Toyota Hybrid Technology Proves its Staying Power with Eight Million Global Vehicle Sales

21 August 2015

In 1995, the first Prius prototype refused to move, baffling the project team and Takeshi Uchiyamada – who is now Toyota’s chairman. He recalls: “We had no idea what was wrong, so we worked late every night to figure it out. We finally got it to move around Christmas time, but even then it only went 500 metres.”

At that time, hybrid cars were unproven, experimental machines with a very uncertain future.

Fast-forward 20 years and Toyota is proud to announce that it has  now sold more than eight million hybrid vehicles1. Such is the growth rate of hybrid’s popularity, it is only 10 months since the milestone of seven million sales was passed.

To put the impact of eight million hybrids on people and the environment into context, Toyota calculates that as of 31 July, its hybrid vehicles have resulted in savings of around 58 million2 tons of CO2 emissions3, compared to the performance of the same number of equivalent, petrol-powered vehicles. It also estimates that its hybrids have saved 22 million kilolitres of fuel, compared to the amount used by petrol vehicles of the same size.

The message is clear: having found homes in driveways around the world, hybrids have staying power. Since launching Prius in 1997 (from 2000 in the UK), Toyota has been gradually adding models to its range, from the Yaris Hybrid supermini to the recently announced RAV4 Hybrid. Since 2010 the line-up has included the British-built Auris Hybrid, Europe’s best-selling hybrid model.

As of this month, Toyota sells 30 different hybrid passenger cars (including Lexus models) in more than 90 markets around the world.

In the UK the line-up comprises the Toyota Prius, the seven-seat Prius+, Prius Plug-in, Yaris Hybrid and Auris and Auris  Touring Sports Hybrid, together with the Lexus CT 200h, IS 300h, NX 300h, GS 300h and 450h, RX 450h and LS 600hL.

Hybrid remains Toyota’s core technology in its development of alternative powertrains, notably in Mirai, the world’s first production hydrogen fuel cell saloon. Its hybrid know-how has also been successfully applied to motor sport, with the Toyota TS040 Hybrid claiming the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship. Toyota will continue to improve its non-hybrid vehicles as well as it works across the board to improve performance, reduce costs and expand its product line-up.

1 Including plug-in hybrids; 2 excluding the Coaster hybrid coach and Quick Delivery 200 LCV; 3 calculated by number of registered vehicles x distance travelled x fuel efficiency (in each market) x CO2 conversion factor.

Toyota hybrid vehicle sales

YEAR UK EUROPE (inc. UK) JAPAN NORTH AMERICA OTHERS GLOBAL CUMULATIVE
1997 300 300 300
1998 17,600 17,600 18,000
1999 15,200 15,200 33,200
2000 184 700 12,500 5,800 19,000 52,300
2001 622 2,300 18.500 16,000 200 36,900 89,200
2002 291 800 20.000 20,300 200 41,300 130,500
2003 370 900 27,200 24,900 400 53,300 183,800
2004 1,595 8,100 68,700 55,900 1,900 134,700 318,500
2005 5,279 23,400 58,500 150,000 3,100 234,900 553,500
2006 8,343 36,000 72,400 197,600 6,500 312,500 866,000
2007 13,195 49,000 82,000 287,800 10,700 429,400 1,295,400
2008 12,809 57,800 104,400 255,000 12,600 429,700 1,725,100
2009 11,190 54,700 251,100 205,300 19,000 530,100 2,255,200
2010 16,432 70,200 392,200 195,900 31,900 690,200 2,945,400
2011 17,545 82,800 316,400 185,100 44,700 629,000 3,574,400
2012 19,923 106,900 678,000 344,700 89,500 1,219,100 4,793,500
2013 24,651 152,900 679,100 358,200 89,000 1,279,200 6,072,700
2014 32,968 171,800 684,200 323,600 86,500 1,266,000 7,338,700
Jan – Jul 2015 22,669 111,800 389,300 163,200 45,300 709,600 8,048,400
Total 188,066 930,100 3,887,800 2,789,100 441,400

All Toyota data

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Toyota Hybrid Technology Proves its Staying Power with Eight Million Global Vehicle Sales

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