The industry leading Toyota Hybrid System, embodied in the Prius sedan, has been hailed as a suitable technology for the new millennium.

Director of Toyota Motor Corporation. Mr Harry Otaka, joined Toyota Australia senior executive vice-president John Conomos in Sydney to personally hand over the Prius, the world’s first environmentally friendly production hybrid-powered car.

Mr Conomos said Toyota was pleased to donate the Prius to the museum for the period of the exhibition, as it was a vehicle that       was helping to make automotive history.

"At Toyota we are passionate about the Prius," Mr Conomos said.

"Rather than penalising the motorist for being green, it rewards its users with fuel economy which is effectively doubled and with sparkling performance which is virtually indistinguishable from conventional pure petrol combustion systems."

Professor Ron Johnston, a trustee of the museum, and Executive Director of the Australian Centre of Innovation at Sydney University, accepted the vehicle which will be on display at the exhibition until January 2000.

"This environmentally friendly car will be right at home in this exhibition which explores Australia’s love affair with the automobile, with particular emphasis on the place of the car in Australian lifestyles and contemporary car design," Professor Johnston said.

Back in 1899 the former Ultimo Powerhouse - now the museum - was built to power Sydney’s electric trams; but the technology of today means the Toyota Prius can generate its own electricity.

Toyota’s Prius hybrid technology vehicle offers seamless matching of petrol engine and electric motor power, for smooth, low-emission. low fuel consumption driving.

Energy saving features include regenerative braking and a state-of-the art petrol engine which shuts down when not required.

More than twelve thousand Prius have been delivered since the vehicle’s release in Japan. Production at the Takaoka plant was recently doubled to 2000 a month.

Prius has achieved 3.57 litres/100km t79mpg)fuel economy in the Japanese 10-15 city cycle test mode.

This is twice the efficiency of an efficient, comparable-sized conventional four cylinder passenger car with automatic transmission. The doubling of fuel economy means a halving of carbon dioxide emissions.

In addition the hybrid system reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen to aroused one tenth of the level permitted under the current Japanese emissions regulations, which are tougher than existing Australian regulations.