Prius sales exceed 1,000,000 units

Despite the credit crunch and rising fuel prices, the successful Toyota Prius hybrid has sold in excess of a million units worldwide ever since its launch back in 1997, 1,028,000 to be precise.

Although the Prius only ventured beyond Japan in 2000, over 100,000 units have been sold in Europe since then with the UK market taking 23,893 Priuses

The Prius continues to perform strongly despite being an old model in a struggling new-car market. UK sales are up 7.1% in April this year compared to last years sale in the same period. In the U.S, sales rose by a staggering 67% last month.

It’s claimed that since the car’s launch, Prius vehicles have contributed to reducing CO2 emissions of approximately 4.5 million tonnes when compared with conventional vehicles of the same class.

Infiniti gains 10,000+ potential customers

Nissan's luxury marque, Infiniti has launched an exclusive digital reservation list for potential customers ahead of its European launch. The site, http://www.infiniti.eu/ gives those who sign up top priority in purchasing a new Infiniti before pre-orders begins.

After signing up and receiving your own personal reservation number, you will be invited by your nearest Infiniti centre to specify your desired car before pre-ordering is opened to the public.

According to Infiniti Europe’s marketing director, Bastien Schupp, 10,000 + people have signed up to be an “Infiniti Insider”. Schupp said, “We are pleased to see that excitement and anticipation are building even faster than we expected”.

Infiniti is to launch across Europe over the next two years; first countries to open it doors are France, Spain and Italy in October 2008, followed by Germany and the UK in April 2009 and Sweden in January 2010.

The European line-up will consist of the EX-Series, G-Series sedan, coupe & convertible, and the flagship FX-Series SUV and a series of V6 and V8 petrol engines but in 2010, in conjunction with Renault, a V6 diesel will arrive which is expected to be the most popular engine.