Toyota said Wednesday it will start leasing plug-in hybrid cars that are even more efficient than its popular Prius by the end of the year in the United States, Japan and Europe.
Toyota Motor Corp. will start leasing 200 plug-ins in Japan, 150 in the U.S. and 150 in Europe, mostly for rental, including through special government-backed programs, it said in a release.
For the first time, Toyota will start using lithium-ion batteries in the plug-ins. The batteries are more commonly seen in laptops and other portable gadgets.