Toyota marks seven million hybrid sales globally

It was August 1997 when Toyota first started making hybrid vehicles. The automaker launched its Coast hybrid EV bus in Japan, followed in December by the first generation Prius which is the first mass-produced hybrid car. 

Toyota then introduced hybrid motoring in the UK with the launch of the Prius in 2000 and since then, the brand’s hybrid range has enjoyed increasing support from customers around the world. So much so, that the cumulative hybrid sales for Toyota have just sailed through the seven-million mark. 

In all, Toyota has sold 7.053 million hybrid vehicles globally till date. More impressive is the fact that the last one million units were added to the tally in a period of just nine months. The brand currently sells 28 different passenger car models sold in more than 90 countries worldwide. Expectedly, Toyota has announced that more new models and markets will be added in the future. 

The company has released some rather interesting facts and figures pertaining to the efficiency of hybrid vehicles. As of September 30, the brand’s hybrid range has reduced the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere by approximately 49 million tonnes, compared to the impact the same number of equivalent petrol-powered vehicles would have. What makes up for an even more interesting read is the claim that hybrids have saved around 18,000 million litres of petrol up till now. 

With only a handful of models on sale, the hybrid segment has failed to gain momentum in the Indian market. Hybrid cars have still not been considered as a workable alternative to regular petrol and diesel- powered models but that hasn’t stopped Toyota from selling the Prius and the Camry hybrid models here in India.