roughly that of the other car components. A Toyota spokesperson stated that "Toyota chose this name because the Prius vehicle is the predecessor of cars to come." Market The XW10 was initially manufactured at the Takaoka plant, but would later be moved to the Motomachi plant in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. Domestic launch model The first Prius, model NHW10, went on sale on 10 December 1997. It was available only in Japan, though it has been imported privately to at least the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Many of these cars were exported as second-hand vehicles to New Zealand and other countries. In New Zealand, there is report that high voltage battery failures are common among grey imports of the NHW10, which are not supported by official distributors outside Japan. To handle the voltage between the battery and electric motor, the semiconductor core inverter unit was modeled on heavy-duty transistors used by the Shinkansen bullet train. The first production model NHW10 Toyota Prius was rolled out of Toyota's Takoka factory in Toyota City, Aichi near Nagoya in December 1997, followed by the start of two years of Japan-only sales. As uncovered by engineer testing, the NHW10 Prius was vulnerable to reduced performance in hotter climates and at higher altitudes; as a result, early examples featured an instrument-panel indicator warning should the hybrid system be in danger of shutting down. This gauge, designed in the shape of a turtle, was used until 1999. The first generation Prius, at its launch, became the world's first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. Japan sales goals were 12,000 units annually, at a price of per vehicle. The vehicle's introduction served as Toyota's launch effort for a new generation of 'green' vehicles aimed at reducing air pollution and increasing fuel efficiency. Toyota initially forecasted that hybrids will account for a third of the world's auto market as early as 2005. The NHW10 Prius styling originated from California designers, who were selected over competing designs from other Toyota design studios. Export model The 2001–2003 model year Prius for the United States market (NHW11) was powered by a 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder gasoline engine, a permanent magnet AC electric motor, and a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-Mh) battery pack of just 1.78 KWh (Voltage: 273.6 V; Capacity: 6.5 Ah). The gasoline engine developed and of torque. The electric motor generated a maximum of and of torque. The NHW11 Prius became