– By TOM KRISHER

The Associated Press

Additional Photos

Photo courtesy Toyota The Prius is no longer a niche vehicle for environmentalists.

DETROIT – The Toyota Prius hybrid, once viewed as a science experiment for environmentalists, has become a mainstream vehicle in the United States, with sales of more than a million of the cars nationwide.

Toyota announced Wednesday that it had passed the million sales milestone, helped by brisk sales as U.S. gasoline prices continued toward $4 per gallon.

The Prius, which is powered by both a gasoline engine and an electric motor, gets an estimated 51 miles per gallon in the city and 48 on the highway. Aside from electric vehicles, it is the most fuel-efficient car in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Prius paved the way for hybrids,” Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager in the U.S., said in a statement.

Toyota began selling the Prius 11 years ago when gas prices were low. At first it was a car for the environmentally conscious, but as prices spiked, its popularity increased. In the first quarter of this year, Toyota already has sold nearly 43,000, which is 52 percent more than at the same time last year, according to Autodata Corp. In 2010, the company sold more than 140,000 Priuses.

Prius sales worldwide topped 2 million last year, and Toyota said its total global hybrid vehicle sales passed the 3 million mark in last month.

Related Stories