When Toyota came to the hybrid game, the only other production vehicle on the market that could boast an electric motor was the quirky and functionally limited Honda Insight. The Prius offered drivers the chance to see otherwise unheard-of fuel economy numbers while lugging two or three friends around at the same time. It was a recipe that would prove all but irresistible as Americans watched fuel prices skyrocket.

It would be a massive understatement to say that the Prius helped acclimate American car buyers to the notion of a hybrid drivetrain. The car didn’t just lend a helping hand -- it forged a technological path that would forever alter the driving landscape, not just in this country, but around the world. Today, nearly every manufacturer offers some type of hybrid variant, even if it isn’t a completely dedicated platform like the Prius. That fact is thanks largely to the commercial success of the Toyota fuel miser.

While the world continues to go through the growing pains associated with finding new fuel sources, the Prius and cars like it are the perfect stop-gap measure. They reduce fuel consumption without having to rely on additional infrastructure or costly technology, but that won’t always be the case. As electric vehicle technology continues to progress, odds are that cars like the Prius, which rely at least partially on an internal combustion engine, are likely to find themselves in the same place that full-on ICE cars and trucks are today. We’re guessing that the next 10 years will see the Prius grow well beyond its hybrid roots as Toyota continues to explore alternative drivetrain technology, wherever that road leads. What is certain, though, is that the Prius will always be remembered as a milestone in the evolution of the automobile.