more powerful partly to satisfy the higher speeds and longer distances that North Americans drive. Air conditioning was standard equipment. The vehicle was the second mass-produced hybrid on the American market, after the two-seat Honda Insight. While the larger Prius could seat five, its battery pack restricted cargo space. The vehicle interior featured a dash-mounted shift lever and a small touchscreen with a hybrid powertrain display. This feature showed the vehicle operation regarding the interplay between gasoline engine, battery pack, and electric motors and could also show a bar-graph of fuel economy results. In the United States, the NHW11 was the first Prius to be sold. The Prius was marketed between the smaller Echo and the larger Corolla. The published retail price of the car was . The California Air Resources Board (CARB) classified the car as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV). At one time, Prius owners were eligible for up to a tax deduction from their gross income. In contrast with the prior NHW10 model, Toyota executives claimed that the company broke even financially on sales of the NHW11 Prius. European sales began in September 2000. The official launch of the Prius in Australia occurred in 2001 after the 2001 Sydney Motor Show, although sales were slow until the NHW20 model arrived. In 2006, Toyota recalled about 8,500 2001 and 2002 model year Prius vehicles because of an incorrectly manufactured crankshaft position sensor. In 2009, after being investigated by the California Air Resources Board, Toyota extended a campaign nationwide for owners of MY 2001–2003 Prius for starting problems caused by improper working throttle body that led to electronic control module malfunction. Fuel consumption United States In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test results must be posted on new vehicle windows, and are the only fuel consumption figures that can be advertised. The following are current official EPA figures for the 2001-2003 model years, based on its 2008 restructuring of fuel economy tests: city driving highway driving combined Original listed figures on new vehicle windows, based on pre-2008 testing procedures, for 2001-2003 model years were: city driving highway driving combined Awards 1997–98 Car of the Year Japan 2003 Scientific American names Toyota Motor Corporation as "Business Leader of the Year" ("Scientific American 50"; December, 2003) for its singular accomplishment in the commercialization of affordable hybrid cars. References 1 2000s cars Cars introduced in 1997 Front-wheel-drive vehicles