Overview
- Toyota introduced the first hybrid offered for sale in Germany on February 10, 2001 with the Prius.
- The Prius brought a practical hybrid system to series production, enabling short electric driving at low speed with regenerative braking and no external charging.
- Toyota has sold more than 5.1 million Prius globally, and Nikkei Asia reports the company held about 58% of the hybrid market at the end of 2025 and is targeting roughly 6.7 million hybrid units in 2028.
- In Germany the model remained a niche, with about 40,000 sold through 2025, fewer than 200 new registrations in 2025, and 21,477 registered as of January 1, 2025.
- German automakers initially prioritized diesel and arrived with mass‑market hybrids years later, as early efforts like Audi’s Duo struggled and hybrids now draw renewed attention as EV policies and corporate strategies evolve.