Ever since the RX 400h went on sale in April 2005, Toyota’s luxury brand has managed to deliver more than 1 million hybrid cars worldwide.

In order to commemorate the new milestone, Lexus had its European boss, Alain Uyttenhoven, hand over the keys of a new NX 300h to a customer in Milan, Italy.

I was surprised to hear that I was the buyer of the 1 millionth Lexus hybrid, and I am honoured to celebrate this important milestone with Lexus!“, said the customer, who added that the hybrid crossover is his first Lexus.

Lexus has been gradually expanding its hybrid vehicle family after the debut of the RX 400h, which was joined by the GS 450h in 2006 and the LS 600h, one year later. In 2009, Lexus added the HS 250h, followed by the first premium hybrid compact, the CT 200h, in 2011. 2012 saw the debut of the IS 300h, while the GS 300h and NX 300h were introduced in 2013 and 2014, respectively, followed by the RC 300h, which was launched globally at the end of 2015.

Lexus’ hybrid vehicle lineup currently includes 10 models and it has just celebrated the addition of the LC 500h, which features a new-generation performance hybrid technology, called Multi Stage Hybrid System (MSHS).

Since 2005, North America is the firm’s largest market when it comes to hybrid cars, with over 345,000 vehicles sold, followed by Europe, where more than 237,000 units have been delivered. In its homeland, Lexus has sold 225,000 hybrid cars, while China and Hong Kong accounted for almost 100,000 units. The best-seller is the RX, with 335,000 units, followed by the CT, with 267,000, and the ES, with 118,000.

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