[8] Noted for its more aerodynamic bodywork and a claimed drag coefficient of Cd=0.25, an underbody rear fin helps stabilize the vehicle at higher speeds.

[9] The powertrain concept largely carried over from the previous XW20 generation, with engine displacement increasing to 1.8 litres and the transaxle changing to the THS III.

The two principal crops are kenaf (a member of the hibiscus family and related to cotton and okra) and ramie, commonly known as China grass and one of the strongest natural fibres, similar to flax in absorbency and density.

The device met the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's guidelines issued in January 2010 for hybrid and other near-silent vehicles.

The plug-in demonstration version is based on a third generation Toyota Prius outfitted with 5.2 kWh lithium-ion batteries,[15][16] with an all-electric range of 21 km (13 mi).

[17] The global demonstration program involving 600 pre-production test cars began in late 2009 and took place in Japan, Europe, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Modifications from the demonstration vehicle to improve efficiency allow the production plug-in to achieve an all-electric range of 23 km (14.3 mi) with a smaller 4.4-kWh lithium-ion battery.

[21] The Prius PHV was released in Japan in January 2012, deliveries in the United States began in late February 2012, and in the European market in June 2012.

[31] Wozniak later maintained that he was misquoted, but did have an individual vehicle and customer service issue,[31] while auto journalists and other Prius drivers suggested user error.

[37] On February 14, 2014, Toyota announced a global recall of third generation Prius related to a software fault in the hybrid-control system which might cause the hybrid drive inverter transistors to overheat and cause the car to enter a limited performance mode (i.e. limp home mode) or stall the car entirely.

[39] In October 2018, Toyota issued a worldwide safety recall for about 2.4 million Prius vehicles, including 807,000 U.S. cars.

[43] In early 2010, Toyota considered adding a monthly production of 6,000 at the Motomachi factory, in central Japan, the plant that built the first-generation Prius in 1997.

[44] In China, Toyota originally planned to start producing the third generation Prius in 2010 (through its joint venture FAW-Toyota).

[52] The official UK fuel consumption data, provided by the Department for Transport, rates the Prius as: 72.4 mpg‑imp (3.90 L/100 km; 60.3 mpg‑US) combined.

[64][65] Only the discontinued first-generation Honda Insight attained higher fuel efficiency: 62 mpg‑US (3.8 L/100 km; 74 mpg‑imp) (for manual/no air conditioner option).

In the U.S., the EPA measures a vehicle's air-borne pollution based on hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and formaldehyde before assigning them a score.

Other updates included a 6.1-inch touch-screen, AM/FM CD player unit, a USB port for iPod connectivity, auxiliary input jack, Bluetooth hands-free phone capability and streaming audio.