America’s favorite hybrid recently reached an epic milestone — its one-millionth sale in the U.S. — prompting Prius drivers across the country to wonder about how much CO₂ they’ve saved as part of the Prius Goes Platinum online celebration.

“Since the Prius went on sale 11 years ago, not a year has gone by when it hasn’t been the No. 1-selling hybrid vehicle in the U.S,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. “Prius has become synonymous with the word ‘hybrid,’ and as we see fuel prices starting to rise again, it has accounted for more than 60% of hybrid passenger car sales so far this year.”

This has been the third major achievement for Toyota’s hybrid lineup since October 2010, when Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) announced that worldwide Prius sales topped 2 million. In March 2011, overall global Toyota hybrid sales passed 3 million.

“Since the introduction of the Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid gas-electric vehicle, 13 other auto brands have seen the benefits of hybrid technology and joined the hybrid market,” Carter added. In an inspiring run, the 3rd generation Prius has maintained Best Overall Value of the Year for the past nine years in a row,¹ and earned the highest owner loyalty of any mid-size car for four of the past five years.² The 3rd generation Prius also topped the EPA’s list of the Most Fuel-Efficient Vehicles for 2011.³

To date, more than 97% of all Prius sold since 2000 are still on the road. That means that we estimate that the Prius, when compared to the average car, has saved American consumers more than an estimated 881 million gallons of gas, $2.19 billion in fuel costs and 12.4 million tons of CO₂ emissions.

To join the celebration and see how much CO₂ your Prius has saved, visit toyotapriusprojects.com today to create and share your unique Prius Goes Platinum digital badge.

To learn more about the Prius, and to get first dibs⁴ on ordering the much-anticipated Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) before the general public, visit toyota.com/prius.

¹2011 IntelliChoice, www.IntelliChoice.com; Passenger Car.

²According to Polk statistics for the Mid/Full-size Car Category in the 2010 model year,  Toyota Prius ranked highest by having the greatest percentage of households return to purchase or lease another Toyota Prius vehicle.

³Fueleconomy.gov, 2011 Most and Least Fuel-Efficient Vehicles.

⁴Registrants can reserve the Prius Plug-in prior to the general public while quantities last.