Rising oil prices caused by the Arab Spring led to increased sales of the Prius in the first quarter of 2011 , but the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami led to a production stoppage . Production restarted several days later , but output was hindered due to shortages from parts suppliers . Nevertheless , during the 2011 Japanese fiscal year ( 1 April 2011 through 31 March 2012 ) , the Prius family sold 310,484 units , including sales of the Prius α , launched in May 2011 , and the Toyota Aqua , launched in December , allowing the Prius brand to become the best-selling vehicle in Japan for the third-consecutive year
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Toyota Prius