Toyota clocks up over a million hybrid sales

Toyota has just announced that in conjunction with its luxury brand Lexus it has sold more than 1 million petrol-electric hybrids. The one we all know and love (we don’t but you might…) is the Prius which first saw the light of day in 1997 when it was launched in Japan.

The Prius has gone on to clock up sales of 758,000 units worldwide. That’s 758,000 people or organizations who have paid way over the odds for a slow small car with questionable dynamics and lame styling. It wasn’t in an effort to save money as anyone who does their sums will know that the initial purchase price makes the Prius more expensive to own than some large cars.

So it must be in an effort to save the planet. Buy a Prius and save the world? Maybe…

Toyota claim that its hybrids have reduced the amount of CO2 spewed into the atmosphere by some 3.5 million tonnes when compared to petrol and diesel powered equivalents over the past 10 years.

Toyota is now forecasting sales of a million hybrids a year by 2010. Can there really be a million people each year who want to pay more for less in the mistaken belief that they are saving the planet? Buy a ‘normal’ frugal car and turn off more light switches or use your home air-conditioner less. You will help the planet more.

While exploration of alternative fuel sources is vital and hybrids will no doubt play their role in our future conversion from oil based energy they are only one of the steps along the evolutionary path. We can’t help think that over 1 million people have been hoodwinked…and left with lighter wallets.

That there Toyota hybrid snake oil be mighty powerful stuff.

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Source : Car Magazine