Click above for a high-resolution gallery of the 2007 Toyota Prius Touring.

Of the one million Prius hybrids that Toyota has sold since its introduction in 1997, one-hundred-thousand of them have been registered in Europe. Toyota introduced the second-generation Prius in Europe and North America in the year 2000. While a hundred thousand units is certainly nothing to sniff at, it pales in comparison to the number of diesel-powered vehicles regularly sold in European lands. While hybrids have been, and will likely continue to be, the fuel-saving flag bearers in the United States, Europe has traditionally favored diesels. This fact hasn't stopped Toyota and their Lexus luxury brand from offering the gas/electric hybrid vehicles, though. It seems that the Japanese-giants tenacity in the European market is paying off, as more than a third of the total Prius sales in Europe have been made in the past twelve months alone, meaning that European sales of the fuel-efficient hybrids are on the up-swing.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

To move Prius units in the U.S., Toyota dealers have been offering various incentives like low monthly payments or low financing. Over in the UK, Prius sales are growing thanks in part to an expansion of London's congestion charge zone (the Prius is exempt from the £8 daily charge, so commuters who drive into the zone each weekday could save more than £2,000 each year. That's a lot of Fish & Chips). The zone expansion starts next week, and Prius sales have been up for a while. Toyota sold 5,017 Priuses in 2006, up from 3,745 in 2005. Prius sales in January 2007 were up 135 percent compared to the same month last year.

[Source: Toyota]