Toyota hybrid sales in Japan top 1 million

(August 6, 2010) Toyota announced Thursday that cumulative sales in Japan of its hybrid vehicles have topped the 1-million mark, while more than 2.68 million of the fuel-efficient vehicles have been sold globally as of July 31.

Toyota launched its first hybrid vehicle in August 1997 in Japan, but it' wasn't the Prius. The world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, wasn't launched until December of that year.

The first of Toyota's hybrids was the Coaster Hybrid EV minibus.

The use of the Toyota hybrid system was subsequently expanded to such vehicles as minivans, SUVs and rear-wheel-drive sedans.

In 2009, the Japanese automaker broadened its range of hybrid vehicles further with the launch of the third-generation Prius, as well as two other dedicated hybrid vehicles, the Lexus HS 250h and the Toyota Sai.  Currently, nine Toyota-produced hybrid passenger vehicle models and three hybrid commercial vehicle models are sold in Japan.

Outside Japan, eight hybrid passenger vehicle models are sold in approximately 80 countries and regions, with cumulative overseas sales having topped 1.68 million units.

In a statement issued Thursday, Toyota said it is committed to augmenting this lineup even further and increasing the number of countries and regions in which it sells hybrid vehicles.

As of July 31, the company calculates that Toyota hybrid vehicles, since 1997, have led to approximately 4 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions in Japan, and approximately 15 million fewer tons globally, than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

Toyota said it aims to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles a year as early as possible in the 2010s, and introduce hybrid models in all vehicle series in its lineup as early as possible in the 2020s.