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Toyota surpass 10 million Hybrid sales

Cape Town - Toyota has announced that its cumulative global hybrid vehicle (HV) sales has surpassed the 10-million-unit mark. 

Toyota launched the Coaster Hybrid EV in August 1997, as well as the Prius - the world's first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle. This latest milestone of 10 million units was achieved just nine months after total sales reached nine million units at the end of April 2016.

Prius leads the way

The first generation Prius represented Toyota's response to the resource and environment-related issues of the twenty-first century. 

Toyota launched its first hybrid vehicle 20 years ago, and the circumstances surrounding environmentally friendly vehicles have since changed dramatically. The growing popularity of the Prius led to the creation of a new customer standard of choosing cars based on their environmental performance.

As the number of companies developing and launching hybrid vehicles increased, so a new segment of "hybrid vehicles" was established.

In addition, now that customers around the world are opting to purchase hybrid vehicles and other fuel-efficient vehicles, the entire automobile industry has been able to contribute to the solution of global environmental problems. 

Takeshi Uchivamada, chairman of the board of directors at Toyota said: "When we launched Prius, no one even knew what a hybrid was. Those who drove it were called geeks or other names. Today, thanks to those early adopters who gave Prius a chance, hybrids have grown in popularity, and have ridden a wave of success out of the unknown and into the mainstream.

"We are grateful to each and every one of our customers who has helped us achieve this important milestone of 10 million hybrid sales. We are committed to continue working hand-in-hand with them to tackle global environmental issues."

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