Toyota sells its millionth Prius

Toyota claims the Prius is having a positive effect on the environment

After 11 years on the market, Toyota says it has sold its millionth Prius petrol-electric hybrid car.

By the end of April, Toyota had sold 1,028,000 of the cars worldwide, more than half of them in North America.

Toyota said it aims to sell more than one million Prius every year, though that will not happen until after 2010.

The news came on the day that the Asahi Shimbun daily newspaper reported that Toyota had agreed to pay an extra 30% for its sheet steel.

The report sent shares in steelmakers such as Nippon Steel and JFE Holdings higher in Tokyo.

There have been doubts that steelmakers would be able to agree such a large price rise at a time when Toyota was predicting its first fall in annual profits for seven years.

Toyota's profits are under pressure as it battles with a strong yen and weakening US economy.