Toyota Sells 4 Millionth Hybrid Model Worldwide

Did anyone anticipate in 1997 that ToyotaToyotaJapan, 1937 > present155 models
4570 photos
10 videos
launching the PriusToyota PriusJapan, 1997 > present4 series
62 versions
149 photos
2 videos
in Japan would be the beginning of a totally new direction for the company? Now, 15 years later, Toyota announced that it sold its 4 millionth hybrid vehicle worldwide sometime in April 2012, and around 1.5 million of those sales come from the US. 

Today, Toyota offers 18 hybrid models with more on the way. It promises that eventually every model in its range will be offered with a hybrid powertrain. Hybrid's account for 15% of Toyota's sales, but it has won the mindshare. When you think hybrids, you think Toyota. 

To keep hybrids growing, Toyota has been nearly spinning off the Prius name as its own brand, at least in the US. In the past year, it has added the Prius V wagonToyota Prius vJapan, 2011 > present3 photos
, Prius CToyota Prius cJapan, 2012 > present9 photos
sub-compact and Prius Plug-inToyota Prius Plug-in HybridJapan, 2011 > present2 photos
. Toyota sold 60,859 vehicles in the Prius family in the US in the first quarter of 2012. Toyota also sells hybrid versions of the CamryToyota Camry Hybrid XLEJapan, 2011 > present3 photos
, Highlander and several LexusLexusJapan, 1989 > present26 models
1484 photos
6 videos
vehicles in the US. 

"All of us at Toyota would like to sincerely thank our customers, who have made Prius the best-selling hybrid in the industry. While we're proud of this accomplishment, we are not stopping here as hybrids will continue to be a core technology for Toyota," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota Division.

Toyota estimates that its hybrid models have prevented 26 million tons of CO2 since entering the atmosphere since 1997.