9/4/2009

It took nearly 10 years for Toyota to sell one million hybrid vehicles, but it has quickly accelerated, achieving the second million in just 2 years, 3 months. As of this past August, Toyota had sold over two million hybrid vehicles globally, with the U.S. being by far the largest market.

The Prius is the largest contributor, accounting for 1.4 million units since its Japanese launch in 1997. The Prius caught fire soon after and launched in the US and Europe in 2000. The Toyota Camry is a distant second, with nearly 108,000 units sold. America is the largest market, buying up 1.15 million of Toyota’s two million global hybrid sales, accounting for over fifty percent.

Toyota believes that by selling two million hybrid models since 1997 it has reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by 11 million tons, when compared to equivalent conventional models. Toyota and Lexus combine to sell a total of 13 hybrid variants in about 50 different countries and regions. The manufacturer’s goal is to be able to sell one million hybrids a year within the next decade, and to have a hybrid version of all its models by 2020, a lofty goal.

Quick fact: The Prius was not the first Toyota hybrid sold. It was the Coaster Hybrid EV, which went on sale just before the Prius in Japan in August 1997.

Interested in green technology? Read our in-depth previews of the upcoming Chevy Volt and all-electric Nissan LEAF, and the upcoming Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid.

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