Toyota Hybrid Sales Hit 5 Million Milestone
A sign of just how mainstream hybrid vehicles have become, Toyota today announced it has sold five million of the gasoline-electric machines, with 40 percent of those sales in the US.
Since the first Prius went on sale in July of 2000, Toyota has sold 1,951,243 hybrid models in America. Establishing itself as a leader in hybrid tech, consumers have responded, with 70 percent of all U.S. auto industry hybrid sales being Toyota and Lexus products.
In total, Toyota and Lexus hybrid models account for 16 percent of brand sales with 19 different hybrid and plug-in hybrid models sold in 80 countries around the world. Twelve of those are available in the US, including the Prius, Prius v, Prius c, Prius Plug-in, Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, Lexus CT 200h, ES 300h, GS 450h, LS 600h and RX 450h.
Toyota claims its hybrid technology has resulted in 34 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions, while saving 3 billion gallons of gasoline.
“With more than 50 hybrid vehicle models from various manufacturers available in the U.S. today, hybrids on the road are saving nearly 500 million gallons of petroleum annually in this country,” said Tony Markel, senior engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Toyota’s commitment to hybrid technology will continue with plans to introduce a total of 18 new hybrid models by 2015, targeting global sales of 1 million hybrids annually at that time. Roughly one third of those sales are expected to be in the US.
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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