Toyota has maintained its position as the hybrid vehicle industry leader ever since its remarkable Prius was first introduced in 1997. Building upon its success for the following 15 years, Toyota has expanded its line-up of hybrids to a total of 18 different models sold worldwide. As of April, 2012, Toyota proudly announced that its hybrid vehicles have exceeded more than 4 million units in sales.
Toyota Division group vice president and general manager Bob Carter showed his appreciation, "All of us at Toyota would like to sincerely thank our customers, who have made Prius the best-selling hybrid in the industry." Moreover, further driven by Toyota's current success, Carter adds, "While we're proud of this accomplishment, we are not stopping here as hybrids will continue to be a core technology for Toyota."
Current hybrid sales account for 15 percent of Toyota Motor Corporation's annual overall vehicle sales. In United States alone, Toyota hybrids account for 1.5 million sales, 1.2 million of which represent the standard Prius. Other notable hybrids include the Prius C and Prius V variants, Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, and Lexus GS hybrid.
Hybrid offerings for all sorts of consumers helped to boost Toyota's reputation as a hybrid leader. In addition to its successful sales numbers, Toyota is also happy to claim that its hybrid technology has effectively saved the earth's atmosphere from more than 26 million tons of CO2.
While we expect Toyota's reign in the alternative energy market to continue, the Japanese automaker currently faces a lot more competitors than it did in 1997. Coming June 22nd, the America all-electric car company Tesla will prepare the release of its latest Model S sedan. Time will tell whether the new kid on the block will disrupt the status quo.
