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Toyota broke a Guinness World Records entry by setting a new record for the most vehicles in a hybrid parade. The official tally for a parade lap on the Alameda Air Field in the San Francisco Bay Area was 332 Prius owners. This is not surprising since California has 40% of the nation’s Prius vehicles. Northern California is well-known for its Prius population density.
More significant than a publicity stunt / photo op is that Toyota and Lexus have double the number of hybrids on the roads than any other auto manufacturer.
“We wanted to celebrate this revolutionary vehicle and the folks behind the wheel who’ve always been our early-adopters, thinking bigger about their carbon footprint and environmental impact,” said Pete Carey, vice president and general manager for Toyota Motor Sales.
See: Milestones: Lexus Hybrid Sales Top 1 Million and Toyota Hybrid Sales Surpass Eight Million
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
