Toyota Worldwide Hybrid Sales Top 100,000 Mark

Tokyo―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that global cumulative sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles have topped the 100,000 mark, with nearly 103,000* units sold by the end of March this year, representing a 90% share of the world hybrid vehicle market.

The road to this milestone largely began in December 1997, when Toyota marketed in Japan the gasoline/electric Prius passenger sedan, the world's first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. With more than 33,000 units sold by the end of 1999, the proven technology of the Prius debuted in the North American market in June 2000, soon followed by the start of sales in Europe in September that same year. The Prius is now sold in more than 20 countries.

Since the arrival of the Prius, TMC's hybrid vehicle lineup in Japan has grown to include the Estima Hybrid minivan, which came out in June 2001, and a mild hybrid version of the Crown luxury sedan, released the following August.

Through these products, TMC has always been at the forefront of advancing and introducing high-efficiency, low-emission hybrid systems. Key hybrid components in the Prius include an Atkinson cycle engine, a drive-power-supplying nickel-metal hydride battery and an electrically controlled transmission that serves as a continuously variable transmission. The Estima Hybrid's performance-enhancing electric 4WD and comprehensive four-wheel drive-and-braking control are world firsts for a mass-produced vehicle, and so is the Crown mild hybrid's practical application of a 42V electrical system.

TMC intends to continue actively developing hybrid systems, including those incorporating fuel cells.