Toyota Prius reaches one million sold in the U.S.

The one million milestone in the U.S. follows Prius sales worldwide going over two million in October 2010, and global Toyota hybrid reaching three million last month.

"Prius paved the way for hybrids and while it is still the hybrid leader in sales and fuel economy," said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager, "I'm proud to say that since its introduction, 13 other auto brands have seen the benefits of hybrid technology and joined the hybrid market."

Prius has the highest fuel economy of any model sold in the U.S., according EPA standards, and Toyota has calculated that compared to the average car, American drivers have saved more than 881 million gallons of gas, $2.19 billion in fuel costs and 12.4 million tons of CO2 emissions.

Toyota will finally begin to build on the success of the Prius with more Prius models (though still as a sub-brand of Toyota). The Toyota Prius v adds 50 percent more interior cargo space than the standard Prius hatchback and will go on sale in the third quarter of 2011. The Prius v will be followed by two more Prius models in early 2012, the Toyota Prius c compact hybrid vehicle, smaller than the standard Prius, and the Prius Plug-In Hybrid vehicle.

It's a safe bet to predict that the next million Toyota Prius total vehicle sales will not take as long as the first.

Photo: newsroom.toyota.com