The 2 millionth Toyota hybrid in Europe goes to Poland!

Polish customer owner of the 2 millionth hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) sold by Toyota Motor Europe

19/09/2018

When walking into the Toyota Radosc retailer in Warsaw, Poland, little did Ms Magdalena Sobolewska-Bereza suspect she would find herself half an hour later taking the keys of her brand new Toyota C-HR Hybrid from the General Manager of Toyota Radosc, Maja Kleszczewska, during a small celebration. Turns out Ms Sobolewska-Bereza just bought the 2 millionth hybrid sold by Toyota since the company pioneered hybrid electric technology in 2000 in Europe.

1 out of every 2 cars sold is a hybrid

Independent research* shows that a self-charging Toyota hybrid drives in zero emissions mode more than 50% of the time, in both urban and suburban environment. There is no need to plug in the car since the system charges the battery while driving, decelerating and braking. These benefits, in addition to the comfortable and silent experience, are assets that are highly valued by customers. In 2011, 10% of our European customers chose a hybrid. This figure has grown exponentially to 47% in 2018: today, almost one out of every two cars sold by Toyota in Europe is a hybrid.

Thanks to the large line-up – Toyota has 8 hybrid models, Lexus 9 – there is a choice to cater for each customer’s taste, from the B-segment Toyota Yaris Hybrid to the Lexus flagship coupe LC500h.

“I used to drive a conventional car of another brand, but I think a hybrid is a great choice. I was attracted to the Toyota C-HR because of its uniqueness, low emissions, modern design, comfortable drive and the boot that is spacious (enough for my two dogs). The fact it is a low emissions car is particularly important to me as I’m a biologist. Biodiversity is my passion – I care about it and I want to help saving it for future generations. I believe hybrids are the future of mobility, especially in cities.”

Ms Sobolewska-Bereza, Chief Administrative Officer at Warsaw

Over 12 million hybrids sold worldwide

Since the Prius was introduced in 1997 in Japan, Toyota has sold over 12 million hybrid cars worldwide. More than a numerical milestone, this demonstrates the way self-charging hybrid electric technology has changed the rules of the game. It has emerged as a mainstream solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. In the footsteps of the iconic Prius that started it all, Toyota now sells 34 different hybrid models in more than 90 countries and regions across the globe. This has helped to reduce CO2 emissions by 93 million tonnes.

“It is no surprise that our 2 millionth Toyota hybrid sale in Europe is a Toyota C-HR as this is now the best-selling Toyota hybrid model. We are delighted that our extended hybrid range continues to appeal to more and more European drivers. Thanks to their trust and our undisputed hybrid leadership, we are very confident that we will exceed our goal of 50% hybrid mix in total Europe by 2020.”

Matthew Harrison, Vice President Toyota Sales & Marketing

HEVs at the heart of our portfolio

In October 2015, Toyota announced the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050. Between this set of challenges, it aims to reduce new vehicle CO2 emissions by 90% by 2050, compared to the levels in 2010. Toyota aims to reach that ambition by accelerating the popularisation of electrified cars, putting more than 5.5 million on the road every year, by 2030 - at least one million of which will be zero-emissions vehicles. Toyota hybrid electric technology is at the heart of its portfolio of environmentally friendly cars, encompassing plug-in hybrid electric (PHEVs), battery electric (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

Facts & Figures

Hybrid Global
About 10 years	To reach the first million hybrid sales
<1 year (8 months)	To reach the last million hybrid sales
1.6 million	Approx. annual hybrid sales
1997	Launch in Japan of the very first Toyota hybrid, the Toyota Prius
93 million tons	#CO2 savings after selling 12M hybrids
34	Hybrid models sold
>90	Number of countries selling Toyota hybrids

Hybrid Europe
2 million	# full hybrids sold in Europe (cumulative, since 2000)
47%	% hybrid mix, year to date 2018 in Europe
50%	2020 target hybrid mix
>400k	Hybrids sold in 2017 in Europe (+38% above last year)
2000	Toyota Prius launch in Europe, start of hybrid sales
17	# full hybrids models in the European line-up: Toyota: 1. Prius 2. Prius Plug-in 3. Prius+ 4. Camry hybrid, 5. Auris hybrid (Corolla Sport) 6. C-HR hybrid, 7. Yaris hybrid 8. RAV4 hybrid Lexus: 9. CT200h 10. IS 300h 11. GS450h/GS300h 12. LS500h, 13. NX300h 14. RX450h/RX450hL 15. RC300h, 16. LC500h 17. ES300h
3	Number of hybrid production sites in Europe: Yaris Hybrid in France (Valenciennes), Toyota C-HR Hybrid in Turkey (Adapazari) and Auris Hybrid in UK (Burnaston)

* Research by CARe (Center for Automotive Research and Evolution) of the University Guglielmo Marconi in Rome in collaboration with Enea (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development)

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