The Prius has become near ubiquitous in the decade since Toyota introduced it, and now there are more than 1 million of them on the road. You can bet that number will keep rising right along with fuel prices. Toyota says cumulative worldwide sales of the Prius hit 1,028,000 last month -- when sales jumped 67 percent amid record gas prices -- and claims the cars have eased global warming "by producing approximately 4.5 million tons less C02 when compared with gasoline-powered vehicles in the same class."
Despite Toyota's impressive sales figures, hybrids are still just 2.3 percent of the U.S. market. That number is sure to change as consumers ditch their gas-guzzlers. Hybrid sales rose 38 percent last year even as overall vehicle sales fell, and with gas prices approaching four bucks a gallon, Toyota's having trouble meeting demand for the Prius.
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