One Million Priuses Sold

Toyota is celebrating a huge milestone: this month, sales of the Prius passed 1 million. And they’ve already set their next goal: selling 1 million more of the hybrids by the early 2010s. Toyota estimates that, so far, Priuses have helped drivers avoid making around 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The real selling point lately, though, is the fact that in many parts of the U.S., you can still fill a Prius’ tank for under $30. The sales have been mostly concentrated in North America and Japan (and include my household!), but the Prius is available in a total of 40 countries.

If nothing else, these sales prove the that greener vehicles are not a niche market — selling 1 million Priuses means that there is a significant market of people more than happy to pick up a hybrid (and probably willing to consider an entirely different fuel as well). Congratulations, Toyota!