"The numbers speak for themselves," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said, according to DetNews. "The Prius represents the ideal package people in Japan are looking for in terms of environmental and driving performance."
The runner-up in the hybrid competition in Japan is rival Honda's Insight, with only 93,283 units sold in 2009. The Insight got beaten every single month of 2009 starting with May, when the revised Prius was released.
According to Toyota, the Prius has become the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the world, with 1.6 million units sold.
The announcement is even more surprising as Toyota announced it sold, for the first time ever, more vehicles in Asia than in its native country. According to Japan Today, Toyota had sold around 1,354,000 vehicles in Asia until the end of November, while Japan only managed to reach the 1,256,000 mark.
Out of the total units sold in Asia, except Japan, China is to be held accountable for nearly half: 622,000 units, with analysts saying that the total number at the end of the year may very well be around 700,000 units.
To tap into emerging markets, Toyota announced plans to bring the Prius to India in March this year, counting on the country's potential.
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