Sales of the hybrid vehicle segment have been on the decline as of late because of falling fuel prices and the rising efficiency of conventional gasoline cars, not to mention the advent of fully-electric vehicles.
While the Toyota Prius is at the top of the leader board when it comes to hybrid vehicles notwithstanding its previous and consistent successes over the years, its efforts are still not enough to uplift or perk up the sagging segment.
Thus when the 2016 Toyota Prius is officially released to the retail markets early next year, it is expected that it will have the unenviable task of breathing new life into the flagging hybrid segment.
While the challenge will be great and many motoring experts believe that Toyota will be in a very tough position to do so, but the key to the hybrid market is no other than the Toyota Prius itself because the Prius is the hybrid segment itself.
In 2014, Toyota sold 207,635 of the three combined Prius models, accounting for 42% of the hybrid market. The Prius is also by far, the best-selling hybrid vehicle in US history, having sold more than 1.8 million units since its debut in 2000 as a 2001 model.