But the car that has many other automakers green with envy may not be quite so green after all, at least not if you consider the full life cycle of the car, according to Toyota's recently released 2009 North America Environmental Report, as reported by Automotive News.
Not surprisingly, the main source of the negative marks stems from the production of the electric motors, inverters and nickel-metal hydride batteries. These components increase the emissions of nonmethane hydrocarbons and particulate matter, according to AutoNews.
Because of the low scores in the manufacturing phase of production, Toyota says it has already begun working on reevaluating eight different vehicles in the Japanese market, including the Prius. Toyota hopes to develop new manufacturing processes that will eventually reverse the current bad mark on the otherwise green-minded Prius.
References
1.'The dirty side of Toyota...' view
