Toyota Prius

Indisputably the most famous hybrid car of them all, the Toyota Prius has reached a momentous new milestone; achieving global sales of no less than 3 million.

One of the best selling cars in the world, never mind, the top-selling hybrid, the quirky saloon first made an appearance in Japan back in 1997, before quickly becoming the face of a hybrid revolution which followed.

The first generation model sold just 123,000 models worldwide, but by the time it reached its second generation, sales hit their first million, selling 1.19 million.

Through three generations, Toyota has improved its first hybrid model, to keep it ahead of the competition, making it cheaper to run, delivering class-leading levels of efficiency and ultra-low emissions. Its official CO₂ emissions figures have fallen from 114g/km for the first generation to 89g/km for the current model while the cost of its hybrid powertrain has been reduced by two thirds. In its development of the current, third generation model, Toyota filed more than 1,200 patents.

As well as improving the Prius saloon model, Toyota has also expanded the line-up to include a plug-in hybrid model, a seven seat MPV called the Prius+ and a supermini sold in other markets called the Prius c/Aqua (in the UK, we have an equivalent model called the Toyota Yaris Hybrid).

The Japanese firm continues to make hybrid technology central to its development of more environmentally efficient vehicles and it continues to make significant investments to secure sustainable global growth. In the financial year ending in March 2014, it is expected to spend more than £5 billion (790 billion Yen) on research and development and facilities for developing hybrid and other cutting edge technologies, as well as strengthening development of new platforms and components.