Toyota the world’s biggest seller of hybrid vehicles has sold Millions Hybrids Worldwide

Japanese giant Toyota, the world’s biggest seller of hybrid-electric vehicles has sold more than 6 million hybrid vehicles globally since it first launched a series-production hybrid in 1997. In August 1997, in Japan, Toyota launched the Coaster Hybrid EV, with the world’s first mass-produced hybrid passenger vehicle, but the company didn’t become synonymous with hybrids until a few months later, when the first generation of the Toyota  Prius went on sale in December, that same year.

View Westboro Toyota Prius inventory here.

According to Toyota, 6 million hybrid vehicles sold since 1997 have helped reduce CO2 emission by approximately million tons that than would have been emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles of similar size and driving performance.

Since then, Toyota has consistently developed its hybrid vehicle lineup and ambitious plans and goals. In 2013, this giant automaker, declared to surpass U.S. rules, intended to double fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions.

Also, automakers agreed in 2011 to a plan by President Barack Obama targeting an industrywide increase in Corporate Average Fuel Economy, CAFE, to 54.5 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2025. Bob Carter, the automaker’s U.S. senior vice president, said that increased sales of hybrids and other alternative powered autos will help Toyota comply with that rule.

The 54.5 CAFE goal isn’t equivalent to window sticker-labels intended to show actual fuel economy for new cars and trucks. The window-sticker average for all autos sold in the U.S. last year rose 1 mpg to an all-time high of 24.8 mpg, based on data compiled by University of Michigan researchers Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle. On a U.S. CAFE basis, the average was 30 mpg in 2013, also the best ever, said Sivak.

Toyota will release 15 new or revamped hybrids worldwide between August 2013 and 2015 and a fuel-cell sedan next year to lift efficiency, Carter said.

“With our wide-ranging lineups and lead in hybrid vehicles, we think we are in the pole position on CAFE,” he said.

“A lot of people think we can get there mostly with advanced ICEs, ”Robert Bienfeld, U.S.  senior manager of environmental and energy strategy for Tokyo-based Honda, said in an interview. “A lot depends on consumer response. Inexpensive gasoline is going to be challenging.”

Lighter 2013 Toyota Avalon to Quench Your Thirst for Saving At the Pump

Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive technology has helped enhance the fuel economy in many vehicles across the fleet of products. Why? Well, there are several reasons, but one of primary note rests with the fact that Toyota’s engineers have been working tirelessly to reduce the weight of its vehicles. 

Take the 2013 Toyota Avalon, for example. The Toyota Technical Center’s (TTC) development team has made the upcoming year’s model lighter, but more rigid, to improve drive performance.

The result of the TTC’s efforts: The 2013 Toyota Avalon is 110 pounds lighter than the 2012 model, making it the lightest vehicle in the premium mid-size segment, Westboro Toyota has learned.

“Our target was to dramatically improve all aspects of dynamic performance, [e]specially in the areas of fuel efficiency, handling and performance,” TTC’s chief Avalon engineer Randy Stephens explained.

Less mass means the 2013 Toyota Avalon will be more responsive and engaged near handling limits, explained the manager in charge of ride and handling in a recent Toyota press release.

Westboro Toyota is pleased to tell you the Avalon isn’t the only Toyota to go “on a diet.” The midsize 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid is more than 200 pounds lighter than the 2011 model!

The lighter the vehicle the more likely you are to get better gas mileage. For instance, the 2013 Toyota Avalon offers a combined 40 mpg EPA-rating. Westboro Toyota sure is glad Toyota’s engineers focused on engineering weight reduction into the structure of the new vehicle. Have you seen gas prices lately? They’re creeping back to the $4 per gallon mark!

We can’t wait for the 2013 Toyota Avalon to arrive at Westboro Toyota’s showroom. We’ll keep you posted on its—lighter—arrival.

Don’t wait to wait for the 2013 Toyota Avalon? No problem! Westboro Toyota has got great deals going on right now on brand-new 2012 Avalons. How does just $33,910 sound for a 3.5 liter engine, V-6, six-speed automatic 2012 Avalon Limited (model#3554, stk #36246)?

Don’t forget, too, that the Last Chance Clearance event is going on right now, too!

Stop by Westboro Toyota to test drive a brand-new 2012 Avalon today, and be sure to check out our live pricing online!

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