Toyota declines energy conservation prize for Prius

Toyota Motor Corp. has declined the Fiscal 2009 Energy Conservation Grand Prize awarded to its Prius hybrid vehicle, informed sources said. The move was apparently due to a worldwide recall of the gasoline-electric vehicle that the Japanese automaker issued. The Prius was given the Fiscal 2009 award on January 29, 2010 for achieving an improvement of about 10% in fuel efficiency over the previous model. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selects the prize winner every year. (February 10, 2010)