The milestone was reached and passed in January 2020. A total of 2.8 million Toyota hybrids have been sold in Europe. There are currently a total of 19 different hybrid models in the Toyota and Lexus collections in Europe, representing 52% of sales in 2019 and 63% in Western Europe.
Globally, the two brands currently offer a total of 44 different hybrid models, representing a tremendous Leap to drive the electrification of traffic, true to Toyota’s original vision.
Toyota’s decision to embark on developing a completely new way to implement the car’s power line began to mature more than 25 years ago, when a team led by Takeshi Uchiyamada began designing a car to reduce greenhouse and other emissions that would pave the way for the new millennium. The launch of the first-generation Toyota Prius came very close to the signing of the Kyoto climate agreement, bringing more weight to environmental considerations, including in terms of transport. Today, 15 million hybrids sold later, Toyota has made a significant environmental impact by delivering more than 120 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from its hybrid models compared to similar traditional petrol-powered cars.
The company’s original vision has enabled Toyota to meet the world’s ever-tightening emissions regulations.
“Thanks to our hybrids, Toyota will clearly and without problems fall below the 2020 and 2021 95 g / km limit (measured by correlated NEDC emissions) in Europe, which has the world’s most stringent limits on CO2 emissions,” says Matt Harrison, CEO of Toyota Motor Europe .
“In addition, our hybrids have been shown to be very efficient in urban traffic, allowing well over 50% of the time to be done on electricity alone without local emissions.”
Over the past era, Toyota has seen the growth in demand for hybrids stem from both environmental awareness and the attractive design made possible by innovative technology and the TNGA chassis structure. However, with hybrid technology already in its fourth generation, development has not stopped, and the development of cars with lower emissions and lower fuel consumption continues. And thanks to those years of development, Toyota’s hybrid models are accessible to everyone in the European market and are suitable for all kinds of use needs in any country.
Hybrids are the way to electric cars and fuel cell cars
Toyota knows that hybrids are an essential part of the electrified transportation of the future, but more than two decades of experience in electrification also support the company’s strategy that emphasizes a variety of power lines. Toyota produces and will produce different types of electrified cars both to reduce emissions and to meet customer requirements. Toyota does not see a power line option above all others, but firmly believes that self-charging hybrids, rechargeable hybrids, electric cars and fuel cell cars belong to one common future.
“Naturally, we are constantly working with battery technology to improve battery performance and reduce production costs. However, we cannot have a situation where we do not have a plan to move forward until the challenges of electric cars and fuel cell cars have been overcome. So at the same time, we will continue to develop self- charging hybrid technology,” says Shigeki Terashi , a member of Toyota’s management team.
Due to its long experience in hybrid technology, Toyota has deep expertise in the core technology common to all electrified power line types. The already mentioned, more than 20 years of experience in the development and manufacture of electric motors, batteries and power management units has accumulated a huge amount of knowledge for Toyota about various technical implementations. This knowledge and the skill combined with it enable an extensive range of Toyota and Lexus for both self-loading and rechargeable hybrids, electric cars and fuel cell cars.
To realize its vision in Europe, Toyota plans to launch 40 new or upgraded electrified models by 2025, including at least 10 zero-emission models (electric and / or fuel cell cars). Toyota’s self-charging hybrids will continue to form the core of power lines, further helping to lower automotive emissions along with other electrified vehicles. That’s been the company’s goal since the first Prius model 25 years ago, and the journey continues toward the ultimate goal – a widely available and lifecycle zero-emission car.
