Global sales of Toyota Hybrids drive past 7-million-units mark

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that cumulative global sales of its hybrid vehicles has exceeded the 7 million unit mark as of September 30, reaching 7.053 million units. This latest million-unit milestone was achieved in the fastest time yet for the Japanese carmaker, taking just nine months.

Helping mitigate the environmental effects of automobiles is a priority for Toyota. Based on the stance that environment-friendly vehicles can only truly have a significant positive impact if they are widely used, the company has for long endeavored to encourage the mass-market adoption of hybrid vehicles.

As of this month, Toyota sells 27 different hybrid passenger car models and one plug-in hybrid model in more than 90 countries and regions. Furthermore, from the beginning of this year to the end of 2015, Toyota is planning launches of a total of 15 new hybrid vehicles, including the ‘Voxy Hybrid’ and ‘Noah Hybrid’ (Japan only) launched in January, the Lexus NX 300h launched in July and the Lexus RC 300h to be launched in the second half of October. Toyota says it will continue augmenting its hybrid lineup and increasing the number of countries and regions where it sells hybrid vehicles.

Toyota calculates that as of September 30, Toyota hybrid vehicles have resulted in approximately 49 million fewer tonnes of CO2 emissions―believed to be a cause of global warming―than would have been emitted by petrol-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance. Toyota also estimates that its hybrid vehicles have saved approximately 18 million kiloliters of petrol compared to the amount used by petrol-powered vehicles of similar sizes.

Toyota launched the Coaster Hybrid EV in August 1997 and the Prius―the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle―in December of the same year. Since then, Toyota hybrid vehicles have received tremendous support from consumers around the world.

Hybrid technologies, which encompass all of the component technologies necessary for the development of environment-friendly cars and which facilitate the use of different fuel combinations, have been positioned by Toyota as core environmental technologies for the twenty-first century. The company therefore plans to continue working to enhance performance, reduce costs, and expand its product lineup―including that of environment-friendly non-hybrid vehicles―to create vehicles that are popular with consumers.