On May 13 , 2011 , Toyota introduced the Prius α in Japan with a sales target of 3,000 units per month . The Prius Alpha is available in a five-seat , two-row model and a seven-seat , three-row model , the latter 's third row enabled by a space-saving lithium-ion drive battery in the center console . The five-seat model uses a NiMH battery pack . Deliveries of the Alpha were delayed due to the effects of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami on production . Toyota announced it had received 25,000 orders for the Prius Alpha hybrid wagon and minivan models in Japan before the start of sales . The five-seater version starts at ( ) , and the seven-seater starts at ( ) . Since its introduction , a total of 111,500 Prius α have been sold in Japan through April 2012 , representing 80.8 % of the Prius α/v model line 's global sales . Since May 2011 a total of 289,000 Prius α have been sold through December 2013 . On April 8 , 2013 , Daihatsu started selling its OEM version of the Prius α for the Japanese market under the '' ' Mebius ' '' name . Sales in Japan have been strong despite the fact that it does n't comply with Japanese Government dimension regulations in the width category , and Japanese buyers are liable for an additional yearly tax
2011 earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Toyota Prius V