Prius passes one million sales milestone

Toyota yesterday underlined its dominance of the booming market for hybrid cars, announcing that the Prius has passed the one million sales mark worldwide.

The company said that as of the end of last month it had sold approximately 1,028,000 units globally since the car was first launched in Japan a decade ago. According to Toyota, these vehicles have contributed to a reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 4.5m tonnes when compared with gasoline powered vehicles in the same class.

Toyota said that sales remain "robust" in more than 40 countries with growth particularly strong in Japan and North America, adding that it was aiming to sell 1 million or more hybrid vehicles annually as early as possible in the 2010s.

It also outlined plans to expand sales into new markets, claiming that it was on track to begin selling the car in South Korea from the latter half of 2009.

In related news the company also outlined plans to curb the carbon footprint of its facilities, following the opening of the first LEED-Gold certified car dealership in the US in Rockwall Texas.

Michael Bevan, corporate manager of the retail market segment of Toyota Motor Sales, said that the company planned to have a further six LEED certified Toyota dealerships in operation by this summer.