Toyota C-HR Hybrid helps Toyota hit 2 MILLION hybrid sales in Europe

A Toyota C-HR Hybrid is the two millionth hybrid car sold in Europe as Toyota’s hybrid sales continue to accelerate, now accounting for 47 per cent of sales.

It’s an astonishing 18 years since the Toyota Prius arrived in the UK as Toyota’s first hybrid offering, selling to a bunch of anoraks and early adopters who wanted to proclaim their ‘Green’ credentials from the rooftops.

But in the past two decades Toyota’s hybrids have gone from being the preserve of anoraks, and Hollywood stars trying to prove something, to being an entirely mainstream offering. And that’s made clear with the announcement that Toyota has now sold two million hybrids in Europe, and 12 million worldwide.

Although the Prius still sells well – as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and MPV – its position as the hybrid star of Toyota’s range has now been eclipsed by the hybrid version of the C-HR in Europe, as Toyota and Lexus’s hybrid offerings now extend to nine Lexus and eight Toyota models, and 47 per cent of Toyota’s sales in Europe are now hybrid models. Just five years ago that was only 20 per cent.

Matthew Harrison, Toyota’s Sales and Marketing VP, said:

It’s no surprise that our two millionth Toyota hybrid sale in Europe is a Toyota C-HR as this is now the best-selling Toyota hybrid model in the region. We are delighted that our extended Toyota hybrid range continues to appeal to more and more European drivers. Thanks to their trust and our undisputed hybrid leadership, we are very confident we will exceed our goal of a 50 per cent hybrid sales mix in Europe by 2020.

There’s no doubt Toyota’s ever-increasing hybrid sales have been helped by the lost love for diesel cars in Europe, but Toyota’s recent move to calling their hybrids ‘Self Charging’ clearly appeals to buyers who want the benefit of electrical assistance, but without the fag of plugging in. 

And despite what you may think, Toyota’s self-charging hybrids really do work, especially in city traffic when the electric motors can account for 50 per cent of the drive.

Which really does make hybrid a viable alternative to diesel.