Toyota claims first-month Japanese-market orders for the second-generation Prius, which went on sale in Japan at the start of September totalled 17,500, nearly six times greater than the official monthly sales target of 3,000 units.
However, as Toyota touts the economic and ecological benefits of hybrids, General Motors has been busy telling everyone thaat only hydrogen-fuelled cars will survive in the endgame.
Car makers are involved in a loud public relations battle over which form of technology will drive cars of the future.
Larry Burns, GM's vice president of research, development and planning, said last week zero-emission fuel cell vehicles (FCV) will eventually make petrol-electric hybrids obsolete, rejecting Toyota's view that hybrids will remain on the road even after FCVs become affordable for the average consumer.
He said: "The race needs to be judged with a long-term view - the goal is to get automobiles out of the environmental debate altogether."
Hybrids use electric motors and battery packs to improve fuel efficiency, adding power during acceleration and reclaiming energy when braking and coasting, but still need petrol to run.
GM has invested about $1 billion in developing hydrogen-powered fuel cells to power electric motors in vehicles, and wants to be the first car firm to sell a million FCVs. It optimistically hopes to have commercially viable FCVs on sale by 2010.
Japan's Toyota and Honda Motor became the first to put a saleable FCV on the road last year, but the cars are only on lease since they still cost millions of dollars to produce.
Despite the many hurdles that remain to make FCVs commercially viable - such as a lack of infrastructure and safety standards - Burns said weaning the industry off petrol would become imperative as fledgling car markets like those in China and India continue to grow.