While it might not have been the first hybrid that the world had ever seen, Toyota made waves in the late nineties with its Prius Hybrid, an eco-friendly car that quickly gained popularity around the world.
While Toyota New Zealand didn't officially start selling the Prius Hybrid here until 2003, grey import models were a great choice for those looking to save at the petrol pump.
Click here to view all Toyota Prius listings on DRIVEN
Almost two decades later, it has been confirmed by Toyota New Zealand that the Prius Hybrid has been removed from its range, something that quietly happened in May of this year.
While it might seem strange to pull a clean car like the Prius from the current Clean Car push in the New Zealand market, it's worth noting that the plug-in Prius Prime is still on sale here.
It makes sense to see this Prius Hybrid pulled, as it was one of Toyota's worst-selling hybrids. Things like the RAV4 Hybrid and the Corolla Hybrid use the same technology, and have proven to be far more popular.
Looking at MIA figures, just 13 Prius Hybrids were registered in New Zealand between January and July, a figure that doesn't even compare to the 2180 RAV4 Hybrids and the 1072 Corolla Hybrids that were registered.
Interestingly, a grand total of 38 Prius Prime plug-in hybrids were registered throughout the same time period. Out of these, nine were registered in July, when the rebates came into effect.