As of April 30, the Toyota and Lexus brands have both sold more than 4 million hybrid vehicles around the world since the market launch of Toyota’s first hybrid model in Japan, the Coaster Hybrid EV in August 1997, followed by the Prius in December of the same year.
Global sales of the Prius began in Europe, North America and other regions in 2000, with the second-generation of the model landing in showrooms in 2003. The Japanese automaker then expanded the use of its hybrid system on other models such as minivans, SUVs, rear-wheel-drive sedans and compact hatchbacks.
Toyota’s next milestone was achieved roughly two years after the presentation of the third-generation Prius in May of 2009, when cumulative sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles surpassed the 3 million mark at the end of February, 2011.
Today, the Toyota and Lexus brands sell 18 hybrid passenger models in 80 countries and regions around the world, which account for 15 percent of Toyota Motor Corp.’s global vehicle sales.
The company plans to launch three more hybrid models this year, including the Toyota Yaris Hybrid and Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the Lexus ES 300h.
According to Toyota’s own estimates, its hybrid vehicles have saved around 26 million tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to what would have been emitted by gasoline or diesel powered models of similar size and performance.
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