Toyota leads the hybrid charge: Cumulative hybrid sales in Europe top 200,000 vehicles

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) today confirmed that cumulative hybrid sales in Europe have topped the 200,000 mark, with 50% of sales recorded in the last 24 months. TME has sold a total of 202,126 Toyota and Lexus hybrids since introducing Europe’s first commercial hybrid in 2000.  The breakthrough result coincides with news that Toyota has sold over two million hybrids globally since launching the world’s first mass-produced hybrid, Prius, in 1997 to critical acclaim.

‘Our hybrid technology has been truly embraced by the mainstream,’ said Andrea Formica, Senior Vice-President responsible for Sales & Marketing at TME. ‘The rapid acceleration in sales is proof of the resilience of our full hybrid systems and their ability to deliver on all counts, from low emissions to ride and handling. We are committed to extending Hybrid Synergy Drive® to our core models, making these benefits more accessible to more customers,’ he added.

The third generation Toyota Prius, which is currently being launched in Europe, has generated more than 17,000 additional customer orders since June 2009. Equipped with a new Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, CO2 emissions start from as low as 89 g/km – an industry first for a C/D-segment vehicle.

In August 2009, Prius was ranked the most environmentally-friendly car, for the fourth time since 2004, by Germany’s Transport Association, Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD). Like its predecessor, the new Prius has also picked up the maximum 5-star rating in the newly-revised Euro NCAP crash test assessment.

Lexus remains the only premium brand in Europe to offer three full hybrids as part of its range: the GS 450h, the LS 600h and the newly-launched RX 450h. Together, these models – thanks to the technological advantage of Lexus Hybrid Drive – comprise over 40% of Lexus sales in Europe, and as much as 52% in Western Europe alone.

Toyota has a global target of one million hybrid sales per year by the early 2010s, with European sales representing up to 10% of this target. In July, TME announced that it would manufacture a hybrid version of its C-segment hatchback, Auris, in the United Kingdom from mid-2010 – marking a critical first step in the company’s plans to offer a hybrid version of every model in the early 2020s.