German automakers ridiculed Toyota for building vehicles with two engines instead of one, after all, the second drive costs extra. For this reason, the Japanese sold these vehicles for the first ten years at a loss. But Toyota also pursued the strategy because hybrid cars generate societal value because they produce less carbon dioxide through less fuel consumption, emit fewer exhaust gases and are less noisy when driving slowly when the electric motor alone is running
Also read: Why Japan’s carmakers are sticking to all types of drive
However, the manufacturer only advertises its hybrid cars as “clean” and otherwise lets the consumption data speak for themselves. The pioneering model Prius is now in its fifth generation, and last year every fourth Toyota vehicle sold had such a hybrid engine under the hood. Their share of sales is particularly high in Japan and Europe.