After displaying a concept version of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid (PHV) at the Frankfurt, Tokyo and LA Auto Shows, today Toyota officially announced the introduction of the production model in Japan. Starting immediately and carrying over the next six months, Toyota will build and ship 600 Prius PHVs to different markets around the world with 230 in Japan, 150 in the U.S. and 200 in Europe. The models will be leased to fleets and studied by Toyota.

The vehicle itself is in many ways identical to the current Prius, except with a 5.2 kWh lithium ion battery pack in place of the nickel metal hydride unit. In addition, the car gets the necessary charging hardware. Toyota claims the Prius PHV will be able to recharge fully in just 100 minutes from a 200 V outlet or in three hours from a 100 V outlet.

Toyota claims the Prius PHV will be capable of 134 mpg, although that assumes almost 50 percent of the driving is done in pure electric mode. The car is capable of traveling 14.3 miles on pure electric power and can reach speeds of 62 mph in pure electric mode.

Inside the Prius PHV will get a new PHV screens in the Navigation and Eco-Drive Monitor areas, including the range possible in EV mode.

Retail sales are set of late in 2011 and Toyota has said the car will be a “reasonable” price.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

Official release after the jump:

After first debuting in Frankfurt and then traveling to Tokyo, the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept is set debut on U.S. soil for the first time at the LA Auto Show next week.

Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Toyota also claims the car will be able to recharge fully in 90 minutes using a conventional household outlet.

The car has a zero-emissions electric mode that will allow it to travel up to 12 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in. This is considerably less than the Volt’s 40 mile claim.

Toyota has announced that some time in 2009 it will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States. It is expected that with only one month left for the year, delivery of those 150 vehicles will be announced at the LA Auto Show.

See AutoGuide’s Live 2009 LA Auto Show Coverage Here Starting December 2nd

GALLERY: Toyota Prius PHV Concept Debut in Frankfurt

Until now we weren’t overly impressed with Toyota’s idea for a plug-in Prius hybrid, along the lines of the Chevy Volt. There’s still a lot we don’t know (including, hopefully, a lower price point), but today at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Toyota announced that the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept would be able to recharge fully in just 90 minutes – using a conventional household outlet.

The car has a zero-emissions electric mode that will allow it to travel up to 12 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in. This is considerably less than the Volt’s 40 mile claim.

Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric power. Engineers at the Japanese automaker are also looking beyond lithium batteries for future energy solutions.

Later this year Toyota will deliver 500 Prius PHV vehicles, 150 of which will be sold in the United States.

In Europe Toyota is looking to start raming up interest in its hybrid models and start a new program called “2010 Toyota Drive,” which will get potential customers into Toyota products.

GALLERY: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept

Toyota has announced that it will lease 500 plug-in hybrid-electric Prius models starting this year. These will be the first plug-in version of the Prius on the road and will feature new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold more energy than the conventional nickel-metal hydride batteries used in other hybrid systems.

Of the 500 vehicles, 200 will be leased in Japan, while 150 units will be sent to the U.S. and 150 to Europe. Two-thirds of the European vehicles are earmarked for France. The vehicles will be leased primarily to corporations and governments.

Toyota hopes that by introducing these plug-in hybrids now it can raise awareness about the upcoming production model. For short distances the Prius plug-in hybrid will be able to operate on just electric power. Once that energy store has been depleted, the gasoline engine will kick-in to to charge the battery-packs, which in turn will power the electric motor. This will allow for the cars to be driven without the driver having to worry about a place to plug-in.

Toyota is currently considering expanding this project to include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany.

[Source: Edmunds]