Toyota hybrids have passed the one million sales mark in Japan

JAPAN // Toyota's hybrid cars have broken the million sales barrier in the company's home country. The Toyota Prius was the best-selling car in Japan last year, and it continues to lead sales figures, with July being the 15th consecutive month the model topped the country's sales charts. It is also the third-best selling car in Toyota's lineup. Sales are helped by the Japanese government's tax rebates on hybrid vehicles; these breaks are scheduled to end next month. More than 2.68 million Toyota hybrids have been sold worldwide, according to the car maker. The company currently offers hybrid models of some of its luxury saloons, SUVs and minivans, and has plans to introduce hybrid versions of all of its models by 2020. Toyota has calculated that its hybrid vehicles have led to approximately four million fewer tons of CO2 emissions in Japan, and approximately 15 million fewer tons globally, than would have been emitted by petrol-powered vehicles of similar size.