventory search tool on CheckeredFlag.com or call CF Toyota at 490-1111.