Japanese automaker, Toyota has crossed the magical one million mark of selling hybrid vehicles, with approximately 1,047,000 units sold worldwide as of May 31, 2007, five times more than other rivals.

Out of the million, recently crowned world No-1 automaker, sold about 345,000 hybrids car in Japan, while 702,000 were driving on the foreign roads.

In the hybrid vehicles segment Toyota’s Prius is a most popular and most preferred car to believe. Prius was introduced in 1997, and since Toyota has sold 757,600 units. It is the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. Toyota starts selling it in North America, Europe and elsewhere in 2000.

Toyota grabs the world market with its fuel efficient concept and Prius was the one of the first product of its kind. Later green and clean environment hits the automakers priority. Keep market preference in mind and boost with the Prius magnificent success, Company unveiled second-generation Prius in 2003, equipped with the Toyota Hybrid System II, with more emphasis on delivering both environmental performance and power. Over time, Toyota has experimented its hybrid system in minivans, SUVs, rear-wheel-drive sedans and other vehicles. Hybrid vehicles have been enjoying good sales both in Japan and in over 40 countries and regions around the world, particularly North America.

After its buzzing success, Toyota starts overseas production of hybrid vehicles in Changchun, China in 2005 and in Kentucky in the United States in 2006.

Toyota has earned applauds from green lobbies and other agencies for company’s affords to take initiates to developed eco-friendly vehicles. Prius omits less CO2 or soot (considered a cause of global warming) as company led survey throws lights that Toyota’s hybrid vehicles produces approximately 3.5 million fewer tons of CO2 compared with the same class petrol-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

Apart from the Toyota, other automakers are also working on hybrids vehicles, but Toyota’s Prius, which gets 55 miles a gallon on combined city and highway driving conditions, has been enormously popular as a mid-size sedan, a best-selling vehicle category. Company also has a 10 years experience in the hybrids segments, which helps carmaker to introduce more eco-friendly engine.

Toyota claims for its compliance to produce more eco-friendly vehicles, for it company is making concerted effort to popularize hybrid systems. In the hybrid segments Toyota has introduced several other models, including the hybrid Camry and hybrid Lexus models. Automaker is hopeful to sell about 1 million hybrid vehicles per annum in the early part of the 2010s.

Image: sohu

Via: Washingtonpost
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