Passion and excitement for the 3 millionth hybrid electric vehicle
- New Corolla GR SPORT handed over to customer in Madrid was the 3 millionth hybrid sold by Toyota Motor Europe (TME)
- The world's best-selling Toyota model with full hybrid technology, available in Hatchback, Touring Sports and Sedan bodytypes, is manufactured in Europe
- Wide range of full hybrid Toyota and Lexus vehicles deliver sales success as well as CO2 leadership
Brussels, 22 July 2020 – Last week Toyota Spain had the honour of delivering the 3 millionth hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sold in Europe, a Corolla GR SPORT to its proud new owner, Nicolás Jiménez. The Corolla GR SPORT, manufactured in the UK, sets itself apart from the rest of the Corolla family thanks to its sporty design inspired by the world of competition.
Nicolás Jiménez explained that he has opted for a Toyota hybrid electric car because he needs to enter the center of Madrid.
Today, with the restrictions to enter many cities, a hybrid is essential. I have not considered any other option than hybrid because the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) will not only reach cities like Madrid or Barcelona but many others. I have chosen a Corolla GR SPORT because of the design, which makes me feel 30 years younger. I am young at heart and this is the version of Corolla that suits me best in that sense. I went to the dealership for a Yaris hybrid, but when I laid eyes on the Corolla I realized that it responded even better to my needs. The size, but also because it is a car that allows both traveling long distance and moving comfortably within a city like Madrid.
President and CEO of Toyota Spain, Miguel Carsi, was present at the handover of the new Corolla Hybrid GR SPORT to Mr. Jiménez at the Toyota Retailer, Comauto Sur in Madrid:
For Toyota Spain, it is a great honour to deliver the 3 millionth hybrid electric vehicle. Following our rapid hybrid growth, we are excited to see that customers looking for cars with more sports appeal are also considering hybrid electric powertrains. This underlines their confidence that our hybrid technology can deliver the necessary driving pleasure and performance.
TME started selling hybrid electric vehicles in 2000 with Prius. Today, customers can choose from a range of 20 different HEV models across the Toyota and Lexus brands in Europe, which in 2019 accounted for 52% of the total sales volume, and 63% in West Europe.
Toyota’s long-term strategy to focus on hybrid electric powertrains across most of its range has allowed the company to become the leader in meeting ever tougher emissions regulations in Europe, the full hybrid technology being incredibly effective at running without emissions for the majority of the time in cities.
Three million hybrid electric vehicle sales is an important milestone as it highlights the mass appeal that our hybrids have with customers. Our hybrid sales success puts Toyota well on track to meeting the 95g/km target set by the EU commission for 2020 and 2021 in Europe
Worldwide the company has sold already more than 15 million full hybrid vehicles, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 120 million tonnes globally. The Toyota Hybrid technology is also the foundation of Toyota’s multi-powertrain electrification strategy which includes BEV, PHEV and FCEV.
Hybrid Global | Fact & Figures | |
1.6 million | Approx. annual hybrid sales |
1997 | Launch in Japan of the very first Toyota hybrid, the Toyota Prius |
120 million tons | #CO2 savings after selling 15M hybrids |
44 | Hybrid models sold |
>90 | Number of countries selling Toyota hybrids |
Hybrid Europe | Fact & Figures | |
3 million | # full hybrids sold in Europe (cumulative, since 2000) |
52% | % hybrid mix 2019 in Eu rope |
>550k | Hybrids sold in 2019 in Europe |
2000 | Toyota Prius launch in Europe, start of hybrid sales |
20 | # full hybrids models in the European line-up: Toyota: 1. Prius PHEV, 2. Prius, 3. Prius+ 4. Camry, 5. Corolla H/B, 6.Corolla Touring Sports, 7. Corolla Sedan 8. C-HR, 9. Yaris 10. RAV4 Lexus: 11. LS500h, 12. RX450h 13.RX450hL, 14. CT200h, 15. IS300h, 16. NX300h, 17. RC300h, 18. LC500h, 19. ES300h, 20. UX250h |
4 | Number of hybrid related production sites in Europe: Yaris Hybrid in France (Valenciennes), Toyota C-HR and Corolla Sedan Hybrid in Turkey (Adapazari), Corolla H/B and Touring Sports Hybrid in UK (Burnaston) and Hybrid transmissions in Poland (TMMP) |