On the 15th of May 2008, Toyota will have sold more than 1,000,000 units of the world’s first mass-produced petrol/electric hybrid vehicle. The Prius has sold 23,893 units in the UK alone and sales are up 7.1% year on year. Toyota believes that the Prius vehicles have helped to reduce CO2 emissions by 4.5 million tons when compared to petrol-powered vehicles in the same class, size and driving performance.
The Toyota Prius was launched in Japan in 1997, becoming available in the UK in 2000. In 2003, the Toyota Hybrid System II was introduced, improving environmental performance and power. Toyota’s plans are to sell 1,000,000 or more hybrid vehicles a year as early as 2010.
