200,000 Sales Put Toyota and Lexus Hybrids at the Heart of the UK Motor Market

• Cumulative UK sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrids reach 200,000 units
• Figure achieved in 15 years since the introduction of the original Toyota Prius
• Today combined Toyota and Lexus hybrid range numbers 11 model lines across multiple market segments
• Hybrids account for more than a quarter of all Toyota car sales and 97 per cent of all Lexus sales in the UK – shares which continue to increase
• Hybrid versions of the British-built Auris make up more than half the model’s home market sales volume. Yaris Hybrid is nearing a one-third share of the supermini range’s British sales
• More new hybrids due for imminent launch – the first RAV4 Hybrid, all-new Prius and new Lexus RX SUV and RC coupe models
• Hybrid technology at the heart of Toyota’s roadmap for sustainable mobility and the development of the ultimate eco-car

Toyota hybrid power made a modest entry in the UK market in 2000 with the introduction of the original Prius. What initially seemed like a niche approach to giving motoring a new environmental focus has since proved to be a transformative technology that sits firmly in the mainstream, a fact reflected this week in cumulative UK sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrids passing 200,000 units.

Toyota’s pioneering work has demonstrated how cars can be made cleaner and more fuel-efficient without demanding compromises in terms of practicality or performance. At the same time as it has progressively refined and improved its hybrid technology, bringing down emissions and fuel consumption, it has increased the number and variety of models to reach a much wider customer base.

As a result, hybrid has become the first choice for increasing numbers of UK motorists who appreciate not only the environmental and cost-of-ownership benefits the technology delivers, but also its proven high reliability and its smooth and refined driving character.

Such is the growth in popularity, hybrid versions of the British-built Auris currently account for 56 per cent of all UK Auris sales. Similarly, Yaris Hybrid is the preference for almost one-third of Yaris customers. Together with Prius, Prius+ and Prius Plug-in, these hybrids represent one in four of all Toyota cars sold in the UK.

Lexus has been in the vanguard of hybrid power in the premium market, a position it established in 2005 with the introduction of the RX 400h. Today hybrid leads the Lexus model portfolio across all the UK model ranges – CT hatchback, IS and GS saloons, NX and RX SUVs and LS limousine – accounting for 97 per cent of all UK Lexus sales.

The momentum of hybrid sales is expected to continue to rise, with several new models scheduled for launch in the next few months. These will include the all-new fourth generation Prius and the first RAV4 to feature hybrid power. Lexus will introduce an all-new RX and the new RC coupe.

Hybrid remains the core technology in Toyota’s roadmap for sustainable mobility and the development of the ultimate eco-car. It applies the principles of hybrid power across a range of low and zero-emission vehicle powertrains designed to suit different driving demands and environments, including electric vehicles, petrol-electric hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Toyota and Lexus hybrids historic sales