2006 Toyota Prius Model Update

Hollywood's Hybrid

Toyota's unmistakably green machine gets minor updates for 2006, including added features and styling tweaks.

Did You Know?

The Toyota Prius was the world’s first gas/electric hybrid-powered production vehicle when it went on sale in Japan in 1997. It wasn't the first hybrid sold in the U.S., however.

2001 Toyota Prius + enlarge image

That distinction goes to the Honda Insight, which debuted in December 1999. The Prius was brought to American shores in 2001. It was subsequently redesigned as a larger hatchback model — the EPA now classifies it as a midsize car by virtue of its interior volume — with a new hybrid powertrain for the 2004 model year.

Buyers have been known to wait weeks and even months to take delivery of a new Prius, and it remains a trendy choice among environmentally conscious Hollywood celebrities. One of the reasons for its continued popularity is the fact that, unlike most hybrids on the market, the Prius looks the part of a forward-thinking vehicle, with futuristic styling inside and out.

In some states, owners of hybrid vehicles like the Prius enjoy certain privileges, like being able to drive in carpool lanes with only one occupant.

Prius is Latin for "to go before," so Toyota sees its innovative hybrid vehicle as a predecessor of cars to come. It's built at the automaker's Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota City, Japan. Priuses sold in Japan and Europe can be equipped with a novel system, not offered in the U.S., that allows the car to perform parallel and reverse-parking maneuvers assisted by the onboard computer. It’s not quite a self-parking vehicle in that regard, but it comes close.