What started out as a niche green car when Toyota unveiled the first generation Prius in 1997 has become a huge success with Toyota announcing that cumulative sales have passed the 1 million mark, with approximately 1,028,000 units sold as of the end of April, 2008. The model that created all the hybrid buzz was launched in Japan in 1997 and began selling in Europe, North America and other markets in 2000. In 2003, the Japanese carmaker introduced the current, second-generation Prius. Two years later, Toyota began first overseas production of the Prius in Changchun, China. -Continued
Toyota says that Prius vehicles worldwide have contributed to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions by producing approximately 4.5 million tons less CO2 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class and of similar size and driving performance.
Of the 1,028,000 Prius sales worldwide, 591,600 were sold in North America and 315,000 in Japan and 100,700 in Europe Toyota said.
What started out as a niche green car when 
