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.
GM backs bioethanol as Toyota talks up hybrid plans 14 Jan 2008
Tesla claims it is on track to deliver 100 all electric roadsters a month from early next year 19 Mar 2008Automaker talks up emission-free fuel cells and congestion-busting robot drivers 10 Jan 2008
Review of eight eco-friendly cars highlights disparity between government-backed tests and real-world conditions 20 May 2008
Report claims new tax breaks mean shifting to greener company cars could save billions - and slash UK emissions by almost five million tonnes a year 07 Apr 2008
Intelligent Energy ramps up funding for R&D and partnerships 04 Jul 2008
Focus on energy savings through fuel efficiency for homes and public and commercial buildings 04 Jul 2008
ActionAid accuses G8 of driving more people into poverty by pursing biofuels and cutting agri-aid 04 Jul 2008
More news
Businesses' new found focus on the environment may be welcome, but according to Conrad MacKerron, it is taking attention away from workers' rights issues – and the credibility of the entire green business movement could be at risk 03 Jul 2008
It may be a year old, but as Dell's Jonathan Perry explains, firms looking to get rid of their old IT kit still need to pay attention to the WEEE directive 02 Jul 2008
Telling customers about your environmental targets is all well and good but, as Paul Thomas argues, they are meaningless if you do not know how they are to be achieved 01 Jul 2008 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
