Toyota of Muncie

Toyota is known for the hybrid technology it employs in vehicles targeted at the average urbanite or the family of four wanting lower fuel-consumption. But this year the automaker will place a petrol-electric hybrid power system in the body of a race car. The automaker's goal? Toyota hopes to become the first 24 hours of Le Mans team to win using a hybrid-powered vehicle.

As automakers race to put out more energy-efficient vehicles, Toyota pushes hard to the lead with a plan to release no less than ten new hybrids by 2015. One source of power behind that push is the release of the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), this month. Since the original Prius entered the scene back in 1997, Toyota has sold over 3-million HSD-powered vehicles across the world. This means...