I keep seeing people refer to the Prius as being a gen 2 (II) or 3 (III), and realize they are talking about a certain year range, but what is that range. I never see anyone refer to Gen 1. Is it that bad?
gen I is 99-2003 (iconic or classic) gen II is 2004 -2009 (completely different vehicle) and gen III began in 2010 model year. updated styling , new center console and many technical improvements.
GenI 1998-2003 GenII 2004-2009 GenIII 2010-Present GenIs are much less common than the later years so you do not see as many drivers of GenIs on this forum. There is a section dedicated to to GenI information though.
Bob welcome to PC. Gen 1 was the original Prius 1998-2003 .Gen 2 2004-2009, Gen3 2010 2011 so far so good. Prius V and Prius C to come in the future along with Prius PHEV.
The Prius started selling officially in Japan on December 10th, 1997. I don't know whether that first model was labeled a 1998 or a 1997. Source:BW Online | December 15, 1997 | JAPAN'S HYBRID CARS (int'l edition)
In John's chart, Original would be the (non-US) '98-'00, Classic the '01-'03 sedan, Iconic the '04-09, and 2010 the '10-'11 (& counting).
Bob, the generation reference is not unique to the Prius. We also had different generations in 4Runners as well. When Toyota comes out with a major change or update rather than minor yearly refreshes, they'll start a new generation designation. Also don't confuse the new Prius V (uppercase) with someone drivng a 2010 Prius with "accessory package 5".
Welcome to PriusChat. I'm sure by now, someone has explained the Gen differences. Lots to read and share here on PriusChat. Enjoy.
Toyota refers to the model year 2010 and later (current, regular) Prius as the ... "3rd generation Prius" >> 2010 + Often this gets translated to 'Gen III' Prius, but that's not so good since there was a 2010 Prius III (trim level 3) and 2010 Prius II, IV and V. I just call it 3rd gen or 2nd gen (04-09) Hold on though, 'cause there's a whole family of Priuses coming within 2 years - Prius, Prius v, PHV Prius and Prius c
Technically, 1997. I think North America is one of the few places that label their cars by model year. Most would label it by the year of manufacturer, others label it as the year it was registered. IOW, we would've called it a 1998 Prius but in Japan, if you bought your car in Dec (and maybe Jan), it would've been one of the rare 1997s. I'm sure other folks can give a more detailed explanation.
bob, if you would care to chime in with a 'thanks, got it' or a 'let me see if i've got this straight' or even, 'i'm more confused than ever!' we could close this thread or try to do a better job explaining. but perhaps your watching and wondering if every member is going to chime in with their interpretation.
bob tell you a story,everyone that is counting the models,out by one. i was working at lexus in japan when nhw10 was released to jdm. US spec calls nhw11 the first gen,as it was the first released to the US
