The worldwide cumulative sales of the ‘Prius’ gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle passed the 3 million mark as at the end of June, said Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC).

The Prius, which was launched in 1997,  was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger car. The second generation followed in 2003, and the third generation in 2009, said a statement.

From the first to third generation, TMC reduced the cost of the hybrid system by two-thirds and increased fuel efficiency from 28 km/lt to 38 km/lt, it said.

Nobuyuki Negishi, chief representative of Mena representative office, said: “The sustained growth in sales of the Prius signifies the success of TMC in addressing the need for hybrid vehicles from environmentally conscious customers. With our state-of-the art- technology and hybrid car expertise, we will continue our emphasis on environmental technologies to build the best vehicles for our customers.”

TMC will launch a total of 17 new hybrid vehicles worldwide by 2015, he said.

The company also brought hybrid technology to the race track by returning to endurance racing with a hybrid LMP1 car. The car had a successful first season winning three of the six races it entered, said the statement.

In the fiscal year ending March 2014, TMC expects to spend a consolidated 890 billion yen ($8.8 billion) on environmental technology development, strengthening new platform and major component development, it said. - TradeArabia News Service