Toyota Passes 1 Million Hybrid Mark

Global sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles passed the 1 million mark at the end of May. The landmark comes 10 years after the first Toyota Prius debuted to a world market. The Prius didn’t hit North America until 2000, but even though reaction to the car isn’t all favorable, it has without a doubt changed the way consumers and car companies think about cars.

The latest version of the Prius has sold 478,000 units since 2005, while less popular models like the hybrid Lexus RX 400h and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid have sold 85,000 and 67,000 respectively worldwide in the same amount of time. 

What do you think is the biggest impact of Toyota’s 10 years in the hybrid business?

A Decade After First Prius, Toyota's Hybrid Sales Pass 1M (USA Today)

Comments

Why hybrids?
I hear today diesels are more fuel efficient

I'd say the biggest impact is the awareness that manufacturers need to develop more hybrid vehicles. Next to that, I'd say that American manufacturers, particularly GM and Ford, have been the unfair target of the media, as they develop vehicles that Americans want - trucks, trucks that don't get the gas mileage of a Prius.

Ilya, hybrids are better for the enviornment because the car sometimes runs just on battery power, reguardless of gas mileage, they are better for the earth.

Diesel is better as you can make biodiesel from almost everything, including used oil from fast food restaurants and all kind of plants.

Hybrid: only good in city (good for taxicabs), expensive to produce, takes a lot of energy to make one, even before they are sold. Replacement of batteries...

Actually, Diesel itself is NOT better. Biodiesel, otoh, is! So Diesel vehicle itself is bad, but not AFTER you've converted biodiesel. Problem is, how many consumers do convert?

Nic,
Absolutely wrong. It makes no difference how you get there, all that matters is how much fuel you consume and how many emmisions you make in the process. For CO2, these are directly proportional, but for other things (NOx, soot, etc.), they don't necessarily correspond. All that battery power still came from gasoline at some point, it's just that hybrids burn gasoline in bursts rather than continuously.

The important thing is not that hybrids save gas mileage now, it's what they will be able to do in the future. If toyota sells a million prius's now, thats something like 25 billion dollars of consumer money that can be partially diverted into researching new hybrid technology.
If you think Toyota owns the auto market now, wait until 10 years from now when they have battery technology capable of getting 150mpg on a mid size car. Then they will sell this technology to GM, Ford, Honda, etc. and get a royalty from every car that sells worldwide for the next 30 years or so.