Toyota Prius goes from strength to strength as is confirmed by the news of it passing the one millionth sales mark in the USA.
This marks the third milestone in the last six months for the world’s first mass-produced full hybrid vehicle: Prius worldwide sales topped the two million mark in October 2010 and, in the same year, Toyota’s award-winning hybrid beat Japan’s all-time domestic sales record for any vehicle, with sales totalling 315,669 units.
On a global scale, Prius sales remain consistently strong at more than 2,100,000, of which European sales account for more than 200,000 units. And total Toyota hybrid vehicle sales now exceed three million units worldwide.
First introduced in Japan in 1997 and on sale in Europe and the US for over a decade now, the Prius has the highest brand awareness of any hybrid vehicle. Consistently ahead of its time, its well-proven and reliable full hybrid powertrain remains the undisputed reference for environmentally friendly technology.
Three generations of Prius have not only seen significant improvements to successive evolutions of its hybrid synergy drive powertrain, but also a marked change in customer perceptions of full hybrid technology.
Last year, Toyota reminds us that a new milestone for sustainable mobility was established with the introduction of the Prius plug-in hybrid through a global limited lease programme. By the beginning of next year, Toyota will bring Prius plug-in hybrid to the mass market.
And making its world debut at March’s Geneva Motor Show, Prius+ is the newest member of the Prius family. On sale in Europe in the first half of 2012, the Prius+ will be the first full hybrid seven-seater in the European market.
Toyota rightly boasts that the launch of Prius+ and the Prius plug-in hybrid will make the Prius the first full hybrid vehicle available as a complete, stand-alone model range. The three full hybrid models will meet the requirements of a far broader customer base, promoting a significant expansion in sales.
Following the well-proven success of hybrid synergy drive over three generations of Prius, Toyota continues to roll out HSD technology to new market segments through models such as the Auris and Yaris. The Prius itself will remain a showcase for new technologies and further advances in HSD powertrain design.
