Nearly two million (1,951,243) of those hybrid vehicles have been sold in the United States, under the Toyota and Lexus brands.

In Canada, over 77,000 hybrids have been sold to date and Toyota Canada’s products accounted for more than 80 percent of Canada’s hybrid sales in 2012.

Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles make up 70 percent of the U.S. auto industry’s total hybrid sales, while they account for 16 percent of overall Toyota/Lexus sales, both globally and locally.

Total industry hybrid sales are roughly three percent of the U.S. car market.

Toyota said it estimates that its global fleet of nearly 20 hybrid vehicles has resulted in approximately 34 million fewer tons of CO2 emissions than those emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles. Many environmental experts believe CO2 emissions are a major cause of climate change occurring in the world today.

In addition, Toyota estimates its hybrids have saved their owners more than 3 billion gallons of gasoline compared to gasoline-only powered vehicles.

“With more than 50 hybrid vehicle models from various manufacturers available in the U.S. today, hybrids on the road are saving nearly 500 million gallons of petroleum annually in this country,” said Tony Markel, senior engineer with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in Golden, Colo.

He recalled that DOE and NREL’s collaborative research with the auto industry, which started 20 years ago, spurred the development of hybrid-electric technology for the mainstream market to help reduce the country’s dependence on petroleum.

“With millions of hybrid vehicles on the road today, hybrid powertrains are mainstream market reality,” Markel concluded.

Toyota and Lexus sell a total of 19 hybrid models and one plug-in hybrid in 80 countries and regions around the world.  Twelve of the models are available in the United States, including seven from Toyota and five from Lexus.

They are Prius Liftback, Prius v, Prius c, Prius Plug-in, Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid, Lexus CT 200h, ES 300h, GS 450h, LS 600h and RX 450h.

Of the 12 U.S. models, the Camry Hybrid, Avalon Hybrid and RX 450h are manufactured in North America with a fourth model, the Highlander Hybrid, planned.

Between now and the end of 2015, Toyota will introduce 18 new hybrid models and expects global sales of its hybrids to be at least 1 million units a year in the same period.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A, Inc. forecasts that about one-third of those will be sold in the United States.

“The first Prius was a surprising success and we never imagined the market would become as vast as it has for the hybrid powertrain,” said Bob Carter, TMS senior vice president of automotive operations.

Toyota’s hybrid vehicle sales in the United States began in July 2000 with the first-generation Prius and it provided consumers excellent fuel economy and reduced emissions using a precursor to Toyota’s advanced Hybrid Synergy Drive System.

TMS said the high-technology nature and environmental benefits offered by this early Prius helped it appeal to a small but passionate following of early adopters.

The post 5 Million Toyota Hybrids Sold Worldwide appeared first on HybridCars.com.

The November figures make the Toyota PHEV the sales leader among major brands for the month. October remains the Prius Plug-in’s best month to date, with 1,889 sales.

Toyota’s Prius with a plug managed to best the Chevy Volt, which saw 1,519 units moved last month, a little more than half the 2,961 sold in October, ending a strong three-month run for the car that recently topped Consumer Reports’ annual auto owner satisfaction survey.

Ford’s C-Max Energi, in its second month on the market, saw sales of 1,259 units in November, a few hundred sales shy of the Prius Plug-in. Take into account the Energi’s nine-fold increase from 144 units sold in October, and the Ford plug-in hybrid could be a serious contender to eclipse the Volt and Prius in the coming months.

Despite the C-Max’s tremendous leap and the Toyota’s steady gate, neither were enough to offset the nearly halved Volt sales, leading to a modest but measurable decline in total sales for the three models between October (4,994) and November (4,554).

The drop in Volt sales may at first seem an ominous sign, but culpability lies mainly with recently ended sales incentives for the car, and limited supply following a planned four-week shutdown in October of the company’s Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in Michigan.

We’ll have more news soon when we post our Dashboard which has been delayed slightly by technical issues.

The post Prius Plug-in November Sales Surpass Chevy Volt, Ford C-Max Energi appeared first on HybridCars.com.

A significant part of this success can be attributed to the company’s hybrid lineup, wearing both the Toyota and Lexus badges.

The company said November was a record month for Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) hybrids, with 1,381 units sold. That represented 9.5 percent of total TCI sales. Year-to-date, 16,330 hybrid vehicles have been sold, eclipsing, with a month to go, the previous annual best of 13,546 set in 2008.

In total, Toyota hybrid sales stand at 1,124 units for November 2012, up 88.9 percent when compared to November 2011, for a new November record.

The Prius family itself represented 750 units sold, up 100 percent when compared to November 2011, for a new November record. The Prius v represented 312 units (up 19.5 percent) and the Prius c 158 units. The c even accounted for 15.3 percent of overall TCI subcompact sales in November.

On the SUV front, the Highlander Hybrid represented 126 units (up 15.6%) for another November record.

The Camry Hybrid represented 248 units (up 123.4 percent).

“We are proud to have set an all-time record for hybrid sales,” said Tony Wearing, Senior Managing Director, Toyota Canada Inc. “We are particularly excited that Canadians are attracted to the Prius family, up 100 percent from last year. Prius represents the future of personal mobility, offering a unique hybrid advantage under a proven and iconic brand.”

The luxury-side of the company saw total Lexus hybrid sales stand at 257 units (up 3.6 percent) for another November record. Hybrid models accounted for 20 percent of total Lexus sales in November.

The RX 450h stands at 50 units, totaling 680 units year to date (up 9.9 percent).

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