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In 1901 Ferdinand Porsche developed the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid automobile in the world. The hybrid-electric vehicle did not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999.he hybrid-electric vehicle did not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999.
Ferdinand Verbiest, a Christian missionary in China, built the first car in 1672. He designed the vehicle as a toy for the Chinese Emperor. It was only a small vehicle, unable to transport people.t was powered by steam. The first modern car was invented by German Karl Benz in 1885. His design used an internal combustion engine (as most cars do today). The internal combustion engine had actually been designed in 1806 by Swiss inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz.